My dog and I are both itching. Could it be contagious or allergies?

Alfie could have mange which is contagious to humans and would cause your itching. Ringworm is also contagious to humans, and that could be something he passed along to you. It could also be that you have developed an allergy to your dog. I would have him seen by a vet to check if he does have manage so he can treated, and I'd recommended seeing your doctor as well to see if they can diagnose a cause of your itching so you can be treated and get some relief from the itching. I hope this helps!

It's possible that your dog and brothers could both be suffering from a contact allergy of some kind. However, dogs can get a number of skin problems that are contagious to humans such as scabies or ringworm, so this is a possibility as well. I would recommend taking your dog to the vet for an exam as soon as possible - he/she can do some simple skin tests to check for these problems, which will help to guide treatment for him as well as your brothers if a contagious disease is found.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. If that is the case, that is not transmissible to humans. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

Hello, and thanks for your question on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Ginger needs to be seen by a veterinarian for a diagnosis on what's going on with her skin, but if she is very itchy and if you have a rash that's similar to hers, I'd definitely recommend you both get that checked right away (you by your doctor, of course :-) ). There is a skin mite called sarcoptes that can infect a dog's skin and cause intense itching, and this mite can also be spread to people. Thankfully, if that's the case, it's easy to treat - but does require a prescription medication from the veterinarian. So, definitely have her checked as soon as possible. Hope this helps!

Mr. Brown may be having the skin issues due to ringworm, skin mites or allergies. Allergy testing can be complicated and expensive, ruling out food allergies is certainly easier by using a hydrolyzed diet. Diagnosing ringworm and skin mites is very easy. I recommend to have him examined by his veterinarian and at least rule out the easy things that may spread to the other dogs. At least then you can start treatment and decontamination if needed. Things you can do to improve skin health in general include changing the diet to something that is aimed at tskin health such as Nutro or Royal Canin. Giving him an additional omega 3 fatty acid supplement for dogs will also help but may not fix the situation. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

This could indeed be mange, an allergy or a bacterial or fungal skin infection. Sarcoptic mange and a fungal infection are contagious to people so I strongly suggest you make an appointment with your vet for a skin exam. Your vet will do a skin scrape and look at it under the microscope, hopefully finding a mange mite. He may also take a brush sample to try and grow a fungus in a test tube. Please make an appointment today.

Blue's skin is very inflamed! There are a few things that can cause this including mites (both demodex and scabies) and allergies. Secondary bacterial infections are also super common when the skin looks like this. Allergies and demodex are not contagious but scabies is and it can be found where ever pets go (including the pet store). Humans can get scabies from their pets but the infection is usually short lived as we are not the target host. You should speak with your doctor if you have any rashes. This is not something you can likely tackle at home, it needs medication to get better. I recommend to take Blue into see her veterinarian who needs to run a diagnostic called a skin scrape to check for mites (and thus know how to treat her). Blue will likely get an antibiotic as well. I hope this helps and feel free to post any additional questions.