Why is my dog itching, chewing, and has a skin infection on his back?

Poor guy. This sounds like he may have a common condition called “happy tail” and likely injured the end of his tail due to hitting it on hard surfaces. Another possible cause is a fungal infection, but typically this causes hair loss as well. The hair needs to first be shaved to get a better look at the skin and also allow the area to be cleansed antiseptically and apply topical ointment or spray if needed. Oral antibiotics will also likely be needed if the infection is deep. This would be best taken care of by visiting your vet. Proper wound management is essential for wounds like this to heal well and since it is the tail area it already proves difficult to shave without causing further harm. Your vet will be able to do this quickly and efficiently and also be able to provide a prescription for antibiotics which is often needed for tail wounds to prevent the infection from seeping into the bone and causing further issues. Until you can get Louis seen, you can clean it with Betadine diluted 50:50 with warm water. Best of luck with your pet Louis and his tail wound. I hope this heals well soon! Take care.

Based on your photos, it appears that Marley has a skin infection. I would recommend having a veterinarian take a look at this so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I hope this helps! If you are unable to get to a veterinarian right away, I would recommend the below following products which can be found online quite easily. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. 1. Douxo PS Chlorhexidine combination and bathe twice weekly until resolved 2. Douxo PS Calm mousse and apply once daily until resolved 3. Welactin omega 3 fish oil capsules and give as directed on bottle 4. Malacetic conditioning spray and apply to affected area twice daily until resolved 5. Essential 6 spot on by Dermoscent

It looks as if your dog has a skin infection, most commonly caused by an allergy, a skin mite (Demodex) or fleas. 

The allergy could be a due to a protein in your dog’s food or an environmental allergy like to dust, pollens, grasses, etc. 

The allergy causes your dog to itch and chew at the skin which breaks down the skin barrier. This then leads to infection. Skin infections are typically characterized by large areas of hair loss, redness, crusting, flaking, and pustules. A thorough skin examination by your veterinarian should be able to determine the cause of the itch so it can be treated appropriately. Your dog will most likely need antibiotics to help clear up the infection and possibly an allergy/anti-itch medication like Apoquel, Atopica, or Cytopoint to give some relief while the infection clears up. A medicated shampoo may be beneficial as well. I would also recommend he be on a good flea control routinely too. Once the infection has resolved a long term allergy medication (like Apoquel or Cytopoint) can be given on a regular basis to prevent any future problems. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

Blonde looks like he has significant inflammation and likely an infection as well. More severe conditions like this are unlikely to resolve with home care. Most of these pets need antibiotics and medications to decrease inflammation. I recommend to take him in to be seen by his veterinarian. The condition will likely only get worse and he probably has some degree of discomfort. Many things can cause this degree of information including deep bacterial infections, allergies, nights or ringworm (which humans can get). At home you can wash the area with antibacterial soap and rinse well with cool water. This however is unlikely to control or repair the problem. He also should wear an Elizabethan collar at all times to prevent him from licking at the area as this tends to make it worse. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions!

It looks as if your dog has a skin infection. These are usually caused by allergies and/or fleas. Their skin becomes itchy and the more your dog scratched and chews at the skin the more infected it will become. You will need to treat the infection (usually with antibiotics) and treat the itch. Common medications to help with itch include Cytopoint, Apoquel and steroids. I am not familiar with the medication albomine so I can’t help you with that. I would recommend taking your dog to the veterinarian to be checked out and to see if any of the medications mentioned above can help. Best of luck. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Poor guy. This looks like a hot spot (bacterial infection), which is caused by any skin irritation or knick to the skin. I would highly recommend taking him back to your vet for antibiotics at this point. You can also purchase an over th counter hot spot spray from your local pet store if you need something to use right away. This will help with topical relief and also treat the infection topically. But ultimately oral antibiotics are a must here. I would also recommend getting Jerry on a high quality flea preventative such as Bravecto, Nexgard, or Simparica just to name a few . A lot of hot spot cases are caused by fleas. I hope this helps get Jerry’s skin back to normal quickly. Best wishes and take care.

This presentation could be due to a trauma or localized spot of skin infection (likely to be caused by bacteria). A check up, appropriate disinfection and possibly antibiotics (oral, topical or in a shampoo formulation) are needed to solve the problem. Disinfection may be started at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths. Buster collar may be useful as well to avoid any licking. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.