My dog is itching, biting, and losing hair. Are flea baths enough?

Very common area for a flea allergy to present. I have seen a great number of dogs with severe flea allergies and been unable to find a single flea. Simply put they have been bitten so many times that they have developed an allergy to the flea saliva and one bite can send them into a severe allergic response. My treatment of choice is Cytopoint with an oral flea medication but certainly apoquel or a low dose steroid in combination with an oral flea product would accomplish the same thing.

Poor Faith sounds very itchy and uncomfortable! This scratching can be caused by fleas, mites, ringworm, or allergies. A bath won't get rid of fleas and keep them from coming back. If she isn't up to date on his flea treatment, I will give you the flea treatment program I recommend. First, I would give her Capstar. It's a one time pill that starts killing fleas within 30 minutes. Then follow up with a spot on treatment, such as Advantage or Revolution. This is a treatment that has to be used once a month. You will also have to disinfect the environment. Wash her bedding in hot soapy water, and vacuum the furniture and carpet surfaces. You can use a spray to kill fleas in the house, such as Indorex, or a flea bomb would work well to kill the fleas in the home. If she is up to date on his flea treatment, I recommend taking her into the vet for an exam today or tomorrow. The vet can do blood tests, skin scrapings, and use a Wood's lamp to diagnose allergies, mites, and ringworm. Once the cause of the itching is found, the vet can prescribe the appropriate treatment. I hope this helps!

It is hard to say what is causing Bacardi's problems. The third picture you included looks like pus, which would indicate infection and would need antibiotics to treat. Some dogs can be allergic to fleas, and it may only take 1 bite to make them itchy all over. If you are seeing scabs from where you applied a flea medication or flea collar, it may be irritating the skin so I would recommend removing it and bathing with dog shampoo thoroughly. Causes of itching in dogs include fleas or flea allergies, mites, or skin infection. The hair in the second picture looks like normal shedding to me, but if you feel it is weird for Bacardi, it could be caused by inflammation or from the extra itching she is doing right now. You can try a shampoo like Dechra MalAcetic Ultra Shampoo, but if it doesn't respond in a day or two, Bacardi should be seen by a vet as she may need oral medications to control the itching.

Looks like your little lady is giving herself some hot spots there. If there is a hot spot forming under the hair then the best thing to do is to remove the hair and cleanse the area with an antibacterial solution. Some dogs require topical and/or oral antibiotics and other dogs benefit from some steroids to stop the itch. Most hot spots are secondary to underlying allergies (inhaled/environmental, food, or flea). If seasonal environmental is most likely. The best way to help her would be to see your family vet to have the areas addressed topically and so that medications can be prescribed to treat any infection and stop the itch. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Itchy skin and hair loss is often due to the following things: 1) Allergies - this can happen suddenly and is usually due to an environmental (i.e pollen) cause. 2) External parasites - fleas, lice and mites can all cause intense itching. It's good to check him for fleas and get treatment if needed. The permethrin shampoo is only temporary, so it's possible that he is getting re- infested. He may have mites, which are microscopic and require a vet to find. 3) Over-bathing, or using the wrong product for bathing - Bathing too often can cause the skin to get dry and irritated. Dogs should normally be bathed no more than once a month with a shampoo that is labeled for dogs. If you bathe more than that, or use a shampoo or soap that is meant for people, then you could be damaging the normal protective barrier of the skin. One thing you can do for itchy skin, is give a bath with cool water using an oatmeal or aloe shampoo. You can get these shampoos at the pet store. I hope this helps you to identify the problem. If not, then it would be worth taking him to the vet. We can usually discover the cause quickly and provide the most effective treatment. Below are some links to articles that should be helpful for you: https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-to-tell-if-your-pet-has-allergies/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/4-great-strategies-for-relieving-your-dog-s-allergies/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/skin-allergies-vs-food-allergies/

Sulphur ointment would not be a good idea - that is more for acne. If he is biting his back there is something underlying that is causing him to do that. Honestly my best guess is fleas. That is a very common area for fleas to congregate on a dog causing irritation. I would recommend you use a topical flea treatment like Frontline (pet armour) or Advantage. Wait 24 hours and then you can bathe him with a medicated shampoo like this Duoxo Calm. It also comes as a leave-on mousse product if you don't want to bathe him. If no improvement after doing that he really needs to see a vet. I hope this helps. Best wishes!

There are several potential causes for Arjun's itching. Fleas could be a cause, and even if you don't see fleas, even on tiny flea can be enough to cause itching. I recommend starting with a flea treatment to see if that helps. Mites can cause itching, and so can allergies. These can be allergies to food, or to something in the environment. There are prescription allergy medications that your veterinarian could give to Arjun. You could also try fish oil supplements to see if that helps. If he has scratched himself to the point he is bleeding and has wounds, these can get infected, and the bacterial infection itself can cause continued itchiness. In this case, antibiotics are necessary to get the infection under control so the skin can heal. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!