Dog itching, spots, and wounds: Is it allergies or infection?

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!

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.


With that description, I'm concerned that he has a secondary bacterial infection, which neither elocon or apoquel would fix. I would recommend a quick vet visit to see if he needs oral antibiotics or a medicated bath. As you may know, allergies cause itching but also can cause bacterial or yeast infections and those infections are REALLY itchy - so if he had a flare up, he may need a bit of extra support right now. I hope that helps!

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! While apoquel is a great drug to stop scratching and to help atopic dermatitis it doesn't do anything in the face of a skin infection. Coco should be checked to see if she now has a yeast and or bacterial skin infection. There is also the option of doing an injection for scratching called cytopoint, which lasts 30-60 days (dog dependent). I would also consider adding Omega 3 fish oils and changing her diet to a non-chicken based novel protein diet (try venison, lamb, fish). Claritin, benadryl and zyrtec can be sued in dogs, see links below: https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/dog/benadryl/ https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/dog/zyrtec/ https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/dog/claritin/ https://www.vrshealth.com/canine-products/omegadog/ https://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=15235

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. From the pictures it appears that Dune may be dealing with a skin infection. If you are unable to get him in to be seen by the veterinarian, I would recommend the below products, which can all be found online quite easily. Do this for about 3-4 weeks and if there is no improvement, I would recommend having a veterinarian examine Dune so that the most appropriate treatment recommendations can be made. I hope this helps! 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. Malacetic conditioning spray and apply 2-3 times per day on the affected areas until resolved 3. Welactin omega 3 fish oil capsules for dogs 4. Essential 6 Spot On by Dermoscent

Poor Aspen. He is obviously very sensitive to some type of allergen which that be grass, dust, tree, chicken/beef, fleas (even if you aren't seeing any), and more. i would recommend to talk to your vet about apoquel or a course of steroids. Both of these are great for allergies. Apoquel is preferred as it is safer long term. Also I would recommend a prescription hypoallergenic diet for a minimum of 12 weeks to see if it helps his skin. When you do a food trial you cannot give him any treats or human food. You also need to make sure his hesrtworm prevention is hypoallergenic. I hope this helps! Allergies can be frustrating but it is important to figure out how to manage them as they cannot be cured.

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. What year did scribing sounds like a bacterial skin infection. It sounds like it had done okay on the prescribed course of treatment. Unfortunately, sometimes infections may require several courses of antibiotics or several different antibiotics before an adequate response is achieved. I would suggest going back in to see your veterinarian who initially prescribed the antibiotics and shampoo. The shampoo that I'm most recommend is duoxo chlorhexidine PS combination and bathe twice weekly until the infection is resolved. You can find this shampoo online if you're vet does not carry it. I hope this helps! Please feel free to contact me if you have any other questions or concerns. I am also available by phone or text baste consultation if needed.