Is my pit bull's dandruff, itchy skin, and belly irritation allergies?

It's possible Dutchess has an allergy if her parasite testes are negative. Skin lesions like this could be several things including allergies to something in the environment, food allergy or endocrine disease. Each one of these problems is detected and addressed differently and I recommend to discuss with your veterinarian which one to start hunting down first. Food allergy is best ruled out with a diet trial using a hydrolyzed protein. Endocrine diseases are detected with blood work. Environmental allergies are a little more difficult to detect but a response to therapy or a blood test can give an indication. Once you figure out and address the underlying cause, the lesions should not come back. There are a couple things you can do at home and they can help but they may not address the underlying cause. You can try adding in an omega 3 fatty acid supplement for dogs, this can help improve the skin health. You may also try changing her diet to something like Royal Canin or Nutro as they are aimed at skin health. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Poor Shay-Shay! It looks like she has some pretty significant skin problems. The black, crusty appearance of the skin on her belly is called lichenification - it's caused by chronic itching over a long period of time. There are a number of things that could cause severe itching, hair loss, and scabs like this. Some common possibilities would include allergies, fleas, a bacterial or fungal skin infection, or skin mites (mange). Treatment will depend on what the underlying problem is, so it's important to get a diagnosis first in order to know how to help her. I would recommend taking her to the vet this week for an exam - he/she can do some simple skin tests to help diagnose the problem and get her started on appropriate medication to treat it.

Hello, and thank you for your question. Poor Skye. My guess is this is a severe allergic reaction as well as secondary bacterial infection of the skin. If ointments and benadryl are not helping, she will require stronger, oral medications, to control the inflammation and treat the infection. This will require a visit to the veterinarian. I would recommend this visit within the next 12-24 hours, given how uncomfortable this looks for Skye. In the meantime, you could try giving Skye a bath with a gentle aloe and oatmeal type of shampoo, just to give her some temporary relief, and hope to wash off any surface allergens that may be irritating her skin. Rinse off the shampoo thoroughly with lukewarm water afterwards, and pat dry (don't rub). I hope this helps, and your little girl is feeling better soon.

This is probably due to a severe allergy, although it could also be fleas or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat Cheyenne with a high quality flea treatment (e.g. advantage), then get her to the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try discovering the cause of the allergy. Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair the skin lesions (steroids and antibiotics). simultaneously you should start her on a prescription hypoallergenic diet for at least 2 months. Hopefully you will see some results after all this, if not you and your vet should consider putting her on a long term allergy treatment (Atopica or Apoquel).

This is probably due to an allergy, although it could also be infection or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment, then ask the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try to discover the cause of the allergy. Three main type of allergies are usually affecting pets: food allergies, flea and parasite related ones and environmental type (allergens coming from trees, pollens, dust etc etc). Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair any possible skin lesions (like steroids and antibiotics). 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.

Pits are prone to allergic skin disease, and everything you describe can be symptomatic of this condition. Lex may benefit from a prescription allergy diet trial on something like Hills z/d fed exclusively for 9-10 weeks. He may need to be on allergy medication like apoquel to help stop the itching, and if he has a secondary bacterial or fungal/yeast infection in his skin, this needs to be addressed as well. See your vet for a skin allergy workup and proper medications. Hope that helps!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I think continuing the use of a medicated shampoo would be good as he likely has secondary infections. I think this could be due to allergies and it would be crucial to identify the allergic component to try to see if he can improve. 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!