Why is my dog so itchy with red, flaky skin patches in summer?

Skin problems in dogs are usually secondary to allergies. Due to the her having dry skin on her backside, and the history of fleas, I think that Samantha has a flea allergy. Flea allergies tend to make dogs lose hair and become very itchy on the back 1/3 of their body. The key to getting rid of fleas is to make sure that you treat the environment where Samantha is as well as her. The fleas that you can see are only the tip of the iceberg. Most of the flea life cycle is in the carpet , bedding inside and grass outside. There is a stage of the life cycle that can not be killed with pesticides. So- it is important to treat the dog and environment and then repeat it in 3-4 weeks. If your dog has a flea allergy, it is important to keep them on a monthly flea prevention because even one flea bite will make them itch. If your fleas are truly gone and you have Samantha on a regular flea prevention, she could have another allergy like an inhalant allergy. I would recommend a visit to the veterinarian to figure out what is going on with her abdomen. Bumps could be a sign of a bacterial infection. Your vet may be able prescribe a treatment to get her feeling better. The thing to remember about allergies and skin problems in dogs is that there is not one magic treatment that works on all dogs. It will require team work between you and your vet to determine what works best for Samantha. Don't get frustrated if the first thing doesn't work, go back in for a recheck and try the next treatment.

Hello, sorry to hear about Sammy. Those areas are very suspicious for flea allergy dermatitis. This is an allergy to flea saliva and a single flea bite can cause an allergic reaction. It is important to know that you do not need to see fleas for Sammy to have this allergy. Sammy is likely very itchy from this and will need medications to control his itchiness and treat any secondary skin infection he could develop. You should ensure he has adequate, monthly, flea control and that other pets in the household are also protected against fleas. Make an appointment with your veterinarian and have Sammy evaluated promptly so that he can get medications for his itchiness and potentially skin infection. Hope this helps and best of luck.

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). 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.

Chronic skin lesions could be several things including allergies to fleas, 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. Parasites are often ruled out with an oral medication like Simparica. 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. Also protect the area from trauma by having Sammy wear an elizabethan collar at all times. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

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.


Those patches are likely infection or severe inflammation. The key is to figure out the underlying cause. Those spots on Hershey could be several things including allergies to fleas, 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. Parasites are often ruled out with an oral medication like Simparica. 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 his diet to something like Royal Canin or Nutro as they are aimed at skin health. Also protect the area from trauma by having Hershey wear an elizabethan collar at all times. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hi, and thanks for your question. This could be 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). The following products can be found online and can be tried as a first line approach: Douxo PS Calm shampoo, Essential 6 spot on by dermoscent, Krillex Krill oil chews. 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. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!