Why does my dog have itchy red spots and bumps on his paws and legs?

I am sorry to hear about your pup. One of our major rule-outs/possible causes in these cases is an allergy. We can have allergies to things in the environment like grass, pollen, dust (called atopy) or food allergies. We can also have flea bite hypersensitivity where just one or two flea bites can make a dog break out all over and itch. Often a secondary skin infection with bacteria or yeast develops in these cases, which require antibiotic therapy. There are some lower cost antibiotics available ahttp://m.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/trouble_affording_veterinary_care.htmls generic drugs at many grocery stores, so if you let your vet know your financial limitations, they can try to find the most cost effective options. Sometimes once the secondary infection is under control the itching may be managed with a lower cost drug like an antihistamine such as hydroxyzine, benadryl, or zyrtec, along with a fatty acid supplement. Being on an effective flea preventative is also crucial in these cases. You can read more about allergies at https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4952662 . I would look around to see if there are any low cost clinics in your area. Sometimes the human society or APL or ASPCA will have these. Some vet clinics will also take payment plans or work with companies like Care Credit to offer payment plans. You can read more about ideas to help pay for vet care at http://m.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/trouble_affording_veterinary_care.html

This looks like an area of skin infection. The smaller two bumps are pustules and the larger area is a pustule that has ruptured. Sometimes, if confined to a small area, these can be treated with topical antibacterial medication. If, however, it is more widespread your dog may need oral antibiotics. I hope this helps. If you have any other questions please let us know!

It sounds like Biscuit could have a flea allergy, or possibly environmental allergies. The picture of his paws does look inflamed. He may need to see a vet for systemic medications such as antibiotics or an anti-itch medication if it's not getting better on its own. Make sure he is on a good flea preventive so that he is not getting bitten over and over again.

This is likely to be due to an infective pododermatitis. It is possible that the generalized infection is actually due to an underlying predisposing 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!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Murphy. Allergies are common causes of skin disease this time of year. Humans inhale environmental allergens such as grasses, weeds, pollens and molds. This results in watery eyes and a runny nose. Dogs can experience this, but they walk through and lay in the grass. Therefore, red and possibly itchy skin tends to occur on the belly and paws. Dog can also develop red spots from insect bites. Rarely a bleeding disorder can occur. In this case, small area of bruising are seen on the dog. I recommend that he sees a veterinarian. He will be examined and detailed questions asked regarding his lifestyle and diet. Testing may be recommended. Based on these results treatment can be started if necessary. If he is acting ill or the spots look like bruising (your pictures are a but blurry), then he needs to see an emergency veterinarian today. I hope this information helps!

This definitely looks like dermatiits. Also it would not have resolved so quickly if it were bites. The dermatitis is likely a hypersensitivity to something in the environment. Unfortunately a lot of dogs are allergic to things like grass, pollen and molds in the grass, which can cause outbreaks of the skin in this manner. There are some options for management of environmental alleriges in dogs that you can discuss with your vet if O's skin has another outbreak. You can also consider getting O a topical product called Duoxo shampoo calm available online to help with his condition. Best wishes with your furry friend moving forward. Take care!

Red skin can be caused by several things including parasites, allergies to something in the environment, food allergy, contact allergies 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 or a skin scrape. 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. Contact allergies are addressed by keeping pets away from things they are allergic to. Once you figure out and address the underlying cause, the redness 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 Luka wear an elizabethan collar if needed. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.