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My dog has itchy skin, bumps, and is scratching. What's the cause?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Pit Bull Terrier | Male | unneutered | 1 year and 6 months old | 70 lbs

My dog has been scratching way more than usual. He has bumbs all over his body. some of them look like pimples with out the whitehead. My air conditioner has been broke for the past 3 weeks. could it be heat rash?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Amber W

Answered By Amber W

Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

Published on September 26th, 2017

Poor Poseidon! It's probably not related to heat rash. It sounds like Poseidon probably has an allergy causing itching and possibly secondary bacterial skin infection. Allergies can be related to food or environmental allergens. It is also possible that he has mites, fleas, or ringworm.

You should make sure Poseidon is on a quality flea preventative like Frontline Plus, Bravecto, Nexguard, or Advantix.

You can try bathing Poseidon in a gentle oatmeal shampoo or Douxo Calm shampoo to see if this helps.

If Poseidon is very incomfortable he will likely have to be examined by a veterinarian. Skin samples can be obtained to make sure he doesn't have an infection and medication can be used to help with itching. Newer medications like Cytopoint tend to be very effective for dogs with allergies.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and I hope Poseidon is feeling more comfortable soon!
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