My dog has itchy skin, rashes, lumps, and hair loss. What to do?

Related Answers from Veterinarians

• Answered By Ricardo Fernandez, DVM

  Veterinarian, Veterinary Oncology Resident

  Published on December 12th, 2017

  Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing her 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!
  

  

  1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

• Answered By Summer Walker, DVM, MS

  Veterinarian

  Published on August 8th, 2017

  Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Jax, it is likely that Jax has an underlying allergy (environmental, food, parasitic) that is causing the rash to return once the treatments are stopped. Allergy patients generally require lifelong treatment to manage the clinical signs associated with a flare (itching, redness, bumps, odor, recurring ear infections). To start, always make sure Jax is on an appropriate flea preventative to rule-out a possible flea allergy dermatitis (FAD). If a food allergy is suspected, your veterinarian may recommend a food trial with a novel protein diet to see if there is improvement noted in the severity of the itching. Environmental allergens can be treated with oral medications (Atopica, Apoquel), injectables (Cytopoint, corticosteroids), or with allergen-specific immunotherapy (to desensitize a patient to the allergen). I would recommend scheduling a recheck with Jax's veterinarian to discuss these possible concerns and see what the next course of action should be for Jax.

  

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• Answered By David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS

  Veterinarian

  Published on July 15th, 2018

  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 Jax with a high quality flea treatment (e.g. advantage), then get him 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 him 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 jax on a long term allergy treatment (Atopica or Apoquel).

  

  1Pet Parents found this answer helpful