My dog is itchy since moving. Can tea tree oil help her skin?

HI, thanks for using Petcoach! Poor Bailey! Fleas can really wreak havoc on the skin. From the scratching animals can get secondary bacterial and yeast infections. A lot of the time they need steroids or apoquel and antibiotics and/or antifungals to get over the hump. Taking her to your Vet for medications will allow her to heal and feel better faster. Since she is so allergic to fleas I recommend aggressive year round flea medications, the oral formulations (Nexgard, Bravecto and Simparica) are great as are the Seresto collars which last 8 months and repel fleas. With that being said, I would avoid the tea tree oil and use a medicated shampoo followed by a conditioner if you do not want to take her to the Vet. Let the shampoo sit on her skin for 10 mins before rinsing. I provided links to a shampoo and conditioner I like. I hope this helps and I wish Bailey a speedy recovery! http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=27307 http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=35843

Hello! A picture of the lesion would help us give more helpful input. However, if Shiloh's skin is flaky and itchy, it could be a number of things, including superficial pyoderma, demodicosis, sarcoptes, yeast dermatitis, and ringworm. It is difficult to narrow down the causes without doing an exam on her or at least seeing the lesions, but it is very likely some sort of infection (whether bacterial, yeast, or parasitic) so I do recommend bringing Shiloh to the vet. Your vet will be able to determine the cause, and Shiloh will likely need prescription medication (antibiotics, antifungals, or anti-parasite, along with possible medicated shampoo) to clear the issue. Depending on the severity of the issue on her skin, it very likely might not improve without prescription meds, so it is worth having her seen as soon as possible. Additionally, depending on her age, she may have some underlying condition that might be making her skin susceptible to infection, such as allergies or hypothyroidism. I hope this helps.

KEO certainly sounds uncomfortable! Skin issues can be difficult to manage and can take a very long time to improve. Since KEO's skin issues have occurred since he was a puppy, I am curious if he has ever had a skin scraping for Demodex mites. This mite can be transmitted to puppies from their mother. Other causes of chronic itchiness include allergies to food, environmental changes, fleas, or other insects. KEO's head shaking could indicate ear mites, but dogs more commonly develop bacterial and/or fungal (yeast) ear infections. Make sure that KEO is receiving a high quality flea and tick preventative (such as Nexgard, Bravecto or Advantix) regularly and bathe him every 1-2 weeks in a gentle oatmeal shampoo. Otherwise, there are no effective at home remedies for this situation. I understand your concerns for KEO's comfort, but at this point, it sounds as though your best bet is to take him back to the vet for a recheck exam. Excessive itching can cause a skin infection, which requires prescription antibiotics and anti-itch medications. Ear infections require prescription ear medications based upon the type of infection present. If he is diagnosed with Demodex mites, he would need prescription medications to treat these. I hope that all goes well!

Charlie Ferreira looks like she may have a chronic bacterial/yeast skin infection +/-mange (from skin mites), likely secondary to chronic inflammation from environmental and/or food allergies. I recommend seeing a new vet perhaps, and starting her on an oral flea/tick preventative such as Simparica, NexGard, or Bravecto that also treats mange and will cover the cause of flea allergy dermatitis if she does have fleas. In addition, she may benefit from a 2 week course of an oral skin antibiotic such as Simplicef, a medicated antibacterial/antifungal shampoo such as Malaseb twice weekly for 1-2 months, and either a daily/year round allergy pill called Apoquel and/or a monthly allergy injection such as Cytopoint. Gradually switching her to an allergy diet such as Hills z/d or Royal Canin Ultamino at the same time or within a week symptoms don’t improve on NexGard, Simplicef, Malaseb and Apoquel will likely give you the best chance of resolving her discomfort and symptoms. Good luck!

I would recommend taking Red to a veterinarian. With the history provided it may indicate allergies. Her skin looks very irritated and after a physical is performed to determine if this is the cause there is plenty of options for allergies in dogs. The first thing is clearing the infection which can include antibiotics, anti-fungals and/or shampoos. The next step is treating the allergies. This can be done by anti-histamines, steroids or two newer treatments one is pills called apoquel and then other is a 4-8 week injection called cytopoint. Allergies can be caused by environmental factors, which its sounds like could be part of the issue due to the recent move to the country but it can also be caused by food allergies. I would discuss this with your veterinarian and make a treatment plan with what is best for you and Red. If after a physical it doesn't appear to be allergies it could also be some type of mite on Red's skin. If your veterinarian feels it is more from mites a skin scraping would be performed to confirm this. Some mites are extremely difficult to find and sometimes even if no mites are found treatment is still initiated. I hope Red feels better soon and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Skin issues like you are describing can have a variety of causes, including skin parasites (fleas or mites), allergies, an infection, or an underlying medical issue (Cushings disease, diabetes). I would recommend he be evaluated by his regular veterinarian to determine the underlying cause for his skin lesions, have any necessary testing done (bloodwork, skin scrape, culture) and start on any treatment that he may need. Good luck!

This looks like an area of infection and inflammation of the skin, probably from itching excessively. Sasha needs to be seen by a vet so she can be prescribed some antibiotics and possibly some itch medication. Your vet can also make a recommendation for a good flea control for Sasha. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.