Why is my dog losing fur in chunks on his neck and bleeding?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Bingo. It sounds like he is itching if he is biting his side. He could be experiencing seasonal allergies as those are a big source of itching in a dog this time of year. Be sure to check him over for fleas as well. Other causes of itching are a mild skin infection, an insect bite or sting or a small skin mass. I would start by bathing him with a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner such as an oatmeal or fatty acid based formula. If this does not relieve his symptoms, then he will need to see his veterinarian. I hope this information helps!

The lesions that you are seeing on the back of Bruce's neck could be a result of a skin infection from his excessive scratching (possibly related to allergies to fleas, food or environmental factors), but could also be associated with ringworm, mange or benign or malignant cancerous processes. Bruce should go to his vet for evaluation because he likely needs a course of antibiotics to treat any infection present. Until you can get to the vet, keep an e-collar (cone) on him to prevent further scratching and skin damage. Also be sure that he is receiving a high quality flea preventative (such as Nexgard, Bravecto or K9 Advantix II) regularly. Baths in an antibacterial shampoo (here is one example: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=27982) may be beneficial until his vet appointment. I hope that all goes well!

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to see that Bingo is having this problem. Hair loss and a darkening of the skin are often signs of dermatitis or inflammation/infection of the skin in that area. Not sure where the area is from the pictures. Reasons for this include external parasites (fleas, ticks, mites), allergies, thyroid problems, bacterial infections, etc. The best option is to take Bingo to your veterinarian and let them evaluate him. They can either advise treatment at that point or advise some skin tests (skin scrape, fungal culture, Woods lamp exam, etc) to determine the cause. The location of the area is important as well as what is noticed upon examining the area. Good luck with Bingo and I hope this gives you some direction to getting him over this.

This presentation could be due to a trauma or localized spot of skin infection (likely to be caused by bacteria). A check up, appropriate disinfection and possibly antibiotics (oral, topical or in a shampoo formulation) are needed to solve the problem. Disinfection may be started at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths. Buster collar may be useful as well to avoid any licking (if any). 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!

This sounds like a skin infection and may be secondary to allergies. I would try some beandryl twice a day and a medicated shampoo like miconahex-triz. Since some of them are bleeding, I would strongly recommend to have your vet look at them as well as he likely needs oral antibiotics to help him heal. See link below for benadryl dosing. I hope this helps! https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/dog/benadryl/#

My concern would be hank has a type of allergy. The most common types are food, environment or fleas. I recommend keeping hank on flea prevention year round. Most likely hank needs to go see a veterinarian for medication to fix his skin infection from scratching.

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 his 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!