My dog has lumps, bald patches, and scabs. Is it fleas or mange?

I can certainly see that Moglee has some skin lesions and I'm sorry to hear that they're causing him so much discomfort! These lesions could be a result of a bacterial skin infection (often from underlying allergies to fleas, food or the environment), ringworm or mange. Make sure that he is receiving a high quality flea and tick preventative, such as Nexgard, Bravecto or K9 Advantix II regularly. You can also try bathing him with an antiseptic shampoo (here is one example: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=27982). However, if Moglee's skin lesions persist or worsen, I recommend taking him back to his vet for further evaluation. An e-collar (cone) may also be beneficial to preventing further skin irritation from his ongoing licking until this issue resolves. I hope this helps and that Moglee feels better soon!

Mites are just one possible cause of itching and hair loss, however they wouldn't necessarily cause "lumped up" spots on the skin. You may be seeing hives, which are due to some type of an allergic reaction. The first thing to do would be to schedule an appointment with your veterinarian. Discuss allergy testing, hydrolyzed diets, food elimination trials, parasite control and antihistamine use with the vet. Any potential treatment will depend on the underlying cause. In the meantime, place an e-collar (cone) on Axel to prevent excessive licking or chewing. You can also treat for fleas using a topical preventive (Frontline, Advantix, etc.) or an oral preventive (CapStar, Comfortis, Bravecto, Credelio, etc.). Vacuum everywhere indoors and dispose of the bag or empty the canister outdoors immediately afterwards. Wash all bedding in the hottest water allowable by fabric and dry in a dryer. Use an area treatment, such as Indorex or Knockout ES, to prevent or treat any flea infestation.

You are absolutely correct that mange or allergies are possible. The doctor may recommend a diagnostic called a skin scrape to check for mites. For now just protect the area from any itching. It doesn’t look really inflamed so I’m not sure there’s much you can do at this point. As a general recommendation, starting Lexi on an omega 3 fatty acid for dogs can help improve skin health and it certainly won’t hurt anything. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Dingo's skin lesions look most suspicious for a bacterial skin infection. These infections often develop as a result of itching or licking from underlying allergies to fleas, food or the environment. Even though you haven't noticed Dingo itching herself, some dogs will hide from their owners and only scratch when they are alone. (I realize this sounds crazy - but it is quite common!) Make sure that Dingo is receiving a high quality flea and tick preventative (such as Nexgard, Bravecto or K9 Advantix II) regularly. She will need to go to her vet because these lesions typically require oral antibiotics for resolution. I hope that all goes well!

Hello and thank you very much for your question. Fleas can be so frustrating and I sympathize with what you were going through. What has to happen for your dog to heal and for the lump to possibly go down, Is for the itch cycle and the inflammation to be stopped. A visit to the local veterinarian is a must in this situation because they will have strong prescription strength flea preventative as well as steroids that can be given to your dog to stop the fleas and therefore the dermatitis that’s associated with their biting. I urge you not to use any further over-the-counter flea preventative or skin medications without the approval from your veterinarian. This will only delay the healing and may exacerbate the problem. The lump should go down with time as long as the fleas are killed and the inflammation of the skin is controlled. But, if the lamp does not go away within the next two months, you may want to have your veterinarian take a biopsy of it just to see if it is indeed even related to the fleas. Does that make sense? I appreciate you reaching out to our service. I hope I’ve helped you today.

This sounds quite uncomfortable for Sly! He could be experiencing a skin infection from underlying allergies, ringworm or mange causing these issues. I'm glad to hear that he is on Advantage Multi because this makes a flea allergy seem less likely. However, many dogs are allergic to their foods or a host of environmental factors. At this point, your best bet is to take him to the vet. The vet may need to perform fungal cultures (to rule out ringworm), skin scrapings (to rule out the mites causing mange), or skin cytology (to determine if bacteria is present in these lesions). From there, the vet will be able to prescribe medications (i.e. antibiotics, antifungals, anti-itch, etc.) to try to help Sly. Bathing him every other day could dry out his coat and remove normally present oils, which can make matters worse. I only recommend bathing this frequently when using certain prescription-based medicated shampoos. Under normal circumstances, try not to bathe him more than every 2-3 weeks. You can use a damp cloth to wipe Sly down each time he comes inside to try to remove any pollens clinging to his coat. I hope that all goes well!

Poor Louie! Yes, it is possible this is mange. It’s still possible this is fleas as well. Flea products that you can buy over the counter do not work as well as flea products from the veterinarian. Also, only use pet shampoo. Dogs have a different skin ph and our shampoos can dry out their skin. Lastly, Louie needs to see his veterinarian. I bet that rash is uncomfortable. He will need medications to clear it up. The doctor can also test him for mites. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.