My Shih Tzu has matted hair, pink skin, and liquid. What's wrong?

If it all possible I would recommend taking Molly to a veterinary dermatologist. If she does have allergies or atopy it's going to take an accurate diagnosis in order to treat her correctly. Symptomatic treatment is only going to work for short periods of time, as you've seen. Unfortunately shitzus are a breed that is often affected with skin disease. While the initial investment with a dermatologist may be expensive, in the long run I usually tell my clients that it will be less expensive than treating infection after infection or trying over-the-counter remedies. https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/pruritus-itching-and-scratching-in-dogs https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/allergy-general-in-dogs Best of luck, I hope Molly gets some relief soon. Thank you for using PetCoach

I'm sorry to hear that Mungia is dealing with skin problems. A lot of skin infections in dogs can be secondary to scratching themselves from allergies. The can react to something in their environment such as weeds, grasses, pollen, mold or even something in their diet. I'm glad that bathing her seems to help. It is a great maintenance option for her so she doesn't need to be on medications. If the problem is not resolving, you will need to discuss longterm management strategies with her veterinarian. You will also want to rule out other issues such as mites, fleas or ringworm. I hope this information helps!

You'll want to keep the area as clean and dry as possible. This looks like a small bacterial infection. Your local Veterinarian should be able to take a look and give a definitive diagnosis and possible antibiotic.

Yes, Milo could be having problems with mites or allergies. When pets don't respond to treatment as expected, it can mean that the real underlying cause of disease has not been found. I recommend to have Milo examined again by the veterinarian. Milo should also wear an elizabethan collar at all times if he is licking at the lesion. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

It sounds as if your dog has a skin infection, most commonly caused by an allergy or fleas. The allergy could be a due to a protein in Molly's food or an environmental allergy like to dust, pollens, grasses, etc. The allergy causes your dog to itch and chew at the skin which breaks down the skin barrier. This then leads to infection. Molly will need antibiotics to help clear up the infection and possibly an anti-itch medication like Apoquel, Atopica, or Cytopoint to give some relief while the infection clears up. A medicated shampoo may be beneficial as well. I would also recommend she be on a good flea control too. It also sounds like Molly has an ear infection as well. She will need to go to the vet to have an ear cytology performed so they can determine what exact type of infection she has, i.e. is it bacteria, fungal or ear mites causing the issue. Your vet will probably recommend some ear medication and possibly an ear cleaner. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck!

It is very difficult to diagnose skin problems over the internet. There are so many things that could cause this, including allergies. Some other possibilities: mange mites, skin infection (bacteria or yeast) and autoimmune disorders. If you are talking about the lesion on the elbow, that is a callous and there is not much you can do for those. That happens when they lay down too much on hard surfaces. That will never go away completely but you can apply a salve to keep it soft and uninfected. I would use this medicated shampoo every 3 days until his skin starts to look better. Lather, let it sit on him for 10 minutes and then rinse thoroughly. https://www.ubuy.co.id/en/search/index/view/product/B07N1KMBWW/s/dechra-miconahex-triz-shampoo-for-cats-and-dogs-16-oz/store/store On the skin lesions/wounds/callouses on the body. You can apply this salve: https://www.ubuy.co.id/en/search/index/view/product/B07JC2T1Z1/s/forticept-blue-butter-antimicrobial-gel-antiseptic-hydrogel-dogs-wound-care-dogs-cats-for-skin-infections-rashes-sores-wounds-burns-4-oz/store/store I would also put him on a supplement for his coat/skin: https://www.ubuy.co.id/en/search/index/view/product/B001FB6ECQ/s/welactin-omega-3-skin-and-coat-support-liquid-16-oz/store/store

This is commonly seen when they get a skin infection (aka hot-spots). The chin and neck is a common place for this to happen, because moisture often builds-up and gets trapped under the fur. It appears to be rather involved, so you will want your vet to examine it at some point, but you can try a couple of things at home to keep it from getting worse. 1) Clip the hair with electric clippers around the area and expose all of the lesions if possible. 2) Wash the area with warm water and a medicated shampoo (can get this at the pet store) once a day. Use a cloth and gently wipe away the scabs. Do not scrub, because it will irritate the skin more. It's OK if all of the scabs do not come off in each washing. 3) Make sure the area is completely dry after washing. 4) Leave the collar off. You should start seeing good results within a week after starting this. It may take a few weeks before it's completely cleared. If two weeks go by and it's not getting any better, then it's best to have a veterinarian provide treatment. Also, if it appears to get worse, then take her to the vet for treatment. I hope that helps and this gets cleared up soon.