Why is my dog's neck skin suddenly flaky and crusty? How to treat?

Any treatment will depend on the underlying cause. It could be a skin infection or allergic reaction or even an autoimmune condition. An exam with your veterinarian or a veterinary dermatologist would be needed for a definitive diagnosis. You can discuss allergy testing, hydrolyzed diets, food elimination trials as well as antihistamine use with your vet. In the meantime, if your dog is scratching, use an e-collar (cone) to prevent further trauma. Consider adding an essential fatty acid (EFA) supplement to the diet. EFAs can promote a healthy [skin and coat](https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/category/dog/dog-health-and-wellness/dog-vitamins/dog-skin-and-coat). Choose a good quality fish oil as a source of EFAs. Systemic or topical antibiotics or antifungals can treat bacterial or yeast infection. Allergies can be frustrating to diagnose since they have many causes. Once diagnosed, most allergies can be managed with a combination of medication and diet.

Poor guy. You did the right thing by shaving it. But now it looks like he is in need of antibiotics because this is a skin infection, hence the yellow crusting seen there. You will need to take him in to your local vet for a quick skin test to rule out mites and a thyroid test may be applicable as well, depending on his estimated age and physical exam findings. The vet will likely get him started on oral antibiotics to hopefully clear up this skin infection. Also Duoxo shampoo seborrhea may help clear up some of these infected areas. Duoxo shampoo for dogs is often found through online stores. I hope he gets better soon. Best wishes and take care.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This may be due to allergies for example though other possibilities like mange cannot be ruled out. 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!

Hi and thanks for using PetCoach! Sorry to see and hear that Cointhee is having some skin problems. This certainly does look like dry skin or what we call seborrhea sicca. It is in an area that I would be suspicious of a flea bite allergy commonly known as flea allergy dermatitis. So first off, I would recommend that you use a very effective flea/tick product even though the weather is cooling down. It is possible that you have some immature flea stages in the indoor environment (eggs, larvae, etc). Again I am just assuming here due to the location of the trouble spot and knowing nothing of the geographical area where you live. There are other things that you can be doing to help the problem. I would not bathe too frequently. This tends to dry out the skin and strips the oils that are needed to keep the skin and hair coat healthy. So don't bathe too frequently, I would say not more than once a month or so. Do spot bathing if certain areas need to be cleaned but not full baths too frequently. Make sure you are feeding a high quality, well balanced diet since nutrition can play a role. You can certainly supplement the diet with some fish oil and skin supplements designed to aid in keeping the skin and hair coat healthy. I will post a link at the bottom and recommend some products. Dry skin can be caused by a localized bacterial infection, low thyroid problem, intestinal parasites affecting nutrition and health, external parasite problems (fleas, ticks, mites, etc), lack of adequate rinsing when bathing, aroblem persists, you should take Cointhee to your vet and let them advise you based on the history and physical exam findings. Treating the underlying cause is key and your vet can discuss how to get to that point. Possible tests could be skin scrape, fungal culture, blood tests, etc. Here's the link for some very high quality supplements- http://www.vrshealth.com/canine-products/?petcoach=1977951 Check out the fish oil Canine Omega Benefits and the Cutaneo TruBenefits. Good luck

You could add in an omega 3 fatty acid supplement to help with this. It helps to moisturizer the skin from the inside out essentially. Also you can bathe him in an oatmeal based shampoo and a crime rinse afterwards. Below is a link to a good omega 3 supplement that I like. https://www.chewy.com/vetoquinol-care-triglyceride-omega/dp/57308?utm_source=google-product&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=hg&utm_content=Vetoquinol&utm_term=&gclid=CP7d9Z629dQCFQgQaQodDMgNpA&gclsrc=aw.ds I hope this helps!

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! Fleas usually cause red irritated skin and hair loss. This MIGHT be from the fleas so you can monitor him for 2 weeks to see if it improves. My feeling is that is is unrelated. I would bathe him in the shampoo below weekly for 2-3 baths and leave the lather on for 10 mins before rinsing and I would add in a Omega 3 fish oil to improve skin and coat health. Fleas get really bad Aug-Oct so be diligent with your prevention. Good luck! https://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=19121 https://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=21564

Hello. While I cannot diagnose your pet, it does appear that we have a case of bacterial seborrhea here. There may be an undiagnosed underlying cause, such as hypothyroidism or he has developed an allergic response/sensitivity to something, so I would make an appointment to see your vet as soon as possible. In the meantime, you can bathe your pet in a medicated antibacterial shampoo if you can find one. One that contains chlorhexidine ( 2-4% ) or benzoyl peroxide should work well. You can bathe your pet 2-3 times a week. I would also start an Omega-3 fatty acid supplement such as Bayer's Freeform snip tips. Hopefully, this will help to clear things up, but try to see your vet soon. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.