My dog has a painful red patch with flaky skin. Is it serious?

Poor Teddy! It sounds like he is suffering from some severe allergies that is causing this persisting rash. I would take him into the vet for an exam. It sounds like he could use a strong medication to stop the rash, such as a steroid. I would take Teddy into the vet today or tomorrow during normal business hours.

It's hard to say what it could be from a picture. I would recommend having Ted examined by a vet to see what could be going on. It could be a bruise, infection, a mass, an insect bite, etc. The vet will do a thorough examination of all of Ted's skin.

That could potentially be an hot spot, technically called superficial exudative dermatitis. It is basically a skin infection caused by bacteria normally resident on the skin. Antibiotics and antiinflammatory medications are usually needed. I would recommend a check up.

The skin does look a bit irritated. If the scabs aren't healing, more appear, the area is very itchy or bothersome to Teddy, or it changes more in appearance, a vet visit is best to rule out issues such as infections, growths, allergies, etc. Keeping it clean and dry and keeping Teddy from pawing/licking at it can also help reduce irritation as it heals.

I am sorry to hear about your concern for Teddy. We can have a variety of reasons for itching, including allergies to things like food ingredients, environemental allergens, and fleas where just one or two bites can result in a long lasting very itchy dog. You can read more about itching at https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4952662 . I would recommend an examination at your vet to check for possible underlying causes, such as fleas, mites, allergies. Your vet can prescribe medication to help treat whatever is causing this. In the meantime you can try an omega fatty acid supplement such as Welactin and a colloidal oatmeal shampoo and creme rinse such as Epi-soothe to help decrease the itching!

The pictures aren't very good quality and I can't really make out any discoloration. Here is some general advice for splotchy skin. Splotchy skin or red patches can be due to several things including allergies, a reaction to the shampoo, parasites or just a one time bacterial infection. You can try adding in an omega 3 fatty acid supplement for dogs, this can help improve the skin health. You may also try changing her diet to something like Royal Canin or Nutro as they are aimed at skin health. Protect the areas from licking or scratching. If they don't start looking better within about a week or if they get worse, have her examined by her veterinarian who may prescribe medications. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Those patches are likely infection or severe inflammation. The key is to figure out the underlying cause. Those spots on Hershey could be several things including allergies to fleas, allergies to something in the environment, food allergy or endocrine disease. Each one of these problems is detected and addressed differently and I recommend to discuss with your veterinarian which one to start hunting down first. Parasites are often ruled out with an oral medication like Simparica. Food allergy is best ruled out with a diet trial using a hydrolyzed protein. Endocrine diseases are detected with blood work. Environmental allergies are a little more difficult to detect but a response to therapy or a blood test can give an indication. Once you figure out and address the underlying cause, the lesions should not come back. There are a couple things you can do at home and they can help but they may not address the underlying cause. You can try adding in an omega 3 fatty acid supplement for dogs, this can help improve the skin health. You may also try changing his diet to something like Royal Canin or Nutro as they are aimed at skin health. Also protect the area from trauma by having Hershey wear an elizabethan collar at all times. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.