My dog has a polka dot rash on belly. Should I take him to the vet?

That spot on Buddy could be several things including allergies, skin mites, ringworm (which humans can get) or a 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 his diet to something like Royal Canin or Nutro as they are aimed at skin health. You can wash the lesion with soap once a day and rinse well (don't wash his whole body, just the spot). Protect the area from licking or scratching. If it doesn't start looking better within about a week or if they get worse, have him examined by the veterinarian who may prescribe medications. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hi, and thanks for your question. This could be due to an allergy, although it could also be infection or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment, then ask the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try to discover the cause of the allergy. Three main type of allergies are usually affecting pets: food allergies, flea and parasite related ones and environmental type (allergens coming from trees, pollens, dust etc etc). Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair any possible skin lesions (like steroids and antibiotics). 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!

It could be a local bacterial infection, fungal infection or inflammation. You would need to have Lily physically examined by your veterinarian for a definitive diagnosis and for treatment. If she is licking at it, place an e-collar (cone) on her. Keep the area clean and dry until she sees the vet.

You will need to take your dog to a veterinarian for a skin exam. Your dog could be suffering from an allergy, mites, fleas, a bacterial or fungal infection. each of these requires a different treatment, so it is important to find out what is causing the itch. Your vet will do a thorough exam and maybe a a skin scrape. He will then discuss the options with you and then prescribe medications, possibly give an injection to stop the itching.

Oh ouch! That looks like it is uncomfortable. This looks like it could be a skin infection, which could be bacterial or yeast, or a combination. I would encourage you to have him evaluated by your veterinarian soon. In the meantime you may want to consider bathing him in a shampoo that contains chlorhexidine or salicylic acid. These can be found in the human shampoo aisle in the dandruff area. Best of luck and I hope he improves soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

Poor Zima! That rash looks quite bad and uncomfortable to her. She could have a contact allergy or a skin infection caused by yeast or bacteria causing this rash. She will definitely have to see a vet first thing in the morning for it to get medications to treat it, but tonight you can give her an oatmeal or Epsom salt bath. Either may help her temporarily feel better.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. What you are describing could be secondary to an allergy or skin infection. Without pictures it is difficult to say for sure what this is. I would recommend having a veterinarian examine Pluto so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. If you are unable to get to a veterinarian right away, I would recommend using Well and Good Hydrocortisone spray, which can be found at your local Petco.