Why does my dog get a rash around his mouth and nose sometimes?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Merlin. If the rash has been present for several weeks, then he needs to see his veterinarian. He may need medication or a diet change. Sometimes irritation along the mouth can be due to a food allergy or intolerance. He should also have his teeth evaluated as I can see a retained baby tooth in your picture. This needs to be surgically extracted under anesthesia. I hope this information helps!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. There are medications such as Apoquel or prednisone which may help with the itch. 

 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!


As your vet said This is probably due to an allergy, although it could also be infection or mites. It is very important anyway , in order to rule out skin parasites, to treat with a high quality flea treatment (advocate or advantage), 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). Buster collar may be useful to avoid further scratching/rubbing. 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.

It does look a little irritated there. That could be caused by irritation from a muzzle or face halter, or could be regular allergies starting up. I would recommend keeping the area clean and dry, for now. If it's not getting better after 3-5 days, I'd recommend a vet visit to see if she needs most medicated wipes. It's common for young dogs to get superficial bacterial infections around their lips, which usually doesn't require oral antibiotics, but may require a topical treatment. I hope that helps! If it goes away and comes back right away or even next fall, you'll know it's allergies and can start a conversation about that with your vet. Good luck!

This is probably caused by an allergic reaction. first of all make sure you de-flea Dessy regularly every month with a high quality spot on (ex. Advantage) as fleas are by far the most common reason for these reactions. If the fleas are not the problem, it could be an allergic reaction to food or an environmental factor. this is more complicated to treat and will sometimes require medications such as Steroids, anti histamines or cyclosporin in order to stop the allergy.

This is probably due to a severe allergy, although it could also be due to a trauma an infection (bacterial or fungal) or mites.

 First of all, you will need to ask the vet to have a look at it (we can do it as well if you ask for a consultation) and perform some skin testing, 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 discovering the cause of the allergy.

 Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair the skin lesions (anti-inflammatories and/or antibiotics).

It may be an allergy or an infection in the hair follicle. Make sure you are using stainless steel bowls and wash them daily. Keep the area clean with soap and water or use clearsil wipes in the area. You can apply cortisone cream to help and if this does. It show improvement then I would have a vet check the area