My dog's skin condition keeps recurring. How do I fix it for good?

Poor Mack! There are four main reasons for persistent itching and they are fleas, environmental allergy, hypothyroidism or food allerg. Each one is diagnosed differently and the veterinarian may have an idea of which one to start with based upon clinical signs and at what age it all began. I recommend to discuss getting to the bottom of Mack’s itching with your veterinarian. Starting Mac on an omega-3 fatty acid for dogs will help improve the overall skin health. Diet such as Royal Canin or Nutro is also good for skin and you may consider changing to one of these brands. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

It looks as if your dog has a skin infection, most commonly caused by an allergy, a skin mite (Demodex) or fleas. 

The allergy could be a due to a protein in your dog’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. Skin infections are typically characterized by large areas of hair loss, redness, crusting, flaking, and pustules. A thorough skin examination by your veterinarian should be able to determine the cause of the itch so it can be treated appropriately. Your dog will most likely need antibiotics to help clear up the infection and possibly an allergy/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 he be on a good flea control routinely too. Once the infection has resolved a long term allergy medication (like Apoquel or Cytopoint) can be given on a regular basis to prevent any future problems. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. What year did scribing sounds like a bacterial skin infection. It sounds like it had done okay on the prescribed course of treatment. Unfortunately, sometimes infections may require several courses of antibiotics or several different antibiotics before an adequate response is achieved. I would suggest going back in to see your veterinarian who initially prescribed the antibiotics and shampoo. The shampoo that I'm most recommend is duoxo chlorhexidine PS combination and bathe twice weekly until the infection is resolved. You can find this shampoo online if you're vet does not carry it. I hope this helps! Please feel free to contact me if you have any other questions or concerns. I am also available by phone or text baste consultation if needed.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Based on the photos, it appears that Po may have a skin infection. We call this superficial pyoderma. For these, I recommend topical therapy and skin supplementation. If after 10-14 days there is no improvement with this approach, I recommend visiting the veterinarian and having the vet take a look at Po 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! 1. Douox PS Chlorhexidine Combination shampoo and bathe twice weekly until resolved 2. Miconahex + Triz and spray to the affected areas twice daily until resolved 3. Essential 6 spot on by Dermoscent 4. Krillex Krill oil chews All of these can be purchased online quite easily.

Hi, thank you for using PetCoach. Skin issues can certainly be frustrating. If Mocha isn't responding to the therapy her vet prescribed, please contact them to discuss next steps. It is impossible to diagnose a skin condition from photos alone. Her vet may recommend doing cytology, fungal culture and/or skin scrapes to determine the cause of her infection. In some cases referral to a veterinary dermatologist may be recommended for difficult cases. Sometimes there is underlying endocrine disease or allergies that may require bloodwork to diagnose. In the meantime, a diet for sensitive skin is always a good idea for dogs with recurrent skin infection. I really like Purina ProPlan Salmon for dogs with skin problems. VIP-_-58700003318233982&kwid=p30226684098&device=c&gclid=CKDNtaClntoCFcu0fgodJBgN9A&gclsrc=ds Many times your vet may recommend a medicated shampoo to help with skin infections. I would check with Mocha's vet to see what they recommend based on her condition. Some shampoos can be more irritating than helpful. Though ketohex is usually useful for bacterial and fungal infections https://www.amazon.com/Vet-One-313985007705-Ketohex-Shampoo/product-reviews/B00WAP0M1U/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_199_tr_cr_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=1W04Q4164W15DCWTM9HE Good luck, I hope Mocha improves soon.

If this is a recurring skin issue, he most likely had an underlying allergy. It could be an allergy to environmental things, or an allergy to the protein in the food. You can treat the infection, but it will keep returning if the underlying issue isn't also addressed. I would talk with your veterinarian about allergies. The antibiotics are not too harsh, and won't cause kidney damage

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This looks like a skin infection. This may be due to an underlying allergy. You can try to use a medicated shampoo containing chlorhexidine twice weekly for 2 weeks. If there is no improvement or in the meantime this appears to be getting worse, have him evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Good luck and have a good day!