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My dog has red bald spots on his tail & belly. What can I do?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered | 9 years and 8 months old | 25 lbs

My dog has a bald spot that is very angry red at the base of his tail. Hos belly has minor redness. He has had flea treatment from the vet. I have a picture if that helps. What can I do for the poor guy?

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Amber Da Silva, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on September 13th, 2017

It sounds like he could have allergies. Allergies commonly cause redness of the skin and can affect pretty much any part of the body. If there is also flaking, crusting, itching or an odor, those are signs that the skin is infected. Infection can be from yeast or bacteria or sometimes a combination of the two. It could also be a parasite on the skin such as mites. I would recommend taking him to your veterinarian for a skin scraping. This is where they take a sample from the surface of the skin and look at it under the microscope. This way they can determine the cause and know how best to treat it. Until then, you can try a topical triple antibiotic ointment and some hydrocortisone to see if that will give him some relief. I hope this helps and that Bob gets feeling better soon!

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Sara Farmer, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on February 25th, 2017
This could be a sign of an allergy, external parasites like fleas, or even mange. I'd recommend having your veterinarian examine the area during a flare up. Taking a sample to look for mites or bacteria might be recommended.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA
Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer
Published on June 7th, 2018
Hi there! Poor Onyx. The photos are a bit blurry, but I can definitely see that he has some redness and hair loss on his stomach and rear legs. There are quite a few different things that can cause these symptoms in a dog this age, so it's hard to say what might be wrong without being able to examine him and run some tests. The most common possibilities would be some type of allergy, a bacterial or fungal skin infection, or skin mites (mange).

Treatment will depend on what the underlying problem is, so I would recommend taking him to the vet for an exam when you are able to. He/she can do some simple skin tests if needed to help diagnose the problem and get him started on appropriate medication to treat it.

In the meantime, if he seems itchy or uncomfortable, you can try bathing him in an aloe and oatmeal dog shampoo. This will not treat the underlying problem, but may help to soothe his skin and make him feel a little better until you are able to see the vet.
3Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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What causes a red spot on my dog's belly and how to treat it?

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!

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

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Why is my dog's stomach and chest red with a stubborn brown spot?

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My dog has skin allergies. What are these new spots on his belly?

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. 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!

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My dog has flaky skin, scabs, red spots, and itches. No fleas. Why?

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