My 2-year-old Labrador has red, dry neck skin and eye discharge. Why?

Hi there! There are many different skin related diseases that can cause the signs that you describe. The most common diseases include infectious skin diseases (i.e. bacterial pyoderma, dermatophytosis), or ectoparasites (i.e. Demodex, fleas, lice). From the picture you provided Ecru looks as though he may be suffering from Demodex, more commonly known as mange. To be certain of what exactly is going on with Ecru I recommend that he be seen by a veterinarian to evaluate samples of the affected areas of Ecru's skin under a microscope and get him on the appropriate medications and/or shampoos. It depends on what exactly is going on to know how long treatment will be, but I would estimate anywhere between 1 - 3 weeks of treatment. I hope this was helpful and Ecru gets better soon.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Logan! Sadly allergies are very common in labs. Without examining him or seeing a picture of the skin I can't be sure of what is going on. Possible causes of a red itchy rash are: bacterial or yeast skin infection, Scabies, Demodex, hives or rash from contact (like from grass). Levocetrizine is an antihistamine and would not help a bacterial or yeast infection. Logan needs to be seen and have his skin examined. I would put him on Nexgard, Simparica or Bravecto to cover scabies and demodex mites. If he has an infection he would be treated with an oral antibiotic and/or antifungal. There are many drugs now to control scratching: prednisone, apoquel or cytopoint. Sometimes medicated shampoos are prescribed. I wish Logan a speedy recovery!

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. A skin scraping and skin cytology should be performed to rule out mites and to determine the type of infection present (bacterial vs fungal). Your dog will most likely need antibiotics/antifungals longterm 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 will 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.


This presentation could be due to a trauma or localized spot of skin infection (likely to be caused by bacteria -hot spot-). A check up, appropriate disinfection and eventually antibiotics (oral, topical or in a shampoo formulation) are needed to solve the problem. Disinfection can eventually be started at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths. Buster collar may be useful as well to avoid scratching. 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.

Hi. I would be thinking allergies in her case. It can cause redness, itching, secondary infections, even crusts in the area. Pets can be allergic to the protein in their food, environmental allergens, or a combination of the two. When they are younger like Rey, i would lean more towards food allergies. They are usually allergic to the chicken, beef or lamb....the most common ingredients in most over the counter dog foods. I would make an appointmet to get her checked out and get her on medications for secondary infection and itchiness. And also discuss food allergies with your veterinarian.

This is probably due to a severe allergy, although it could also be fleas or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat Jack with a high quality flea treatment (e.g. advocate or advantage), then get him to 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 discovering the cause of the allergy. Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair the skin lesions (steroids and antibiotics). simultaneously you should start him on a prescription hypoallergenic diet for at least 2 months. Hopefully you will see some results after all this, if not you and your vet should consider putting him on a long term allergy treatment (Atopica or Apoquel).

The dry areas on Ivy's back could be from a skin infection, or it could be due to allergies. The discharge fro her eye could be due to an eye infection. Any eye infection has to be checked out by a vet promptly as leaving it untreated can lead to vision loss. Please take her into a vet today.