My rescued dog has red, irritated skin. Is it allergies or infection?

I would recommend taking Red to a veterinarian. With the history provided it may indicate allergies. Her skin looks very irritated and after a physical is performed to determine if this is the cause there is plenty of options for allergies in dogs. The first thing is clearing the infection which can include antibiotics, anti-fungals and/or shampoos. The next step is treating the allergies. This can be done by anti-histamines, steroids or two newer treatments one is pills called apoquel and then other is a 4-8 week injection called cytopoint. Allergies can be caused by environmental factors, which its sounds like could be part of the issue due to the recent move to the country but it can also be caused by food allergies. I would discuss this with your veterinarian and make a treatment plan with what is best for you and Red. If after a physical it doesn't appear to be allergies it could also be some type of mite on Red's skin. If your veterinarian feels it is more from mites a skin scraping would be performed to confirm this. Some mites are extremely difficult to find and sometimes even if no mites are found treatment is still initiated. I hope Red feels better soon and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Hi and thank you for your question on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is very hard to say whether or not Bluey has a skin infection. The picture is a bit blurry and it is hard to see what is going on. In order to diagnosis a skin condition in Bluey, he will need to have a few simple skin tests performed by his veterinarian. Mite infection, fungal infection, or bacterial infection are all possibilities. This needs to be confirmed with an exam and a few simple skin tests. Best wishes to you and Bluey!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Baby. Her skin appears severely inflamed, if not infected. She will need to see her veterinarian as she will need anti-inflammatory medication and likely antibiotics. Allergies to her environment or diet could cause these signs or even a drug reaction could cause this appearance. In the meantime, you can bathe her with a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner such as an oatmeal or fatty acid based formula to soothe the skin. I hope this information helps!

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. From your picture it appears that Raven has a skin infection. This usually occurs secondary to allergies as they lick and scratch leaving the skin more susceptible to yeast and bacteria. I would recommend a vet visit to get her on appropriate antibiotics and possible a medication for allergies. There are many treatment options to try for an itchy dog.

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 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!

Hi there and thank you for posting your question! That poor face! It almost looks as if she is suffering from puppy strangles / cellulitis. This may also be a skin mite infection so I would have her taken to your vet to get this diagnosed and treated properly.

Blue's skin is very inflamed! There are a few things that can cause this including mites (both demodex and scabies) and allergies. Secondary bacterial infections are also super common when the skin looks like this. Allergies and demodex are not contagious but scabies is and it can be found where ever pets go (including the pet store). Humans can get scabies from their pets but the infection is usually short lived as we are not the target host. You should speak with your doctor if you have any rashes. This is not something you can likely tackle at home, it needs medication to get better. I recommend to take Blue into see her veterinarian who needs to run a diagnostic called a skin scrape to check for mites (and thus know how to treat her). Blue will likely get an antibiotic as well. I hope this helps and feel free to post any additional questions.