Why is my dog's belly red and itchy after swimming in a lake?

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!

That is likely to be caused by an acute allergic reaction. It is difficult unfortunately to say precisely what it is that is triggering the reaction, and I am afraid avoiding any contact with it is the only option I can think of. 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.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your question. I would recommend bathing Annie immediately after bathing. I would recommend using a shampoo such as Douxo PS Calm shampoo and conditioner, which can be found online quite easily. 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. Please remember to rate this answer as helpful or not. Thank you!

Hi. It looks like Jack has a bit of pyoderma or skin infection on his belly. It may be a hypersensitivity reaction to insect bites or contact allergy or he may have a mild bacterial infection. Dogs that swim a lot in ponds or creeks may get this. If this is his only sign and he is not painful or itchy then bathing with a mild antibacterial shampoo may clear it up. If it's bothering him or seems to spread or get worse I recommend taking him into the vet.

Poor Hendrix. Definitely keep your appointment with the vet. He may have ingested something he shouldn't have while swimming or playing, and dogs can often get skin infection or dermatitis from swimming. Diarrhea can also come about from parasites or stress/excitement. The vet may check a still sample for parasites or abnormal bacterial growth. I hope Hendrix feels better soon. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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, it looks like Buddy has inflammation of the skin, possibly secondary to an allergy . He might also have a secondary bacterial infection. It would be best to have him checked over so that he can have some medications to help his skin settle. Hope this helps and that Buddy gets better soon !