My dog has red, itchy skin. Can I use chamomile tea or other remedies?

Hi. For Toffee's skin looks pretty severe with redness, hair loss, and what looks like dermatitis. He most likely has an underlying allergy. This can be to the protein in the food, or environmental allergens. Other possibilities for this presentation include a deep skin infection, ectoparasites, immune mediated conditions, or low thyroid. No matter the cause, it looks like he may be pretty miserable. He will need a exam and prescription medications from your veterinarian, a long with some skin testing to try to find the cause. Good luck.

I would suggest starting with the following; Hot spot cream on the red crusted areas Bathe as infrequently as you can as the natural oils dogs produce in their skin is washed away with baths Use an e-collar to stop chewing and biting Use a natural, organic and gentle shampoo- Earthbath Oatmeal and Aloe Add a skin health supplement with omega fatty acids and vitamin E Here is a link to suplements are Veterinary tested and approved. I would advise Canine Omega Benefits and Cutaneo TruBenefits. http://www.vrshealth.com/canine-products/?petcoach=1977955 Switch to skin health food by royal canin, Hills science diet or purina pro plan Benadryl has been used in the short term to reduce itching https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/dog/benadryl/ Best of luck and please post any further questions you may have here. We are happy to help.

It does look like Toffee’s foot has been quite itchy, and she could have a secondary skin infection so I think it’s a great idea to see the vet. Unfortunately antihistamines usually do not help much with itchy skin in dogs, and this would be an overdose of diphenhydramine for a small dog like Toffee so I wouldn’t recommend giving it. You could try soaking her foot in some Epsom salts for 5-10 minutes to see if that helps with comfort.

It looks like Emjay has a skin infection. With her scratching it, she is most likely making it worse. I recommend a veterinarian so she can get antibiotics and/or a medicated shampoo to help resolve this. You then can also talk to your veterinarian about giving her something to stop the itching. This could be from a lot of different things. It could be from allergies (if something new in your house is bothering her), mites (less likely since her skin does not appear to have these types of lesions), something might just have irritated her and with her scratching she made it worse and of course fleas (but this is not the typical location and is less likely). I hope Emjay feels better soon and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Based on your description, it does sound as though Chester is dealing with allergies. I would recommend using the below following products and see if these help. If the symptoms worsen and the products do not help, I would recommend having a veterinarian examine Chester so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I hope these help! Please let me know if you have any further questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. 1. Douxo PS Calm shampoo and bathe twice weekly 2. Pramosoothe spray and apply to the affected areas to relieve any itching / irritation 3. Essential 6 spot on by Dermoscent 4. Welactin omega 3 fish oil capsules for dogs

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). Oatmeal shampoo can provide some temporary relief so it can be used. 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!

Allergies can be frustrating to diagnose and treat, for the pet, the pet owner, and the veterinarian! It is the most common cause for itching in dogs. Medications like Apoquel can eliminate the itch due to allergies, though it won't work if there is a secondary bacterial or yeast infection. Food allergies won't be treated simply by a better diet, they need to be strictly on a prescription hypoallergenic diet without other dog or human treats, and even then it can take 3-6 weeks to see positive effects. Until then, anti-itch medications, steroids, or shampoos/topical mousses can be used to minimize the itch and treat any present infection. I would recommend continuing to work with your vet to find the best solution to Toes's itch issue.