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My dog has red, itchy skin from flea shampoo. What can I do?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | German Shepherd | Male | unneutered | 1 year and 7 months old

Can redness or itchiness caused if dog has took bath with anti rock and flea shampoo ? How many days would it going to take to get back normal ? Also what treatments available?

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Mirissa Duncil, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on July 12th, 2017

Yes, some of these shampoos can cause excessive dryness of the skin. It can take a few weeks to get back to normal. You may consider a topical application like commercially available emu oil sprays for pets, fish oil supplements (also available
Online for pets), as well as alternative flea and rock medication and a good moisturizing pet shampoo like hydrapearls.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Jenna Beyer, DVM, MBA, cVMA
Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist
Published on June 11th, 2019
You can try aloe or a soothing lotion made for dogs. Fatty acid supplements are also helpful but may take 1 month to see results. Flea shampoos are inadequate for flea protection and prevention since it only removes fleas that live on the dog. For every flea on the dog there are 9 more in the house/environment! Oral or topical preventatives are necessary when battling fleas.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Dr. Massimo Orioles, DVM, Cert AVP, MRCVS
Veterinarian
Published on December 10th, 2018
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).
If everything is ruled out oatmeal shampoos can be quite useful in association with food supplements to maintain healthy skin (Coatex).
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. Please find the time to give us a feedback about the consultation as that will be used to improve our service.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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