My dog has red, itchy sores around her mouth. What should I do?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Lulu. She appears to have an infection in the skin around her mouth. I recommend that she sees her veterinarian this week as she will likely require an antibiotic to clear her skin up. In the meantime, try to keep her muzzle clean and dry. Do not allow her to paw at if she is attempting to do so. I hope this information helps!

It could be allergies, and although allergies occur more frequently when dogs are a little older, some younger dogs can be affected too. Since the lesions are itchy parasites (such as demodex, etc.) and infection ( bacterial, fungal) need to ruled out as well. Since your guy is uncomfortable the best plan is to see you vet to test for the above so that the correct treatment is prescribed. If the lesions resolve and recur work up for allergy will likely be recommended. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Poor Lola! Her ear does look quite irritated in the photo. Scratching at the ear is usually caused by an ear infection or underlying allergy problem, which may also be why she is scratching at her mouth and face as well. I would recommend taking her to the vet for an exam when you are able to, to find out for sure what's wrong and get her started on appropriate treatment. In the meantime, you can place an e-collar (plastic cone) on her to prevent her from continuing to scratch at her ear and make it more irritated, or put a bootie or sock on her rear paw so that she can't scratch as effectively.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Lucy. She may have a mild skin infection around her muzzle. If she has had any new treats or dog food she may be reacting to the diet change. This will be more common if she is experiencing irritated skin around her anus as well or if she has had any vomiting or diarrhea. If not, check her eyelid margins, ears and footpads for any lesions. These are commonly affected areas for autoimmune skin disease. If her skin does not heal or spreads, she will need to see her veterinarian. In the meantime, keep her muzzle clean and dry. I hope this information helps!

Hello and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sometimes a dog may scratch around the mouth due to food allergies, environmental allergies or even autoimmune issues. If the area is red and irritated you may apply a thin layer of triple antibiotic ointment but Nobby is likely to just lick it off. She is at the age where food allergies may develop so you may wish to try a novel protein diet (generally will need a prescription diet to do this). If the itch continues I would suggest scheduling an examination with your veterinarian as oral antibiotics or other medications like corticosteroids or antihistamines may be needed.

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It looks like local skin infection, it could have allergic trigger, but it is not always the case. Please, take Rona to your local vets for an appointment. She will likely need a course of antibiotics in form of tablets or ointment/cream.

My biggest suspicion is that these two ate something that really irritated their skin and set it up for infection. Certain house plants are a common culprit. There is not any contagious diseases that I can think of that would cause these sort of problems. The best things you can do is have them evaluated by a vet. They will be better able to find the cause of this and offer the best treatment. For now, it's good to keep the area clean with a medicated dog shampoo (you can usually get these in the pet store). Clean with cool water for five minutes, twice a day, wiping gently. With good cleaning, the infection usually clears within two weeks. I hope that helps and they get better soon.