Why does my dog have red itchy spots on his belly, and am I affected?

You will need to take your dog to a veterinarian for a skin exam. Your dog could be suffering from an allergy, mites, fleas, a bacterial or fungal infection. each of these requires a different treatment, so it is important to find out what is causing the itch. Your vet will do a thorough exam and maybe a a skin scrape. He will then discuss the options with you and then prescribe medications, possibly give an injection to stop the itching.

If it looks like ringworm, it is quite possible that Buzz does have ringworm. I would isolate him from any other animals in the home right away, as it is contagious to both other animals and humans. Have him seen by a vet in the morning, who can use a fungal culture and Wood's lamp to confirm he does have ringworm, and can prescribe antifungal treatments for it. Do not use any OTC antifungal treatments on it, such as ointment for athlete's foot because athlete's foot is caused by a different fungus than ringworm and it will not treat it. If Buzz does have ringworm, you will have to check yourself to make sure you don't have any lesions from it, and see if your doctor if you find suspicious spots. You will also need to disinfect your home, and I will give you a link to a website that details exactly how to do this. I hope this advice helps you! http://www.livestrong.com/article/49666-rid-home-ringworm/

Unfortunately, without a physical exam it is difficult to determine the underlying cause with any certainty. It could be a bacterial or yeast skin infection or it may have an allergic component. Parasites, such as mites, cannot be ruled out either. Place an e-collar (cone) on Jax to prevent licking or chewing. You can clean the area with a diluted Betadine or chlorhexidine (Hibiclens) solution daily. Dry it thoroughly afterwards. Veterinary clinics and ERs have been deemed essential, so they should be seeing patients. Travel to either is permitted as long as proper precautions are taken and social distancing is observed. Call ahead as procedures have likely been modified to prevent or limit contact. This may require you to drop Jax off then wait for your veterinarian to call you to discuss exam findings and treatment options.

I'm sorry to hear that Jax is so uncomfortable! The redness and inflammation on his foot is pretty significant. This type of skin issue is most commonly caused by underlying allergies to fleas, food or the environment. When dogs itch and bite a lot, they damage the protective outer layers of the skin, often resulting in the onset of bacterial and/or yeast skin infections. It's possible that he may need some anti-itch medications, antibiotics or anti-fungal medications. I understand that Jax is not the most cooperative at the vet, but this is something that warrants veterinary attention. I'd recommend calling your vet to ask if they can prescribe a sedative before the appointment or consider working with a house call vet in your area. I hope that everything goes well!

This lesion could indicate a local bacteria infection, possibly ringworm, an insect bite, or just an area of rotation of unknown cause. You could continue to monitor if you feel comfortable and if it does not go away within a few days I would reconsider seeing your veterinarian to ensure it's nothing contagious like ringworm. However if it starts to grow, bleed, become raised, or seems painful it should be seen sooner. In the meantime you could consider cleaning it with a very mild soap and warm water and keeping it clean and dry during the day. As there is a possibility it could be ringworm wash your hands thoroughly after handling the site.

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!

It could be an insect or tick bite, it could also be ringworm, if this does not get any better within a week you will need to take her to your vet in order to get it checked and treated. try to avoid contact as ringworm is contagious to humans as well.