Why is my Shih Tzu missing hair with a red spot on his upper lip?

Those spots on Basil could be several things including allergies to fleas, allergies to something in the environment, food allergy or endocrine disease. Each one of these problems is detected and addressed differently and I recommend to discuss with your veterinarian which one to start hunting down first. Parasites are often ruled out with a oral medication like Simparica. Food allergy is best ruled out with a diet trial using a hydrolyzed protein. Endocrine diseases are detected with blood work. Environmental allergies are a little more difficult to detect but a response to therapy or a blood test can give an indication. Once you figure out and address the underlying cause, the lesions should not come back. There are a couple things you can do at home and they can help but they are unlikely to address the underlying cause. You can try adding in an omega 3 fatty acid supplement for dogs, this can help improve the skin health. You may also try changing his diet to something like Royal Canin or Nutro as they are aimed at skin health. Also protect the area from trauma by having Basil wear an elizabethan collar at all times. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.

This is commonly seen when they get a skin infection (aka hot-spots). The chin and neck is a common place for this to happen, because moisture often builds-up and gets trapped under the fur. It appears to be rather involved, so you will want your vet to examine it at some point, but you can try a couple of things at home to keep it from getting worse. 1) Clip the hair with electric clippers around the area and expose all of the lesions if possible. 2) Wash the area with warm water and a medicated shampoo (can get this at the pet store) once a day. Use a cloth and gently wipe away the scabs. Do not scrub, because it will irritate the skin more. It's OK if all of the scabs do not come off in each washing. 3) Make sure the area is completely dry after washing. 4) Leave the collar off. You should start seeing good results within a week after starting this. It may take a few weeks before it's completely cleared. If two weeks go by and it's not getting any better, then it's best to have a veterinarian provide treatment. Also, if it appears to get worse, then take her to the vet for treatment. I hope that helps and this gets cleared up soon.

There could be several causes for this hairless area. Toothless could have picked up a skin might or an allergy. Sometimes pets can develop what’s called an acral lick and it can also look like this. Ringworm, which humans can get, or a bacterial infection all also look like this. At home you may continue to put ointment on it and prevent him from licking the area by having him wear an Elizabethan collar at all times. If it is not improving within one week, have him examined by the veterinarian. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

This presentation could be due to a trauma or localized spot of skin infection (likely to be caused by bacteria). A check up, appropriate disinfection and possibly antibiotics (oral, topical or in a shampoo formulation) are needed to solve the problem. Disinfection may be started at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths. Buster collar may be useful as well to avoid any scratching. 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!

Hi, and thanks for your question. This presentation could be due to a trauma or localized spot of skin infection (likely to be caused by bacteria or fungal). A check up, appropriate disinfection and possibly antibiotics or antifungal meds (oral, topical or in a shampoo formulation) are needed to solve the problem. Disinfection can be possibly started at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths. Buster collar may be useful as well to avoid any scratching (if any). 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.

This presentation could be due to a trauma or localized spot of skin infection (likely to be caused by bacteria). A check up, appropriate disinfection and possibly antibiotics (oral, topical or in a shampoo formulation) are needed to solve the problem. Disinfection may be started at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths. Buster collar may be useful as well to avoid any scratching (if any). 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!

Hello. Without a clear picture, it is impossible to assess what might be the problem. Since cleaning the area has not helped ( have you been using a mild skin cleanser such as one with chlorhexidine? ), this might be some kind of allergic irritation. These can especially show up if the feed &/or water bowels are made of any type of plastic. Always use stainless steel or ceramic dishes. If this does not seem to be the case, then the best thing is to have your veterinarian take a good look at the skin. Your vet can assess the area, do some rather simple skin scrapes or hair analysis to see if this is an allergic, inflammatory or infectious process. Good luck & thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.