My dog rubs mouth on carpet & has red crusty patches. What to do?

Poor guy! Your can try this: It won’t hurt him if he licks it off. However, if it’s not improving in 5 days or so, I would recommend that you schedule a recheck with your vet. I’m worried he may need antibiotics, as he may have a deep skin infection. If it continues to be a problem , a skin biopsy may be recommended. Thanks for asking PetCoach!

Hello there and thank you for reaching out to Pet Coach. Thank you for the pictures of Sadie. They are perfect for trying to understand what is causing her discomfort on her lip area. His (you listed Sadie as a male, so I will refer to Sadie as him) behavior that you are describing is letting you know that this area is very irritating and uncomfortable to him. Possible reasons for the redness and irritation on his lip area, particularly in his breed mix type are: infection of the lip fold area and/or autoimmune disorder/disease. There may be other areas on Sadie's body that have a similar appearance as well. Sadie should be seen by his veterinarian as soon as you can get him in for an appointment so your vet can closely examine this area, the rest of the mouth and look at other areas on his body to help with a diagnosis. Then, Sadie can be placed on medication right away that will make him feel better and help clear up this area for him. Best of luck with Sadie.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It looks like Seb has a skin infection around his mouth. Staffy's commonly have a microscopic skin mite called demodex. I recommend taking Seb to a vet to scrape the skin for the mite and treat the infection with antibiotics. Good luck and kisses to Seb!

Sometimes these lesions can occur from rubbing the muzzle on cages doors, carpets...etc. Sometimes they can also be from infection and less commonly from an autoimmune disease. I would recommend to have him examined by his veterinarian who will likely prescribe medication orally. Treating this area topically can be difficult as most dogs will lick off any medication you apply to the area so oral medications are generally best. You should also protect the area from further rubbing with an elizabethan collar which should be worn at all times. You can try gently washing the ears with an antibacterial hand soap (rinse well) once daily if he tolerate it. I hope he starts feeling better quickly and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. There are medications such as Apoquel or prednisone which may help with the itch. 

 There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. 

Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). 

If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests.

 Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!


Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It looks like the area around his mouth is infected but without seeing him I can’t tell you what kind. It’s not emergent, but I would recommend your parents taking him to a vet for an exam, diagnosis and treatment. They may need to look at his skin under the microscope. As I said, it’s not emergent but I do recommend it is looked at up close. Good luck and kisses to Hachi!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. This could be a contact dermatitis or sensitivity. This is especially likely if Russell had started using a plastic food or water bowl in the last month. If so, switch back to ceramic or steel. There are also auto-immune diseases and allergies that can affect this area. If there is no improvement in one week or if worsening in any way, please see your vet for a closer examination and possible treatment options. Best wishes to you and Russell.