What causes scabby bumps on my dog's back that bleed when scratched?

Thank you for your question. Patches must be pretty uncomfortable. There are several possible reasons for this type of itchiness. The first thing I recommend is make sure he has been treated for fleas. Even one little flea can trigger massive itching in a dog that is sensitive to them. Other things that can cause this type of itching are food allergies, environmental allergies, mites, and bacterial skin infections. When the skin becomes this damaged, a trip to your veterinarian is necessary. We often have to prescribe antibiotics to control local bacterial infections that can result from all the scratching. We also need to get the itching under control. Sometimes this means steroids, and sometimes we prescribe a medication specifically to control itching. A t-shirt can be used to protect the skin from further scratching while it heals. There are some over the counter anti-itch sprays you can try, but many times they are not strong enough. I hope this helps, and Patches is feeling better soon!

According to the picture this looks like a wart that Lady scratched and now has a scab on it. Since she is bothering with it and seems uncomfortable I would take her to see your veterinarian. They can make sure it is nothing else like a scratch that got infected or a different type of growth that go infected and scabbed over. They also will be able to give her a topical ointment to place on the area to help with any type of infection. If this is something that continues to bother her or scab over I would recommend removing it so it does not continually get infected and bother her. If she is scratching at it I would put an e-collar on her so she does not make it worse. As dogs age it is very common for them to get more warts like these, some may bother them while others will not.

This does not sound like a normal thing to happen in dogs, and I recommend that Binky see a vet for her skin issue. Your vet may do a skin scrape to look for mites, skin cytology to look for bacteria or yeast under a microscope, or bacterial or fungal cultures may be needed. Possible causes for bumps include fleas, mange, lice, infections (bacterial or yeast), ringworm, allergies, among others. I would recommend that Binky be on year-round flea prevention. While you await for your appointment, you can try a medicated shampoo like Dechra MalAcetic Ultra Shampoo, but be careful not to get it into her eyes. Also, think of any changes that have happened in the last few weeks, like changes in food, treats, medications, supplements, or household cleaners that could have had an effect on her skin.

Excessive scratching like this is probably due to skin allergy. It is often very hard to say what the dog is allergic to. It could be pollen, plants, chemicals used at home and outside, cosmetics, carpets, fleas, food the dog eats etc. In Sluggo case the skin changes and the symptoms he has got strongly suggest an allergy. You need to take him to your local vets to confirm the diagnosis (your vet may want to examine skin scrapes under a microscope) and to start treatment for him. Treatment for allergies is usually a form of anti-histamine or/and anti-inflammatory medications that give a quick relief to dogs regardless of the cause of the allergy.

Hello, and thank you for your question. Skin lesions on the back could be due to fleas. Other possibilities include folliculitis, pyoderma, ringworm, or mites. I would recommend taking Jazzy to the vet within the next few days to confirm the diagnosis. They can check for fleas and do a skin scraping or cytology to rule out other causes. In the meantime, you can try bathing Jazzy with a mild aloe and oatmeal shampoo to help provide some relief until you can get to a vet. If she is biting or scratching at the area, you can place an e-collar (cone) on her head or put a t-shirt on her to help prevent further damage. I hope this helps, and that Jazzy is feeling better soon.

Based on what you are describing, I would recommend starting with some preliminary diagnostics of the affected area just to rule out a couple of things. A skin scraping will be able to mostly eliminate some fairly common dermatologic parasites like mites, though these typically do cause a fair amount of itchiness. The locations you are describing are not typical for a flea infestation so it is not very high on my list of possibilities. Based on the second and third picures, it looks like the hair is coming out very easily and that the skin beneath in the third picture is quote dry / seborrheic. It is possible that Leizel could be experiencing some localized allergic reaction as well. Lastly, a cause of the issues you are seeing can be attributed to certain immune-mediated disease that affect the skin. These are usually only positively diagnosed through biopsies of the affected regions.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I can definitely see the small red bumps your are referring to, and agree that they appear scabbed over. This can be caused by a localized skin infection, an infestation with mites or fleas, or even an allergic reaction. It is likely that these conditions may be causing Hump to be itchy, and she may be having these scabs from scratching. A vet can perform some tests including blood work, and taking some samples from Hump's skin to figure out what is going on and prescribe an appropriate treatment plan. I hope this helps!