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Husky scratching & chewing, vets not helping. Is it a skin allergy?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Siberian Husky | Male | unneutered | 2 years and 5 months old | 34 lbs

Our 2 year old Husky that we adopted has been scratching his neck consistently and chewing/licking at his inner legs for awhile. Vet provided e-cone, predisone, and antibiotics but nothing has helped. Is this a skin allergy that hasn't been properly diagnosed? We are on the second vet already and both had a difference of opinions and he is suffering in the mix and racking up bills but not getting better. He was underweight when adopted so we moved him from blue buffalo to HP royal canin food.

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Amy Poole, DVM

Answered By Amy Poole, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on June 26th, 2017

Poor Shake! Itchy skin can be very difficult to figure out the underlying cause and can be really tough to manage, so I understand your frustration. I would discuss a plan with the vet you feel most comfortable with for long term management of Shake's skin. Most dogs that have underlying allergies are managed, not cured. I would also plan to do recheck appointments to make sure he is improving and you are seeing results. You may want to consider taking Shake to a veterinary dermatologist, if one is available in your area, as they are specialists and only deal with skin issues. First and foremost, I would make sure that Shake is on good flea and tick control to make sure that is not contributing to his itching. Many dogs that have underlying allergies that will often have severe allergies to flea bites as well. Although it is difficult to see what is going on by the pictures alone, I do suspect he has a secondary infection from chewing/itching, that may need to be addressed with oral medication. I would also recommend having the vet do skin scrapes on him to look for mites if this was not done already, and possibly put him on mite treatment just to rule it out as a possibility. Many dogs with itchy skin need multi-modal therapy, including medicated shampoo, omega 3 fatty acids, and oral antibiotics and/or antifungal medication to get itchy skin under control. There are some medications available through your vet for allergic dogs that may help, such as apoquel or atopica. The most important thing to do is follow up with the vet or discuss referral to a veterinary dermatologist to make sure adjustments don't need to be made in the treatment plan.
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Related Answers from Veterinarians

  • Answered By Dr. Leigh, DVM

    Veterinarian

    I am surprised that prednisone and antibiotic did not help with an allergy. It might be a good idea to treat him wth Revolution just in case he has a mite. Revolution would also treat for fleas if he has a flea allergy. Your vet could also try a new allergy medication called Apoquel and see if that helps. If his condition still persists then you could take him to a veterinary dermatologist.

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

  • Answered By Lauren Jones VMD

    Veterinarian

    Shake is a handsome pup and I'm sorry to hear that he's had so much trouble with his skin! Some of the most common causes of his itching and skin lesion are related to allergies (to fleas, food or the environment), ringworm, or mange. Allergies leading to skin issues can be slightly difficult to definitively diagnose without either intradermal allergy testing (most commonly performed by veterinary dermatologists) or serum allergy testing. From the course of treatment that Shake was given, it sounds as though your vet was suspicious of allergies. However, since Shake did not respond to the course of antibiotics and prednisone, it is worth looking into other possible causes of these lesions by performing a fungal culture (to check for ringworm) and skin scrape (to look for the mites causing mange). Some skin issues can take months for resolution with a lot of trial and error with different medications. I'm glad to hear that Shake has been started on Royal Canin HP (this is a much better quality diet than Blue Buffalo), but be aware that it can take at least 6-8 weeks to see full effect from a hypoallergenic diet trial. Also be sure that he is not receiving any other treats or table foods during his diet trial. If his skin does not improve in the next 2 months while feeding this food alone, a food allergy is unlikely. If all else fails, consider looking into a veterinary dermatologist in your area for another opinion. I hope this helps and that all goes well!

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