Why are my two dogs constantly scratching and losing hair?

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! Poor Dozier! If he is that itchy and also is losing hair then it might be best to have your Vet examined him to rule out a yeast or bacterial skin infection, demodex (non-contagious mite) or allergies. He could have allergies to his food or the environment. You can try an anti-histamine, Omega 3 fish oils and bathing him but if there is no improvement you should have your Vet take a look. You can try changing his food to a non-chicken limited ingredient food to rule out food allergies as well. I attached some links below. I hope this helps and I wish you all the best! https://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=35790 http://pet-supplies.drsfostersmith.com/search?w=malaseb%20medicated%20shampoo http://pet-supplies.drsfostersmith.com/search?w=nordic%20naturals%20omega-3%20oil https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/dog/zyrtec/

My biggest concern would be a bacterial infection, ringworm, or mange since they both have similar symptoms. They all can look similar. I would have your vet take a look at them to see what medicines they may need to make them feel better.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Without seeing them it's hard to say why they are suddenly more itchy. With recent moving and travels they could have been exposed to fleas and if they are scratching they could have a flea allergy. You may not always find a live flea so it's not always easy to rule out. If you moved far, there could be an environmental allergy- something they have never been exposed to before. Also, changes in humidity and pressure can cause scratching. If their skin is red or they are keeping you up at night with the scratching I would recommend seeing a vet. Otherwise you could try washing them with an aloe and oatmeal shampoo for skin relief. I hope this helps! Kisses to Daphne, Leela, and Dudley!

Allergies and mange would be at the top of my list. A vet can easily check for intestinal parasites (mange) and then figure out a treatment plan for allergies if you don't have any parasites. There are many many different way to treat allergies, depending on how much you want to spend on medications/testing.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I would worry about something infectious like fleas or scabies. The dogs could have gotten scabies from a fox, fox den or another dog. Scabies is very infectious and affects the ear pinna, pressure points like elbows, legs, etc. It is very itchy. I would ask to have a skin scrape done and consider just treating all 4 dogs for Scabies. They all need to be heart worm tested if they are not on prevention before treating and all will have to be seen by the Vet. But just finding the mite on ONE dog is enough to prove the point. I wish you the best!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. At such a young age, skin parasites are high on my list as the possible cause. This requires anti-parasite medication to treat Browny with. In the US we use products such as Bravecto and Nexgard to treat skin mites, so something comparable should help with a mite infestation. He may also be dealing with a bad bacterial skin infection in addition to the mites or as its own primary problem. He may also need a 2-3 week course of an oral antibiotic and medicated shampoo such as Douxo PS Chlorhexidine combination shampoo and bathe twice weekly until resolved. I would talk to your veterinarian about skin mites as the possible cause, a skin infection or allergies as the cause. If he does not have skin mites or a skin infection, this could certainly be a severe allergy such as Atopic Dermatitis. With Atopic Dermatitis, certain medications like Atopica or Cytopoint can prove to be quite beneficial and helpful at eliminating or reducing the clinical signs. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

It looks as if your dog has a skin infection, most commonly caused by an allergy, a skin mite (Demodex) or fleas. 

The allergy could be a due to a protein in your dog’s food or an environmental allergy like to dust, pollens, grasses, etc. 

The allergy causes your dog to itch and chew at the skin which breaks down the skin barrier. This then leads to infection. Skin infections are typically characterized by large areas of hair loss, redness, crusting, flaking, and pustules. A thorough skin examination by your veterinarian should be able to determine the cause of the itch so it can be treated appropriately. A skin scraping and skin cytology should be performed to rule out mites and to determine the type of infection present (bacterial vs fungal). Your dog will most likely need antibiotics/antifungals longterm to help clear up the infection and possibly an allergy/anti-itch medication like Apoquel, Atopica, or Cytopoint to give some relief while the infection clears up. A medicated shampoo will be beneficial as well. I would also recommend he be on a good flea control routinely too. Once the infection has resolved a long term allergy medication (like Apoquel or Cytopoint) can be given on a regular basis to prevent any future problems. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.