My Frenchie is scratching, licking, balding, and has flaky skin. Why?

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!

I don't see anything wrong in the pictures, but I would have to examine him in-person to really be able to assess him. Sudden itchiness is usually due to a contact allergy, or possibly due to an environmental allergy. I would check to see if he had contact to any aerosol sprays, disinfectants, perfumes, bathing products, fiberglass, or other new bedding, etc. Without seeing the behavior and knowing the full history, it's difficult to know for sure that this is itching behavior. However, you can give him a bath with just cool water for 15 minutes and see if that helps. If you are not able to determine the cause of this, or the bath is not helping, then I'd recommend a visit to the vet, or possibly an online consult with one of our Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach experts. We can usually narrow down a cause for the behavior and at-least rule-out any serious causes of his condition. I hope that helps and Marley gets back to normal soon.

Hair loss can occur for a number of reasons including mange, fleas, allergies and hormonal imbalances such as low thyroid levels. I would ensure you are using a high-quality flea preventative. If the bald patches are getting worse, I would recommend that you have Ella seen by a veterinarian. They may perform a skin scraping or even recommended skin biopsy to get a better idea of what's going on.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Elvis. I recommend that he sees his veterinarian today as his skin appears uncomfortable. He could be experiencing a skin infection secondary to allergies, fleas, or a problem due to ringworm or mites. His veterinarian will examine him and may recommend skin tests. From there, medications can be prescribed to help him feel better. In the meantime, you can bathe him with a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner such as an oatmeal or fatty acid based formula to soothe his skin. I hope this information helps!

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. If a hydrolyzed diet was not used, I would switch to a food such as Hills Z/D or Royal Canin Ultamino and feed for 4-6 weeks. If there is no improvement, you may need to consider drug therapy such as cytopoint, apoquel, atopica, etc. 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.

I am so sorry that you are having this problem with Rocco. I certainly understand how frustrating it is to watch him be so itchy. There are a number of reasons for skin problems in dogs. This article does an excellent job of describing them. You could be dealing with allergies (of various types), external parasites (such as fleas or mites), or secondary infections (bacterial or yeast). https://www.petcoach.co/article/why-is-my-dog-so-itchy/ This is also an excellent article on itching in dogs and the possible causes and treatments. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=2604 Often the first step is making sure there isn’t any evidence of external parasites that need to be treated. You may still be dealing with a flea allergy even if you regularly treat for fleas. Once a flea bites a flea allergy dog, that dog can stay itchy for a week. Here is additional information on fleas causing itching in dogs. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=2455 I would recommend having your veterinarian evaluate Rocco to discuss your treatment options. You will need to discuss resolving any secondary infections which will make him more itchy. This can involve topical treatments (like shampoos, wipes or sprays) or may involve oral medications. You can then discuss medication for the itching (which may be prescription or over the counter medication). There are a number of good treatment options for itching and allergies, but sometimes it takes a little while to find the right combination for your dog. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and Rocco is feeling better soon. Thanks for using PetCoach.

That is unusual. It's possible he is experiencing some changes in his hormones. Environmental allergies and melatonin responsive dermatosis are also possible. I recommend to start with a physical exam with his veterinarian. This will help to get the process started to determine the cause. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.