Why is my pit bull puppy scratching, licking, and getting skin wounds?

Most pitbulls have atopic dermatitis (environmental allergies). One of the main symptoms of allergies in dogs is licking/chewing at the paws and scratching everywhere. Often allergic dogs also have chronic allergies and recurring anal gland issues too. I recommend making an appointment with your vet about possible allergies. There is an allergy medication called Apoquel that doesn’t have the same effects as steroids on increasing thirst and peeing, but usually works on significantly alleviating the itch within a few hours. There is also an injectable allergy medication called Cytopoint that is given every 4 weeks and can be given in conjunction with Apoquel that has had amazing results in most atopic dermatitis dogs. While on these allergy meds, Vega should be on an oral flea and tick medication such as Bravecto, Simparica or NexGard as even a single flea bite can cause a similar allergic reaction. The trembling and vomiting may be due to a food allergy, acid reflux or possibly a liver/kidney issues. Yearly screening bloodwork is recommended to rule out more serious internal organ causes of the vomiting. A trial switch to a prescription diet such as Royal Canin GI may be recommended by your vet as well. Good luck!

Those spots on Luna could be several things including allergies to flea bites, skin mites, ringworm (which humans can get), allergies to something in the environment, food allergy or endocrine disease. Each one of these problems is detected and addressed differently and I recommend to discuss with your veterinarian which one to start hunting down first. Parasites are often ruled out with an oral medication like Simparica. Food allergy is best ruled out with a diet trial using a hydrolyzed protein. Endocrine diseases are detected with blood work. Environmental allergies are a little more difficult to detect but a response to therapy or a blood test can give an indication. Once you figure out and address the underlying cause, the lesions should not come back. There are a couple things you can do at home and they can help but they may not address the underlying cause. You can try adding in an omega 3 fatty acid supplement for dogs, this can help improve the skin health. You may also try changing her diet to something like Royal Canin or Nutro as they are aimed at skin health. Also protect the area from trauma by having Luna wear an elizabethan collar at all times. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hello, and thank you for your question. Poor Skye. My guess is this is a severe allergic reaction as well as secondary bacterial infection of the skin. If ointments and benadryl are not helping, she will require stronger, oral medications, to control the inflammation and treat the infection. This will require a visit to the veterinarian. I would recommend this visit within the next 12-24 hours, given how uncomfortable this looks for Skye. In the meantime, you could try giving Skye a bath with a gentle aloe and oatmeal type of shampoo, just to give her some temporary relief, and hope to wash off any surface allergens that may be irritating her skin. Rinse off the shampoo thoroughly with lukewarm water afterwards, and pat dry (don't rub). I hope this helps, and your little girl is feeling better soon.

Pits are prone to allergic skin disease, and everything you describe can be symptomatic of this condition. Lex may benefit from a prescription allergy diet trial on something like Hills z/d fed exclusively for 9-10 weeks. He may need to be on allergy medication like apoquel to help stop the itching, and if he has a secondary bacterial or fungal/yeast infection in his skin, this needs to be addressed as well. See your vet for a skin allergy workup and proper medications. Hope that helps!

Thanks for using PetCoach! This is pretty classic for good old allergies. Pit bulls are notorious for having environmental allergies. You can start by trying some Benedryl (see link below), omega 3 fatty acids (about 2,000 mg fish oil per day) and Duoxo Calm shampoo. This combo seems to work well for dogs with mild-moderate, occasional allergies. Unfortunately, many of my pitties with allergies end up needing temeril - P, apoquel, cytopoint, or other medications to control their itching. If you’re not seeing improvement in 1 week (or if worsening at any time) head to your vet for more immediate/stronger relief. https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/dog/benadryl/ Best of luck to you and Rosie!

This is probably due to a severe allergy, although it could also be fleas or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat Cheyenne with a high quality flea treatment (e.g. advantage), then get her to the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try discovering the cause of the allergy. Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair the skin lesions (steroids and antibiotics). simultaneously you should start her on a prescription hypoallergenic diet for at least 2 months. Hopefully you will see some results after all this, if not you and your vet should consider putting her on a long term allergy treatment (Atopica or Apoquel).

Those spots on Rey could be several things including fleas, allergies, skin mites, bacterial infection, ringworm (which humans can get) or endocrine disease. There are a couple things you can do at home and they can help but they may not address the underlying cause. You can try adding in an omega 3 fatty acid supplement for dogs, this can help improve the skin health. You may also try changing her diet to something like Royal Canin or Nutro as they are aimed at skin health. You can wash the lesions once a day (not her whole body, just the lesions). Also protect the area from trauma by having your pup wear an elizabethan collar at all times. If the lesions do not start improving within a week or if they are getting worse, have her examined by the veterinarian. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.