My dog is scratching, has scabs, and is lethargic. What's wrong?

Poor Tyson! This sounds like an allergy or a skin infection of some kind - both of these often cause lots of itchy bumps like this. He will probably need prescription medication (a steroid and/or antibiotics) to treat the problem effectively, so I would recommend taking him to the vet for an exam when you are able to. In the meantime, you can try bathing him in an aloe and oatmeal dog shampoo to help soothe his skin and temporarily relieve the itching - this will not treat the underlying problem causing the bumps, but may help to make him a bit more comfortable until you are able to see the vet.

Your puppy may be suffering from fleas and ticks, might have sarcoptes mites or allergies. If Tyson is only 10 days old (as you say in the description) he should still be with his mother. Puppies that young often suffer from bacterial infections which are itchy, and flea infestation. You should take your puppy to a veterinary doctor to have it examined. A mite infection can also be transferred to people and it could kill the puppy as can a severe flea infestation. Your vet can give you proper medications to treat those.

This presentation is probably due to an allergy, although it could also be infection or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment, then ask 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 to discover the cause of the allergy. Three main type of allergies are usually affecting pets: food allergies, flea and parasite related ones and environmental type (allergens coming from trees, pollens, dust etc etc). Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair any possible skin lesions (like steroids and antibiotics). Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

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.

This is probably caused by an allergic reaction. first of all make sure you de-flea Tyson regularly every month with a high quality spot on (ex. Advantage) as fleas are by far the most common reason for these reactions. If the fleas are not the problem, it could be an allergic reaction to food or an environmental factor. this is more complicated to treat and will sometimes require medications such as Steroids, anti histamines or cyclosporin in order to stop the allergy.

It does look like Toby's skin is quite irritated! The small bumps could mean that there is bacteria in his skin (also known as pyoderma) and he should see a vet for examination and appropriate medications. However, there is usually an underlying cause for the itching and subsequent infection. The most common causes would be fleas, ticks, mites, or allergies. Allergies can be from a range of things, including flea saliva, food proteins like chicken or beef, or the environment like dust, pollen, mold, or grass. If Toby has a food allergy, he may benefit from a novel protein diet or a prescription dog food for allergies. These are good things to discuss with your vet. While you wait for his appointment, try to prevent Toby from further itching his inflamed skin to prevent further damage. You can cover him with a dog or human shirt or try to put socks on his feet. If he is licking then he may need to wear a cone/e-collar. You can try to use some hydrocortisone cream on the itchy spots, but don't let Toby lick it off!

Hi. Poor little Titan. Based on these photos, it appeare he has a skin infection. Pretty moderate. These can be caused by bacteria, yeast, allergies, or parasites. With him being younger, a basic skin infection or parasites/mites are probably the most probable here. Unfortunately there isnt a treatment you can do at home. Especially without a diagnosis. He will beed to be seen to get the correct treatment.