My dog has skin irritation. Is it causing my son's allergies?

This could indeed be mange, an allergy or a bacterial or fungal skin infection. Sarcoptic mange and a fungal infection are contagious to people so I strongly suggest you make an appointment with your vet for a skin exam. Your vet will do a skin scrape and look at it under the microscope, hopefully finding a mange mite. He may also take a brush sample to try and grow a fungus in a test tube. Please make an appointment today.

It's possible that your dog and brothers could both be suffering from a contact allergy of some kind. However, dogs can get a number of skin problems that are contagious to humans such as scabies or ringworm, so this is a possibility as well. I would recommend taking your dog to the vet for an exam as soon as possible - he/she can do some simple skin tests to check for these problems, which will help to guide treatment for him as well as your brothers if a contagious disease is found.

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 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!

It is possible we could have yeast or bacteria here. The only way to tell for certain is to do what is called a cytology on the area. Your vet can take a sample (they may use a piece of tape or press a microscope slide directly on the skin) and look at it under the microscope. They can then determine if we have infection present and treat appropriately.

Hello, and thanks for your question on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Ginger needs to be seen by a veterinarian for a diagnosis on what's going on with her skin, but if she is very itchy and if you have a rash that's similar to hers, I'd definitely recommend you both get that checked right away (you by your doctor, of course :-) ). There is a skin mite called sarcoptes that can infect a dog's skin and cause intense itching, and this mite can also be spread to people. Thankfully, if that's the case, it's easy to treat - but does require a prescription medication from the veterinarian. So, definitely have her checked as soon as possible. Hope this helps!

Hi and thanks for your post! It is hard to say exactly what the cause of Skyy's skin irritation may be without examining Skyy first, but I can offer some potential possibilities. It could be a bacterial infection, fungal infection, mites, or due to an allergy to something in her environment or to a particular food. Your veterinarian can diagnose these potential conditions with an exam and a few simple skin tests. I would recommend Skyy visit her vet soon to have the possibilities above ruled out so she can get the most appropriate treatment. Best to you and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Mange is caused by mites. There are two types of mange, sarcoptic mange and demodex mange, each caused by a different mite. Sarcoptic mange is highly contagious to other animals and humans, while demodex mange is not. The symptoms depend on what type of mite is presents. Yes a skin allergy could potentially look like mange, but a vet will be able to diagnose the underlying cause. You will need to take Mister Brown into the vet. Best of luck.