What's causing my dog's skin irritation, redness, and hair loss?

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!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This looks like a severe focal infection. I recommend you have her evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment as this will likely require local therapy with cleaning of the site, pain control medications and antibiotics. Also, your veterinarian could check for a possible underlying cause like allergies, mites or a foreign body reaction. Good luck!

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I can see that Jenny does have a well demarcated area of hair loss and redness. This can be indicative of a skin infection, namely ringworm, which is a fungus that can be transmitted to people. I recommend having Jenny seen by a vet as soon as possible and making sure that you wash your hands with soap and water after petting Jenny. Your vet can take a small sample of hair and skin to rule out the condition and prescribe anti fungal or antibiotic medication if necessary. I hope this helps and am happy to answer any other questions!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Yes, mange is possible. Other possibilities include allergies, ringworm, immune-mediated conditions, among many other possibilities. I recommend that you have her evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. In the meantime, if she appears to be scratching or licking at it, you can use an e-collar to try to prevent further injury. Good luck!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. 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!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Based on the photo, I would recommend having a veterinarian take a look at this to rule out the various possible causes. This could be a bacterial infection, fungal infection such as ringworm, etc. The veterinarian will be able to perform some additional testing and have a better look at it so that the most appropriate treatment can be recommended. I hope this helps!

Thanks for the pictures. By looking at them, there seems to be a different look to some of them. The one on the nose appears raised, and has me concerned that it is skin mass. It could just be the picture angle... Hairloss in dogs is usually related to mites, or allergies. I would recommend taking Parker into a veterinarian. They can see if the lesions are related to each other. They will also do some diagnostics such as a skin scrape to check for mites, skin cytology to check for secondary infections and possibly a fungal culture. If the nose lesion is actually a mass, they will most likely do a cytology (stick a needle in it, push cells on a slide, stain slide and look at them under a microscope). If it turns out to be allergies, please realize that allergies (just like humans) can't be cured, only controlled. It may take a few different treatments to get them under control. Hope Parker feels better soon! Thanks for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!