My dog's skin issue is spreading. What could it be and how to help?

There's no way to know for sure from a photograph, but it does look like a bacterial infection. It is important to have this seen by your vet to determine what it is so the correct treatment can be started as soon as possible before it gets worse or is a sign of an underlying problem. Your vet will do an exam, possibly labwork, and based on these results will be better able to tell you what is causing this and how best to treat it.

It is difficult for me to give you much advice without having more information but I will try my best. His skin may be getting worse due to an idiosyncratic drug reaction. The antibiotics may not be agreeing with him. A change to a different class of antibiotic may be all that is needed. The antibiotic he was prescribed may not be the correct one for this particular bacterial infection (if it is a bacterial infection). A culture and sensitivity of the crusty lesions on the head may need to be done in order to find out what bacteria are there and what antibiotic will be most effective. This may be a fungal skin infection (or yeast) and not a bacterial infection) hence why the antibiotic is not working. Antibiotics do not treat fungus or yeast. In young dogs I would be worried that this is a secondary infection of the skin from mange mites. It can be seen in older dogs as well but it is much more common in youngsters. So, I would have your vet do a skin scraping to check for mites. This could be an autoimmune disorder (like pemphigus). A biopsy of the affected area would be needed for diagnosis. That is all I can come up with right off the top of my head. I hope this helps to give you some things to bring up with your vet. Best wishes!

This does look like a severe skin disease. Dogs can develop environmental allergies similar to eczema, but I would expect that he would have responded some to the medications prescribed at least temporarily if this was the case. Buddy could have a parasite, resistant infection, or an autoimmune disease causing these symptoms as well. You may want to recheck with the vet to see if there are any other tests they might recommend - a skin scrape, fungal culture, skin cytology and culture, or biopsy might be the next steps. If Buddy is not on a good flea and tick preventative I'd recommend starting one as well just in case of parasites.

Hi there and thank you for using Pet Coach! From the picture you have attached, I would suspect a bacterial skin infection, chronic wound, burn or contact dermatitis from something irritating. I would have this examined by a veterinarian in order to determine what this could be by testing this further. Pete will likely require oral antibiotics and topical treatment for appropriate therapy. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns. I am also available via phone or text based consultation if needed.

Hi there and thanks for posting. Oh dear, this doesn't look good! Poor jack must be miserable. I would recommend a skin scraping and cytology of the skin done to rule out mites, a fungal infection, or bacterial infection. A culture of the skin would also be recommended to help determine abx treatment. She may need a different antibiotic based on culture results. I'm afraid I cannot legally prescribe medications over the internet. Best wishes to you and Jack!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding your Smokey. I recommend that he sees his veterinarian as I am worried that his skin is infected. He may need an antibiotic to help him heal. Home remedies are not likely going to help if the lesions are widespread. I hope this information helps!

The lesion in the second image appears to be infected. The area will need to be shaved of all surrounding hair, scrubbed with an antiseptic such as dilute betadine or chlorhexidine, and then an antibiotic will be required (most likely a systemic one). George will also have to wear a cone to prevent him from continuing to cause any self-inflicted trauma to the area. Your vet will be able to get a better look at the lesions to see if he can figure out what may have started everything to begin with. He may want to obtain some skin scrapings to take a look at under the microscope. Hope this makes sense.