My dog has skin lesions. What could be causing them and is it serious?

Blackening of the skin is commonly caused from chronic inflammation and/ or infection. Red lesions can also be signs of infection. I would highly encourage you to have your dog evaluated by a veterinarian soon. In the meantime shampooing with an antimicrobial shampoo such as chlorhexidine or salicylic acid would be appropriate. You can find these in the human shampoo aisle in the dandruff area. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

He could have a bacterial skin infection, mites, allergic dermatitis, ringworm, etc. Have him examined by a vet to determine the exact cause. Your vet can prescribe medicatios to treat the problem. He may need an antibiotic, anti-histamine, anti-inflammatory, or other medications depending on the cause.

Unfortunately without seeing Bailey in person, there is no way I can definitely diagnose what is going on with her. It's also not legal. It could be she has ringworm, fly bites, or a skin infection causing these lesions. I would take her into the vet, and they can diagnose what is going on with her skin and can treat her. Best of luck.

Most lesions that look like this are causes by skin mites, ringworm (which humans can get) or allergies. I recommend to have Tweenkie visit her veterinarian who will preform a skin scrape to check for mites and will prescribe appropriate medications. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Skin lesions can be caused by bacterial, parasitic or fungal infection, dietary or environmental allergies or sensitivities, immune system disorders, or a combination of the above. I recommend making an appointment to have Opehli seen by your veterinarian to help determine the cause of the lesions you’ve noticed and to make sure they are treated appropriately. The vet will likely want to shave the area and look at a sample from the area under the microscope to determine if there is an infection and to figure out what medication is appropriate for treatment. In the meantime, you can bathe Opehli in hypoallergenic shampoo for dogs to clean the area, and put an e-collar (cone) on Opehli to help reduce the risk of licking/scratching at the area, but this will likely not resolve the lesions. The lesion in the picture looks like it could be a "hot spot" , and will not heal if she is able to lick or scratch at it. See the link below for more information: https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4952981

Thank you for sending the pictures! From what I can see, it looks like this lesion is only affecting the outermost skin layers, with the underlying tissue layers remaining intact. It's certainly possible that this lesion is from a traumatic injury, like the rubber bullet you'd mentioned, but it's equally possible that this is an infectious condition, like mange or ringworm. Since there is a good bit of skin damage that's bloody, it stands to reason that this type of lesion could become infected rather quickly, particularly if Crimson is licking at it at all. Even though we're now several days past the initial injury, I still recommend taking Crimson to her vet for an in person exam to thoroughly assess this lesion. Your vet may need to do some diagnostic testing to rule out infectious issues. Depending on their exam findings, your vet may need to prescribe oral antibiotics and/or anti-inflammatory medications to aid in the healing process. Until your vet visit, be sure to prevent Crimson from licking at this lesion at all by putting an e-collar (cone) on her. I hope that she's on the mend soon!

Lesions like those in the pictures can be caused by bacterial, parasitic or fungal infection, dietary or environmental allergies or sensitivities, immune system disorders, or a combination of the above. In dogs like yours with hair loss and itchiness, one common cause can be infection by mites that can live in the hair follicles and lead to hair loss, and secondary bacterial and fungal infections that can develop. I recommend making an appointment to have your dog seen by your veterinarian to help determine the cause of the hair loss as soon as you can. The vet will likely want to look at a sample from the area (taken by a procedure known as a skin scraping) and examined under the microscope to determine what kind(s) of infection may be present and to figure out what medication is appropriate for treatment. I hope that helps!