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My dog has a skin patch on his leg. Is it serious or an infection?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | German Shepherd | Male | unneutered | 1 year and 6 months old

I recently noticed this patch on bruno right hind leg any idea what is it exactly ? I am attaching photo and also is it serious or life threatening or anything like that ?

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Destini R. Holloway, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on June 15th, 2017

This looks like a skin rash and possible skin infection due to the yellow crusting. It doesn't appear life threatening if this is just a skin rash as suspected. Skin rashes are often caused by allergies, trauma to the skin and fleas. I would recommend scheduling an appt with your local veterinarian who can do some skin testing of the area to determine what kind of infection it is, so that the most effective treatment is recommended to take care of this. Best of luck with Bruno and I hope his skin issue resolves soon. Take care.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Menolly Cote, DVM, CVA
Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist
Good morning. From the picture you have provided, it appears that Bruno may have a skin infection. Circular lesions often occur as a result of a bacterial infection on the skin. Bacterial infections are often secondary to allergies, but can also occur concurrently with mange or fleas. While this is not likely to be life threatening, it could get worse if left untreated. I would recommend that Bruno be seen by your veterinarian to determine if an infection is indeed present and what the best treatment would be. Your veterinarian may recommend some testing such as a skin cytology or scraping the help determine the underlying cause for the spot you are seeing.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Jenna Beyer, DVM, MBA, cVMA
Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist
Published on October 8th, 2017
I would recommend that Bruno get checked out by a vet. It is hard to see the problem you are concerned about from the picture. Ringworm or other fungal infections can often be treated with topical and/or oral medications or lime sulfur dips or shampoos. A vet can examine Bruno to see if this is the cause of his skin issues and recommend an appropriate treatment. Other possible causes of skin problems that can look like fungal infection include fleas, allergies, mites, bacterial infection, among a few others.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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