Why does my dog have chronic skin problems, hot spots, and ear wax?

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. From the pictures it appears that Dune may be dealing with a skin infection. If you are unable to get him in to be seen by the veterinarian, I would recommend the below products, which can all be found online quite easily. Do this for about 3-4 weeks and if there is no improvement, I would recommend having a veterinarian examine Dune so that the most appropriate treatment recommendations can be made. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. 1. Douxo PS Chlorhexidine Combination and bathe twice weekly until resolved 2. Malacetic conditioning spray and apply 2-3 times per day on the affected areas until resolved 3. Welactin omega 3 fish oil capsules for dogs 4. Essential 6 Spot On by Dermoscent

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Based on the photos, it appears that Po may have a skin infection. We call this superficial pyoderma. For these, I recommend topical therapy and skin supplementation. If after 10-14 days there is no improvement with this approach, I recommend visiting the veterinarian and having the vet take a look at Po so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further! 1. Douox PS Chlorhexidine Combination shampoo and bathe twice weekly until resolved 2. Miconahex + Triz and spray to the affected areas twice daily until resolved 3. Essential 6 spot on by Dermoscent 4. Krillex Krill oil chews All of these can be purchased online quite easily.

Hello and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I hate to hear Cutty is having this problem! Being itchy can be quite uncomfortable for pets and is also hard on their human companions. A hot spot is an infection that often has a trigger such as fleas or allergies. They are very itchy. Cutty could be itching and scratching for many reasons. The most common reasons are •Fleas •Allergies (environmental or food) •Skin mites •Bacterial or fungal infection •Endocrine Disease Here are a few quick check points: If there has been any new treats or food within a few weeks of the itching, stop giving the new item. It could be related to the itching. If your pet have a history of itchy skin or ear infection, it could indicate an underlying condition like allergies or thyroid disease. If other pets in the household itching, it could indicate a communal cause like fleas or scabies. Here are some things you can do at home which may help with any red/irritated areas: 1. Stop any licking (since this can make it worse) - Cutty should wear an elizabethan collar at all times. - Remember that the collar must come out past his nose in order to be effective. 2. Next, wash the area once a day with either plain hand soap (like Dial) or a medicated pet shampoo. Rinse the area well and gently towel dry. -This will help to control the number of topical pathogens as well as remove oil and dead skin cells. 3. Lastly, apply a topical antibiotic twice a day to the red areas. Make sure the skin is dry before application. -Just a dab will do and rub it in well. Neosporin is fine to use. *Always wear gloves to handle skin lesions and wash hands thoroughly afterwards. Here are some tips that can improve over-all skin health and decrease itchiness: 1) Add in an omega fatty acid supplement. - Your veterinarian will carry some nice products - You can also find a good product called Welactin online. 2) Change the diet to something like Royal Canin or Nutro as they are aimed at skin health. *It will take 4-6 weeks for any diet or supplements to take full effect 3) Wash your pup in a pet oatmeal shampoo and conditioner once every 2 weeks for general health. If you use a topical flea prevention, you will need to look for a compatible shampoo. 4) If environmental allergies are suspected, a daily antihistamine can also help. - Dogs can take Benedryl or Zyrtec 5) Keep your pet current on a good flea prevention. Fleas will do nothing except cause more irritation for an already sensitive pet. I recommend to stick with oral products that last a month or longer like Simparica, Nexgard or Bravecto. Please discuss these options with your veterinarian. Have Cutty examined if- •There is severe itching/licking •If the itching/licking gets worse •If in 5 days the skin lesion is not significantly better or if it is not fully healed in 2 weeks •If in 4 weeks the licking or scratching do not start to improve Sometimes no over the counter options will work and they need a stronger medication from the veterinarian. I hope this helps and please feel free to reach out any time. Sincerely, Dr. Elizabeth

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If this is associated with itchiness, this may be due to skin allergies. There are medications such as Apoquel and prednisone which may help to decrease the itch. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing her allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. 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!

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Based on what you are describing, and the pictures, I suspect that Willow may have an infection with ectoparasites, such as mites or fleas, that are causing her to be itchy. Your veterinarian can perform a skin scrape and evaluate the cells under a microscope to look for evidence of infectious agents. Please ensure that Willow is on a monthly topical flea and tick preventative that you purchase from your veterinarian; NOT one that can be purchased from a pet or grocery store, as these are not regulated and can be very toxic to pets. Willow could also have allergic skin disease, secondary to food or environmental agents. You can talk to your veterinarian about trying a diet trial to determine if Willow's itchy skin resolves on a particular novel protein diet. The thickened ears can be due to chronic ear infections, so your veterinarian will be able to examine the waxy debris under a microscope and prescribe the appropriate medication based on whether they see bacteria and/or yeast in Willow's ears. I hope this is helpful!

I'm so sorry to hear that Galadriel is having so many problems. Let's talk about skin first. Dogs that are allergic to fleas can also be allergic to other things. The most common are environments allergies or food allergies (even if they have been on the same food for a long time). And dogs that have flea allergies can have problems with even a single flea bite which can occur even when they are on a regular flea prevention. I am attaching more information about skin problems and allergies below. https://www.vin.com/veterinarypartner/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4952662 The most common reason for hot spots is an allergy, so it will be important to figure out what Galadriel is allergic to in order to help prevent future hot spots. Hot spots are initially treated by clipping the fur around the area and cleaning with an antibacterial solution. Depending on the severity of the infection, your veterinarian may elect for you to treat it topically (with antibacterial wipes or spray) or may send home oral antibiotics. Hot spots can be very painful, so sometimes pain medication will also be sent home. One of the most important things in getting hot spots to resolve is making sure they stay dry. If her hot spot is in a location that she can reach, you may need to use an e-collar to prevent licking until the area has healed. The following article has more information on hot spots. https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4952729 Finally, the most common reason that a female will frequently squat to urinate is that they have a urinary tract infection. I am attaching a handout with more information about that below. https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4952574 So, I would recommend having your veterinarian examine Galadriel's skin and hot spot to see if she needs antibiotics for her skin and evaluate a urine sample to see if she has any evidence of a urinary tract infection. You will also be able to talk to them about potential allergies and what you can do to treat and prevent them. I know she has a number of problems, but it sounds like everything is a little out of control right now, so she will likely need a medication to decrease the inflammation of her current allergy outbreak and decrease the bumps. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and that she feels better soon. Thanks for using PetCoach.

We provide advice only on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. For any treatment for your dog, you need to go to your local vets. Steroids are the most commonly used medications for severe skin allergies so I assume your dog gets steroids injection. This medication is provided only by the vets, so you would need to see your local veterinarian if Princess has another skin problems.