My dog has spots and dry skin around his eyes. Is it mange or fleas?

Dogs with mange are typically extremely itchy and uncomfortable. This could be some local irritation or infection. Place an e-collar (cone) on Ben to prevent licking or chewing. You can clean the area daily using a diluted Betadine or chlorhexidine (Hibiclens) solution. Dry thoroughly afterwards. Treat him and the environment for fleas also if you haven't already done so. If the spot does not show signs of healing or worsens in the next few days, then have him physically examined by your veterinarian. Systemic and/or topical treatment may be indicated.

I recommend to have a skin scrape to check for mange. This is an easy test which will generally yield results. Some vets will also use an oral flea prevention product off label once the pet is old enough. Puppies will commonly get eye infections as well although a scratch on the cornea or other eye condition could also be the cause of the infection. I recommend to have Jimmy examined by the veterinarian. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Poor Sandy. That area looks really irritated. Certainly mites can cause hair loss around the eye, but we normally see hair loss around both eyes without any redness or moisture (which it appears that Sandy has). It also appears that Sandy has some crusting along the inside of the area as well. It may be more likely that he has a bacterial skin infection called a hot spot (https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=2714) that results from an overgrowth of normal bacteria on the skin. Your veterinarian can perform a couple of simple skin tests to determine if Sandy has any evidence of mites, if we are dealing with a bacterial infection of the skin or if there is another problem. That may require looking at a sample under the microscope. Then they can help you determine the best treatment for him since we have to be careful treating the skin around the eye. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

It sounds like Charlie needs to be examined by the veterinarian. Those spots and the lesions on the muzzle could be several things including ringworm (which humans can get) allergies to something in the environment, food allergy or endocrine disease. Each one of these problems is detected and addressed differently and I recommend to discuss with your veterinarian which one to start hunting down first. Ringworm is diagnosed at the vet's office by examined the hairs. Food allergy is best ruled out with a diet trial using a hydrolyzed protein. Endocrine diseases are detected with blood work. Environmental allergies are a little more difficult to detect but a response to therapy or a blood test can give an indication. Once you figure out and address the underlying cause, the lesions should not come back. There are a couple things you can do at home and they can help but they may not address the underlying cause. You can try adding in an omega 3 fatty acid supplement for dogs, this can help improve the skin health. You may also try changing his diet to something like Royal Canin or Nutro as they are aimed at skin health. Also protect the area from trauma by having Charlie wear an elizabethan collar at all times if he is trying to lick or scratch the lesions. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.

The spot on the cheek looks like a "hot spot". The rest looks like a flea allergy. Mange is not impossible in a dog her age but really unlikely unless she is immunocompromised. The hot spot on the cheek is basically a bacterial skin infection. She probably compromised the skin in that area due to scratching at the ears if she has an ear infection. You really need to get her to a vet to get everything she has going on under control. She needs an anti-inflammatory injection to the get the scratching under control, she needs to have oral antibiotics to clear up the hot spot, if there is an ear infection that needs to be treated and of course, the fleas need to get under control with a GOOD flea medication that she stays on continuously. A flea bath is very temporary and is not going to fix the problem. An ear infection will not clear up with over the counter ear cleaners - she needs an actual medication to clear it up. Please get her to your vet as soon as you can. Some things cannot be fixed with home treatment once they become too advanced. Best wishes.

Hello. The normal body distribution for Sarcoptic mange is along the ear edges and on the legs. In the photo, Chi is showing the signs of classic flea allergy dermatitis. Her skin appears to have a secondary infection. It would be best to get your vet involved in her treatment as this will require more than just flea prevention to resolve this. She may need some anti itch medication and a prescription antibiotic. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach

You are absolutely correct that mange or allergies are possible. The doctor may recommend a diagnostic called a skin scrape to check for mites. For now just protect the area from any itching. It doesn’t look really inflamed so I’m not sure there’s much you can do at this point. As a general recommendation, starting Lexi on an omega 3 fatty acid for dogs can help improve skin health and it certainly won’t hurt anything. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.