My dog has thick, crusty, cracking skin with open sores. What's wrong?

You will need to take your dog to a veterinarian for a skin exam. Your dog could be suffering from an allergy, mites, fleas, a bacterial or fungal infection or a congenital zinc deficiency. Each of these requires a different treatment, so it is important to find out what is causing the itch. Your vet will do a thorough exam and maybe a a skin scrape or biopsy. He will then discuss the options with you and then prescribe medications, an/or a medicated shampoo.

It looks like Lilly has crusts or scabs on her skin. This can occur when there is an infection or inflammation affecting the skin. I would recommend that Lily be seen by your veterinarian to determine what may be going on. They may recommend antibiotics or a special shampoo to help with this condition

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I can see a yellow, crusted area under the haircoat. This can be caused by several bacterial or fungal diseases as well as mites. There are many underlying diseases that can predispose dogs to these conditions such as hormonal imbalances, nutritional deficiencies, food allergies, and immunosuppression. It is important to have Marley examined by a veterinarian who can perform tests to diagnose the condition and rule out any underlying disease. In the meantime, try to keep the area clean and dry and prevent her from licking or scratching it. I hope this helps!

Poor Sasha! it sounds like she needs to be examined by the veterinarian. These symptoms could describe an infection in her skin. Sometimes the infection is the primary problem but other times it's related to allergies or endocrine disease. Occasionally, these symptoms can describe a disease of the oil glands as well. She will likely need oral medications and possibly some topical wipes. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

There are many possible causes of scaling skin and crusts, including skin infections from allergies (flea, food or environmental) and even some endocrine/metabolic conditions (hypothyroidism or Cushing's disease). If Xara is licking her paws excessively, this is a sign of itchiness. Since none of the lesions appear irritated, consider bathing her with a gentle dog oatmeal based shampoo and closely examine her for signs of fleas or flea dirt, which resembles a fleck of pepper. Make sure she is on a high quality flea preventative once a month (Nexgard, Bravecto, Advantix, Comfortis/Trifexis). Consider changing her diet to one with a different protein source, but do so gradually over 5-7 days. Diet changes can take 2-3 months to achieve efficacy. Obviously if her skin begins to look worse or does not improve with these measures, take her to her vet for an exam.

It could be an allergic dermatitis and/or a bacterial skin infection. You could bathe him with a medicated dog shampoo and clean that area with an antiseptic wound cleaner to see if that helps. Otherwise he will need to be examined by a veterinarian for treatment. Your vet can prescribe an antibiotic, anti-histamine, corticosteroid, and/or other medications to help treat the problem.

Lesions in the picture have several potential causes including mange, a skin infection or allergies. Bathing Mojah may be helpful; however, if the lesions are caused by mange or a skin infection he will likely need additional treatment. If the lesions are not improving, are becoming worse or if Mojah is not feeling well, he should be seen by a veterinarian. They may perform a skin scraping and or cytology of the skin to get a better idea of what is causing the lesions.