My dog is losing weight, has scabs from a bite, yelps. What's wrong?

It sounds as if your dog has a skin infection, most commonly caused by an allergy or fleas. The allergy could be a due to a protein in Molly's food or an environmental allergy like to dust, pollens, grasses, etc. The allergy causes your dog to itch and chew at the skin which breaks down the skin barrier. This then leads to infection. Molly will need antibiotics to help clear up the infection and possibly an anti-itch medication like Apoquel, Atopica, or Cytopoint to give some relief while the infection clears up. A medicated shampoo may be beneficial as well. I would also recommend she be on a good flea control too. It also sounds like Molly has an ear infection as well. She will need to go to the vet to have an ear cytology performed so they can determine what exact type of infection she has, i.e. is it bacteria, fungal or ear mites causing the issue. Your vet will probably recommend some ear medication and possibly an ear cleaner. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck!

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! Poor Molly! I do not think it’s a reaction to the topical flea medication. It looks and sounds like a bacterial skin infection. Molly should see your vet for an exam and if they agree be prescribed an oral antibiotic. You can try the below shampoo. Bathe her twice weekly and allow the lather to sit on her for 10mins before rinsing. Good luck! https://m.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=27975

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is likely either due to mites or allergies. I highly recommend that you have him evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to diagnose this so that therapy can be started. Best of luck!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is likely due to mange which is contagious. However, other skin conditions such as allergies cannot be ruled out. It is concerning that he is not eating. Loss of appetite can be observed with many conditions such as gastroenteritis, dietary indiscretion, kidney disease, pancreatitis, among many other possibilities. I recommend that you have Yoyo evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to check for these possibilities and others depending on the findings on exam. Treatment would be based on findings. Good luck and have a great day! Hoping for a speedy recovery!

Hi, and thanks for your question. This could be due to an allergy, although it could also be infection or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment, then ask the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try to discover the cause of the allergy. Three main type of allergies are usually affecting pets: food allergies, flea and parasite related ones and environmental type (allergens coming from trees, pollens, dust etc etc). Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair any possible skin lesions (like steroids and antibiotics). Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Based on the pictures and your description, I suspect Mazie may have a bacterial skin infection. I would recommend having this looked at by a veterinarian so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. She may need to be placed on an oral antibiotic and topical medications to treat this. I hope this helps and that Mazie's skin improves! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor girl! This actually look more like a scab from some mild trauma. While I do not see evidence of a bite in that picture, that is still possible and an examination would be needed to determine that for sure. Because it is small and mild, I think it would be ok to treat at home. You may apply a thin film of triple antibiotic ointment on the affected area twice daily for 5 days. If this does not improve or resolves, have her evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. There is a very good chance that this will improve quickly. However, if you notice any signs of worsening, like severe swelling, have her evaluated. Good luck and have a great day!