What causes white crusty scabs and flaky skin on my dog?

I would recommend that Gunnar get checked out by a vet. His skin issues could be caused by dandruff, missing nutrients in his diet, another endocrine disorder like Cushing's disease, low thyroid (meaning he may need an increase in his medication), mites, allergies, or infection. A vet can examine his skin and may take a skin scraping or sample to look at under a microscope to see if there are mites, bacteria, yeast, or other parasites. Once the vet has a better idea as to the cause, they can discuss a treatment protocol.

Any treatment will depend on the underlying cause. It could be a skin infection or allergic reaction or even an autoimmune condition. An exam with your veterinarian or a veterinary dermatologist would be needed for a definitive diagnosis. You can discuss allergy testing, hydrolyzed diets, food elimination trials as well as antihistamine use with your vet. In the meantime, if your dog is scratching, use an e-collar (cone) to prevent further trauma. Consider adding an essential fatty acid (EFA) supplement to the diet. EFAs can promote a healthy [skin and coat](https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/category/dog/dog-health-and-wellness/dog-vitamins/dog-skin-and-coat). Choose a good quality fish oil as a source of EFAs. Systemic or topical antibiotics or antifungals can treat bacterial or yeast infection. Allergies can be frustrating to diagnose since they have many causes. Once diagnosed, most allergies can be managed with a combination of medication and diet.

I'm sorry to hear that Maya is having skin problems. There are a number of reasons for skin problems in dogs. This article does an excellent job of describing them. You could be dealing with allergies (of various types), external parasites (such as fleas or mites), or secondary infections (bacterial or yeast). https://www.petcoach.co/article/why-is-my-dog-so-itchy/ This is also an excellent article on itching in dogs and the possible causes and treatments. https://www.vin.com/veterinarypartner/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4952662 Often the first step is making sure there isn’t any evidence of external parasites that need to be treated. You may still be dealing with a flea allergy even if you have treated the fleas. Once a flea bites a flea allergy dog, that dog can stay itchy for a week. Using a good quality flea preventative product will help treat and prevent fleas. Here is additional information on fleas causing itching in dogs. https://www.vin.com/veterinarypartner/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4952572 I would recommend having your veterinarian evaluate Maya to discuss your treatment options. Your veterinarian can run a few simple skin tests to rule out fungus, mites, or a bacteria as the cause of the crusting. You will need to discuss resolving any of these secondary infections which will create crusting and make her more itchy. This can involve topical treatments (like shampoos, wipes or sprays) or may involve oral medications. Then you can discuss ways to prevent problems in the future. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Scratching and crusty scabs can be caused by various reasons such as fleas, mites ,fungal infection, bacterial infection and allergies. the first 4 needs to be ruled out before we start treating for allergies. in order to do that first de-flea Leon with a high quality flea treatment such as advantage spot on, if it doesn't help - take him to the vet in order to check for/treat the other possibilities. If everything is ruled out, then an allergy treatment can be started. Usually an hypoallergenic food is a good way to start together with anti histamines. if it doesn't help - the best solution is a medication called Apoquel which treats allergies with great success and without side effects.

I would recommend that Maggie get checked out by the vet. There can be many possible causes for skin flaking like this, including allergies, parasites, and seborrhea. Treatment would be determined on the suspected cause. https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/seborrhea/

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

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.