My German Shepherd puppy has itchy, flaky skin. Is it serious?

I'm sorry to hear Wall-e is so itchy. Skin issues can be incredibly uncomfortable for dogs! Without looking at his skin it is difficult to tell what the underling cause is and what needs to be done next. He may have a "hot spot" or superficial moist dermatitis, which is a bacterial infection. These can be triggered by just about anything and can develop very quickly and be very itchy. Dogs can also develop seasonal, environmental, or even food allergies that can manifest as skin infections or rashes. Fleas can also cause very red itchy skin, so I would make sure that Wall-e is on good flea control. I would recommend you take Wall-e in to your vet to have his skin evaluated. He may need antibiotics and potentially anti-itch medication. Often we will add in medicated shampoos as well to help make the dog more comfortable as well and resolve the issue. Good luck!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Based on the photos and your description, this could certainly be due to a bacterial or fungal infection. I would recommend having a veterinarian take a look at this so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. If you are unable to get to a veterinarian right away, you can use the below following products. 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 shampoo and bathe twice weekly until resolved 2. Malacetic conditioning spray and apply to the affected areas twice daily until resolved Both of the above products can be found online quite easily.

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 and thanks for your post! It is hard to say exactly what the cause of Ben's skin lesions may be due to without examining Ben first, but some possibilities may include a fungal infection, bacterial infection, mites, a food or environmental allergy, or evidence of an underlying endocrine disorder such as Cushing's disease or a thyroid problem. Your veterinarian can diagnose these potential conditions with a fungal culture, skin scraping, and some blood work. I would recommend Ben visit another veterinarian or perhaps a board certified veterinary dermatologist soon to have the possibilities above ruled out and a definitive diagnosis made so he can get the most appropriate treatment. Best to you and Ben and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Poor Simmi! There are several things that can cause really itchy skin like demodectic mange, sarcoptic mange, fleas, allergies, a bacterial infection, a fungal infection and much more. I would first make sure she is on a high quality flea preventative like bravecto, nexgard or comfortis. Bravecto is also known for treating some mange so this may be a good choice if you can find it. You can also give her bendaryl twice a day to help control the itching. See link below. I would also bathe her in a medicated shampoo 2-3 times per week. I really like Dechra's miconahex-triz shampoo. If this doesn't help or if she is really uncomfortable, I would try to have a vet take a look at her as she may need stronger itch meds or prescription meds to help her heal. I hope this helps! https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/dog/benadryl/#!

These look highly suspicious for a demodexx mite problem. Demodexx mites live on every pets skin, but overpopulate causing hair loss in certain pets whose immune system is not as strong. Have your vet do a simple skin scrape test to confirm this suspicion and then Tuxedo can go on medication to help resolve this over time. I don't see any areas of redness or infection yet, but secondary infections can develop quickly so it is best to get this treated as soon as you can to avoid the need for additional medications. Other possible causes for this are an environmental allergy or flea allergy. I hope that Tuxedos skin condition resolves well soon. Best of luck and take care.

I would not recommend shaving her as it will not resolve the underlying skin problem and may not regrow. I would start with a good quality oral parasite prevention such as bravecto, an omega fatty acid supplement and a medicated shampoo such as malaseb to address yeast overgrowth and surface infections. If not improving over 10-14days a full vet check will be required