Why does my German Shepherd puppy have white dust when I comb her?

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!

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.

The dry crusts will likely be easiest to remove with a fine toothed comb like a flea comb. Its probably best to do this prior to a bath and then bathe them in a puppy shampoo. Their skin can be sensitive at this age and they will also lose body heat quickly so you will need to dry them quickly as well as make sure they are warm. If the lesions continue, take them in for an exam to look for parasites or infections that may be causing this. Congrats on the litter!

This is probably 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). 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.

It looks like Sam may have a bit of a skin infection. The itchiness may be from allergies, mites or some type of irritation. I would recommend bringing Sam to a veterinarian to have them fully evaluate his skin. He may need an antibiotic, shampoo and antihistamines to help. I hope Sam feels better soon and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

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

Those spots on Dakota could be several things including allergies to fleas, 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. Parasites are often ruled out with an oral medication like Simparica. 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 her diet to something like Royal Canin or Nutro as they are aimed at skin health. Also protect the area from trauma by having Dakota wear an elizabethan collar at all times.The bad odor also likely indicates either a bacterial infection or fungal infection. She will need treatment for this as well. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.