My German Shepherd is scratching and balding. What helps his skin?

Most likely he has allergic reaction causing a lot of skin irritation. The other causes include skin infection and skin parasites, which are also common in dogs. The most effective treatment for excessive itchiness due to allergy are steroids (injection or tablets). I would recommend you to take Kane to your local vet to confirm the diagnosis (looking at the skin scrapes may be necessary to make the diagnosis) and to get the right treatment for your dog.

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.

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!

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

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Memphia. Since he is only monthly flea treatments, then I suspect another cause of this scratching such as allergies. From the pictures, it appears he is really digging at himself, and has done some damage to his skin. Due to this, he needs to see a vet. The vet can diagnose what is causing this issues, and can treat him. I'd take him into a vet today or tomorrow. I hope this helps!

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 Raven! It sounds like she has a bacterial skin infection and ear infection, possibly secondary to allergies. If bathing her does not help, than she needs to be examined by a vet for treatment. She may need an oral antibiotic, anti-histamine, corticosteroid, and ear medications to treat the problem. If needed, your vet can do a skin scrape, cytology, culture, or skin biopsy to help determine the exact cause. Hope she feels better soon!