Why is my German Shepherd scratching, shedding, and has flaky skin?

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!

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.

Place an e-collar (cone) on him to prevent further licking or chewing. This may be enough to allow healing, but if the underlying cause is not treated then it may not help. Ideally, Ceaser should be examined by a veterinarian to diagnose infection (bacterial, fungal or parasites) or an allergy. Antibiotics may be needed if the skin is broken. If not, steroids and/or antihistamines may provide relief from the itch.

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!

Hello. Willow may have a bit of dermatitis going on. I would recommend bathing her in a Benzoyl Peroxide based shampoo which you can find at most pet retailers & online. Follow the directions by making sure you leave the lather on for 10 minutes before rinsing. Repeat twice a week until the skin heals ( which may take several weeks of bathing ). If the skin does not seem to be healing, she may have allergies or require antibiotics, but a medicated shampoo often will clear up these minor issues. Thanks 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/#!

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!