My 2-month-old puppy is itchy. Can I give her a medicated bath?

The medicated shampoo must have contact time. You need to lather it on and then leave it on for 10-15 minutes before rinsing. You also need to be bathing in this fashion every 2-3 days until the skin is looking better. Skin issues like this take a few weeks to clear up so you won't see an immediate response.

Impetigo in puppies is also known as puppy pyoderma. It is usually a self-limiting process and will go away without any treatment. To help it go a away a little faster, you can gently clean the area with a dog shampoo that contains salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide. I like the DermaPet products, such as DermaPet Benzoyl Peroxide Plus Shampoo and follow the directions on the label. If it starts to spread or doesn't seem better in 3-5 days, you may take Riri to the vet for diagnosis.

At her age I would be concerned she has mange (scabies) due to the itching and locations. It is hard to find and actually mite on them but very easy to treat just to be safe. Some puppies get a puppy pyoderma which is little pustules and bumps on their bellies. Most out grow this but few need antibiotics to help when it occurs. She is young to have allergies but it is not impossible. I would have your vet recheck the skin for mange and do weekly baths to help

No, the impetigo or puppy pyoderma would not be spread by itching since the pus present is sterile, meaning there is no bacteria present. If Riri is itching in other places and the impetigo is showing up, then she may have a different problem.

Hello! A picture of the lesion would help us give more helpful input. However, if Shiloh's skin is flaky and itchy, it could be a number of things, including superficial pyoderma, demodicosis, sarcoptes, yeast dermatitis, and ringworm. It is difficult to narrow down the causes without doing an exam on her or at least seeing the lesions, but it is very likely some sort of infection (whether bacterial, yeast, or parasitic) so I do recommend bringing Shiloh to the vet. Your vet will be able to determine the cause, and Shiloh will likely need prescription medication (antibiotics, antifungals, or anti-parasite, along with possible medicated shampoo) to clear the issue. Depending on the severity of the issue on her skin, it very likely might not improve without prescription meds, so it is worth having her seen as soon as possible. Additionally, depending on her age, she may have some underlying condition that might be making her skin susceptible to infection, such as allergies or hypothyroidism. I hope this helps.

Baby shampoos do tend to be fairly gentle for puppies, but any dog can be sensitive to any shampoo and it’s possible that it caused irritation or dried his skin out more. You may want to see if your vet carries a dog specific shampoo like Dermallay or HyLyt. It is common for young puppies to have dryer skin and act itchy, and most outgrow it within a few months. If he has developed skin wounds I’d recommend rechecking with your vet to make sure he doesn’t have a skin infection or parasites that weren’t obvious on his previous exam.

Congratulations on your new addition! I do see a bit of mild redness in areas of Hazel's abdomen, but it's hard to see the scabs very clearly. The good news is that her skin is by no means in terrible shape, despite her itchiness. Certainly, the more a dog licks and scratches at themself, the more they damage the protective outermost skin layer, which can lead to the development of a bacterial skin infection. With that said, I don't see obvious signs that Hazel currently has a significant infection, but it's important to curb her itching as much as possible. I'm glad to hear that she's been routinely receiving Nexgard - be sure to continue it and adjust the dosing to her current body weight as she continues to grow. This will help to prevent issues with fleas, and also mange (although this is not a labeled claim). Generally speaking, puppies do not typically experience significant allergy issues because it takes repeated contact with an allergen in order to mount an allergic immune response. However, puppies can develop some contact dermatitis issue. You can certainly bathe Hazel with Malaseb, but be sure to leave it on her coat for 10 minutes before rinsing well. If her itching continues, you'll need to take her to her vet for an exam to try to get to the bottom of this issue. I hope that everything goes well!