Why is my puppy biting his skin? Is it an infection or something else?

It may be insect bites, it may be a condition common in puppies called puppy pyoderma, or it could be another skin infection. Puppy pyoderma is roughly equivalent to acne in people. Many dogs get it as puppies, most of them outgrow it in a few months without needing any kind of treatment but sometimes it gets bad enough that it needs to be treated, just like some people. If it continues to worsen, get him back in to see your vet and see if Leo needs to get medicated baths and/or some medication to help him clear up his skin.

The area on the side of his face looks like it has a bacterial infection causing the raised bumps. Your puppy should see your veterinarian to determine if this is the case. They may also want to do a skin scraping to look for any skin mites that may have started the problem. It looks like your pup will need prescription antibiotics to resolve this problem.

It looks like Bruno has a skin infection. Parasites like mites and fleas can cause irritation of the skin that can lead to bacterial infections. If he has not had skin scrapings performed to look for mites, that would be my recommendation. If there are no mites, and he has been treated for fleas, then perhaps the topical medications he is on are not enough, and he needs an oral antibiotic to control the infection. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

He may have a condition called puppy pyoderma that is roughly equivalent to acne in humans. They usually will outgrow it over time but some get it worse than others and need some medications and possibly therapeutic baths to help them get over it. I suggest getting him seen by your vet to make sure that's what is going on or if he has some other kind of skin condition that may require different treatment. Your vet will do an exam, possibly collect some cells for examination under the microscope and based on these result will be better able to tell you what is going on and how best to treat it.

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! Thanks for the pictures. It appears as though Sparky may have a bacterial skin infection, or puppy pyoderma. A lot of times puppy pyoderma resolves on it's own. If it gets worse than this I would recommend taking Sparky to the Vet to be evaluated and prescribed oral antibiotics. You can try a medicated shampoo: bath every 2-3 days and allow the lather to sit on the affected skin for 10 mins before rinsing. http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=27306 I hope this helps and I wish Sparky the best!

Depending on the age of the pups there could be several things going on. Commonly puppies can get skin infections or an infection from a skin mite called demodex. The scabs could also be caused from the puppies playing and nipping at each other. I would recommend taking the pups in to be evaluated by a vet so an infection can be ruled out. If they do have an infection they will likely need some antibiotics to help clear it up since their immune system has not fully developed.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is likely either due to mites or allergies. I highly recommend that you have him evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to diagnose this so that therapy can be started. Best of luck!