My puppy has itchy skin, hair loss, and pustules. What should I do?

Whiskey has a skin infection and it looks to affect a fairly large area. Dogs can get skin infections for many reasons including flea bites, hot spots, yeast infections, allergies, skin mites and ringworm (which humans can get). Whiskey needs to see the veterinarian within the next 24 hours to start treatment and stop continued spread of the infection. Generally these pets will need the hair shaved and the area cleaned, antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and some sort of protection (like an elizabethan collar) to prevent any scratching (this can make it worse). For now, Whiskey should wear a harness with his tags instead of the collar since the collar may be rubbing on the skin. The doctor may be able to determine the underlying cause from the exam or they may recommend a few basic diagnostics. I hope this helps and that he heals quickly.

Rosie should see a veterinarian for a skin scrape in order to determine if she has Demodex. This is a mange mite that is most common in young puppies and presents with hair loss, red skin and pustules like you see in the photo. There are several very successful treatment options for this. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

That is an understandable concern. It appears he has a very bad case of folliculitis, which can be caused by several things including a Demodexx mite infestation, a contact allergy, environmental allergy or flea allergy. He needs to first go on a good flea preventative (Nexgard, Bravecto, etc) and then have a skin scrape/cytology done to look for possible mites. He definitely needs a short course of antibiotics to treat for his current skin infection and then medication depending on the results of his skin scrape/cytology. The vet should be able to get him on the right track if the skin testing is done. I hope this helps and best wishes with Trump moving forward. I hope his skin problems resolve very soon.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! There is a possibility Colt has a skin mite called demodex (mange). These mites are microscopic and don’t cause the pet to scratch. I recommend taking him to a vet where they can scrape his skin and look for the mite with a microscope. They can also look for a secondary bacterial infection from the mite. Once they have a diagnosis they can prescribe him the correct medications to treat his skin. Good luck and kisses to Colt!

Hello. In a 7 month old pup, my first guess is Demodex mange. But, this could also be a simple bacterial infection. Let your veterinarian do a simple skin test to see if the mites are present. There is a very specific treatment for this & usually results in a cure within a few months. I do hope you can have her seen soon. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I'm sorry to hear that Zoe is having skin problems! There are a few different things that could cause itching and hair loss with dandruff in a puppy this age. The most common possibilities would be allergies (food allergies, or an allergy to something in the environment), fleas, a bacterial or fungal skin infection, or skin mites (mange). Treatment will depend on what the underlying problem is, so I would recommend having her examined by a vet as soon as you are able to. He/she can do some simple skin tests to help diagnose the problem and get her started on appropriate medication to treat it.

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. The picture shows extensive hair loss and some scabs underneath. The most likely cause for this is fleas. I would suggest trying a flea product on Whiskey. Ensure you get a safe product, lots of grocery store flea products can be very toxic to cats, and dog flea products are very dangerous and can be fatal to cats. Ask your vet which product you should use. Best of luck with Whiskey.