What to do for 2-month-old puppies with rashes, hair loss, and crying?

Related Answers from Veterinarians

• Answered By Rodrigo Roca, DVM

  Veterinarian

  Published on August 29th, 2018

  Hello, sorry to hear about your puppy. There are couple of reasons that can cause severe itchiness in puppies. Mainly, fleas and mites in young puppies. However other causes of severe itchiness may include ringworm and allergies.
  
  The best way to differentiate between these causes is by having your veterinarian look for this skin parasites by taking a sample of his skin cells and looking under the microscope. If parasites have been ruled out, then, treatment for allergies may be considered.
  
  Please have your puppy seen by your veterinarian to determine what may be going on with his skin, and so that they can prescribe the appropriate medications for him. Hope this helps and best of luck.

  

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• Answered By Dr. Heidi DVM, CVA, CCRT, CVTP, CVSMT, CVCH

  Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist, Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner

  Published on May 20th, 2018

  I am so sorry that you are having this problem. I certainly understand how frustrating it is to watch your dog be so itchy. Unfortunately, we can't tell just by looking at an area on the skin what is causing the problem. We can take a sample from the skin and look at it under the microscope to evaluate for yeast or bacteria which your veterinarian can easily do for you.
  
  There are a number of reasons for skin problems in dogs. This article does an excellent job of describing them. You could be dealing with allergies (of various types), external parasites (such as fleas or mites), or secondary infections (bacterial or yeast).
  https://www.petcoach.co/article/why-is-my-dog-so-itchy/
  
  This is also an excellent article on itching in dogs and the possible causes and treatments.
  https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=2604
  
  Since Max is so irritated by this area, I would recommend having your veterinarian evaluate him to do some tests to see what might be causing the problem and discuss your treatment options. This can involve topical treatments (like shampoos, wipes or sprays) or may involve oral medications or even injections.
  
  Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

  

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• Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

  Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

  Published on December 28th, 2016

  Poor Ruger! There are a number of different things that can cause itching and hair loss like this, even if he doesn't have fleas. A food allergy is certainly possible, in which case a grain-free or some other type of limited ingredient diet might help, but this could also be caused by an allergy to something in the environment, a bacterial or fungal skin infection, or skin mites (mange). Treatment will depend on what the underlying problem is, so I would really recommend having him 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 him started on appropriate medication to treat it.

  

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• Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

  Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

  Published on December 23rd, 2016

  Poor pup! There are quite a few different skin conditions that can cause severe itching with hair loss in a puppy this age. The most common possibilities would be allergies, fleas, a bacterial or fungal skin infection, or skin mites (mange). I'm not sure what tests have been done or what treatments have been tried apart from the cephalexin, so it's difficult to give much more specific advice.
  
  I would recommend taking Lady Bella back to the vet for a recheck since the medication isn't working. Some possible options that may be helpful at this point would be a skin scrape to check for mange (and/or a trial course of medication to treat this problem, if it's suspected based on the exam), a fungal culture to check for ringworm, a short-term steroid such as prednisone for a possible allergy problem, or a diet trial with a special hypoallergenic diet.

  

  1Pet Parents found this answer helpful