What are these spots on my puppy's skin? Do I need to treat them?

Hi, and thanks for your question. This could be due to an infection (fungal or bacterial), although it could also be mites or other skin parasites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment (on prescription as Jacky is small and overdosage can occur), then ask the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair any possible skin lesions (like 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!

This is likely to be cause by mites (demodex is probably involved). A clinical examination at your local veterinarian is essential to quickly confirm this clinical suspicion and treat appropriately. Antibiotics or specific medications for mites (ivermectin) may be needed. 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. Please find the time to give us a feedback about the consultation as that will be used to improve our service.

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.

I'm concerned that Jack may have a bacterial infection in his skin thats causing this issue. Fleas can also make the skin look this way. Ideally, take him to the vet for an exam so that appropriate treatment can be started. You can try bathing him twice a week with a moisturizing shampoo made for dogs, and make sure you are using a good flea control product, but I'm worried he may need to see a vet to get on top of the issue. Thanks for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

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.

Hello, and thanks for your question about Jack. If Jack has focal lesions where he's getting hair loss and red spots, this is often a sign of a skin infection. This can often occur secondary to allergies or fleas. Jack should be seen by your vet, as he may require a course of oral antibiotics to treat his skin. Hope this helps!

The only way to definitively diagnose mange (Demodex) is by skin scrapings which should be repeated every 2-3 weeks during treatment until 2 negative skin scrapings are found. Make sure that the flea and tick medication prescribed will also treat mites (milbemycin or moxidectin) and keep in mind that the dosage frequency is different for mite treatment than it is for flea preventative. Treatment needs to continue for 1-2 months after there is a negative skin scraping. Steroids are usually contraindicated in treatment of Demodex. Demodex mites are not contagious to other animals so your other dogs may not be affected.