Why is my senior GSD's skin dry, red, itchy, and losing hair?

Hi, and thanks for your question. This could be due to an allergy, although it could also be infection or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment, then ask the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try to discover the cause of the allergy. Three main type of allergies are usually affecting pets: food allergies, flea and parasite related ones and environmental type (allergens coming from trees, pollens, dust etc etc). Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair any possible skin lesions (like steroids and 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!

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. From the pictures that you provided my primary suspicions would be a skin infection. There are some things that you can do at home if you are unable to get to a vet right away. I would suggest starting with a shampoo that is medicated such as Duoxo chlorhexidine PS combination and bathe him twice weekly until the infection is resolved. I would also suggest starting welactin omega-3 fish oil and essential 6 Spot On by dermoscent. If there is no improvement then I would see your vet for further testing and treatments. I hope this helps! Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. I am also available via phone or text base consultation if needed

Hi Delaney, It sounds like Strider is having some skin issues., These are often related to allergies, but can have other causes. This amount of crusting and flaking that you are seeing will require a trip to the vet to get it cleared up. They will do a cytology to check for yeast or bacteria as he looks like he may have an infection. In the meantime, you could try an over the counter medicated shampoo for dogs to help get some of the grease and flakes out of the skin (not a flea shampoo, medicated/antibacterial). But to really get to the root of this issue you will need the help of a vet. Good luck with Strider!

It looks like Sam may have a bit of a skin infection. The itchiness may be from allergies, mites or some type of irritation. I would recommend bringing Sam to a veterinarian to have them fully evaluate his skin. He may need an antibiotic, shampoo and antihistamines to help. I hope Sam feels better soon and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

There are a number of things that could cause excessive itching with hair loss and blackened skin. The most common possibilities would include allergies, fleas, a bacterial or fungal skin infection, or skin mites (mange). If she's also acting weak, I would be concerned that she may also have some type of systemic illness like liver or kidney disease, anemia, hypothyroidism, or Cushing's disease. It would be best to have her examined by a vet as soon as possible - he/she can do some simple skin tests as well as blood work or other testing if needed to help determine what's wrong and get her started on appropriate treatment.

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. From the pictures you have provided, I suspect that ceasor has a skin infection. Now, whether or not the skin infection is due to skin parasites, bacteria or Yeast is difficult for me to say by looking at the pictures. I would suggest having a veterinarian examine him in order to get a diagnosis for the most appropriate treatment. Treatment will likely consist of antibiotics, antifungal drugs and topical therapy. If you are unable to get to the veterinarian right away, I would suggest starting a medicated shampoo such as Duoxo chlorhexidine PS combination and bathe twice weekly until the infection is resolved. I would also recommend starting him on welactin omega 3 fish oil and essential 6 spot on by dermoscent. I hope this helps! Please feel free to contact me with any further questions or concerns you may have. I am also available via consultation if needed.

Those spots on Dakota could be several things including allergies to fleas, allergies to something in the environment, food allergy or endocrine disease. Each one of these problems is detected and addressed differently and I recommend to discuss with your veterinarian which one to start hunting down first. Parasites are often ruled out with an oral medication like Simparica. Food allergy is best ruled out with a diet trial using a hydrolyzed protein. Endocrine diseases are detected with blood work. Environmental allergies are a little more difficult to detect but a response to therapy or a blood test can give an indication. Once you figure out and address the underlying cause, the lesions should not come back. There are a couple things you can do at home and they can help but they may not address the underlying cause. You can try adding in an omega 3 fatty acid supplement for dogs, this can help improve the skin health. You may also try changing her diet to something like Royal Canin or Nutro as they are aimed at skin health. Also protect the area from trauma by having Dakota wear an elizabethan collar at all times.The bad odor also likely indicates either a bacterial infection or fungal infection. She will need treatment for this as well. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.