Why is my senior chihuahua itching, coughing, and has skin lesions?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! He is adorable! This is possibly due to allergies. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively! The lump could be a benign or malignant growth. There is no way of knowing for sure without an examination though this represents a reason to seek veterinary care. This is usually determined with an examination and a fine needle aspirate (FNA) or a biopsy. Treatment depends on the findings up to that point. I recommend you have Ziggy evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Good luck and have a good night!

Although a picture of the lesions would help to determine the underlying cause, this is probably due to an allergy, but it could also be due to an infection or mites. Old age itself is unlikely to cause anything like you described. 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.

I'm sorry to hear that Trixie is also so itchy with these skin issues. Odds are good that she's likely experiencing underlying allergies to fleas, food, or something in her environment. When dogs itch excessively, they damage the outer layer of the skin and can cause skin infections to occur. That said, it's also possible that the underlying culprit of Trixie's issue could be associated with ringworm, mange, or some autoimmune issues. The lesions pictured don't look like growths to me. At this point, Trixie really needs to visit her vet for a full exam to try to get to the underlying cause so that an appropriate course of treatment can be started. Odds are good that she'll need oral antibiotics, anti-itch medications, and good quality flea prevention - potentially in addition to other medications. I hope that everything goes well!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Zoey. It is possible that allergies are to blame for her ongoing skin disease especially if her problems are somewhat seasonal. There are two great new allergy medications used to control itching and licking. They are both very effective. Typically if the itching can be controlled and medication such as an antibiotic can be used to treat any secondary infection, the skin will heal. This will take away the odor. The two medications I used most commonly for environmental allergies are Apoquel and Cytopoint. It is important to rule out other allergies such as fleas and diet. She may need a prescription diet trial. I hope this information helps!

It sounds like there are few things that could be going on with Belle. She could be in pain with the yelping. The hair loss and chewing could be due to fleas, mites, ringworm, or allergies. If she isn't up to date on her flea treatment, I can give you one for her. First, I would give her Capstar. It's a one time pill that starts killing fleas within 30 minutes. Then follow up with a spot on treatment, such as Advantage or Revolution. This is a treatment that has to be used once a month. You will also have to disinfect the environment. Wash her bedding in hot soapy water, and vacuum the furniture and carpet surfaces. You can use a spray to kill fleas in the house, such as Indorex, or a flea bomb would work well to kill the fleas in the home. If she is up to date on her flea treatment, I recommend taking her into the vet for an exam tomorrow. The vet can do blood tests, skin scrapings, and use a Wood's lamp to diagnose allergies, mites, and ringworm. Once the cause of the itching (chewing is a sign of itchiness) is found, the vet can prescribe the appropriate treatment. I hope this helps!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Zoey. If your at home treatments have not helped, then it is time for her to see her veterinarian. Her skin will be assessed and tests may be performed to ensure that she does not have mites or ringworm. If not, then allergies are common this time of year. Based on her skin, she may need antibiotics if there is a secondary infection. There are potent anti-itch medications that will improve her comfort dramatically as well. I hope this information helps!

I'm so sorry to hear that Lucy isn't doing well. The appropriate treatment very much depends on why she is scratching and chewing. She could have allergies, an infection, mast cell tumors (which release histamine in to the blood stream), or even be chewing because of the anxiety itself. There are also many different medical treatments for anxiety (including daily and just as needed options) as well as various behavior modification protocols. So it's hard to help without knowing what has been tried so far and what her diagnosis is. If you were starting from scratch, I would recommend a fine needle aspirate (FNA) of both masses to try to get an idea of what type of tumors she has (and determine if surgery is possible to remove them), as well as general bloodwork to make sure her organ are functioning ok and there's no indication of endocrine disease, and skin cytology and skin scrap to look for yeast, bacteria, or parasites. If you're not having luck with your vet after several follow up visits, it's reasonable to seek a second opinion.