My senior chihuahua's scabies is worsening. Does she need a vet visit?

I would also suspect an autoimmune disease like systemic lupus erythematosis with what you are describing. These are terrible diseases that are often difficult to treat. It appears that Roxy's current treatment is not very effective, so I would recommend scheduling a recheck exam with your vet. There are stronger medications that can be given. I would also want to ensure the disease is accurately diagnosed. This usually requires that a skin biopsy be done and sent to the laboratory for analysis. If this has not been done, then I would ask your vet about it. It's not unheard of for a case to be treated for autoimmune disease when the actual diagnosis was something different (i.e. skin cancer, mite infestation), so it's important to have a biopsy and histopathology (lab analysis) done. For more information about the suspected condition and autoimmune diseases, I recommend you read the short articles at the links below. https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/systemic-lupus-erythematosis-sle-in-dogs https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/autoimmune-skin-disease-in-dogs I hope that helps and poor Roxy gets better soon.

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.

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

Hello, sorry to hear about Zoey. The mass on her back leg looks a little more than something brought on my fleas or allergies. That mass should be sampled by your veterinarian to ensure it is not an aggressive mass. The lesions on her neck, do seem like are most consistent with severe itchiness. Things such as allergies and skin parasites (fleas and mites) can cause this kind of itchiness. Mites are microscopic and you may not be able to see them. In terms of fleas, dogs can develop flea allergy dermatitis, an allergy against flea saliva, and you do not need to see fleas on Zoet for her to have this. Other allergies include environmental allergies and food allergies. Her cough could be associated with the allergies although in smaller dogs like Zoey, you also have to rule out heart disease or a tracheal collapse as the cause for her cough. I think Zoey should be evaluated by her veterinarian to rule out the possibility for flea allergy dermatitis or mites, rule out a maliganant back leg mass, and to check for a heart condition or collapsing trachea for her cough. Hope this helps!

There are a lot of things that could be causing this appearance to the skin, and it may not be easy or cheap to figure it out. I would recommend that you keep working with the vet. Baseline blood work, thyroid hormone, testing for Cushing's disease, skin biopsies, food trials, flea preventatives, etc may be needed.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Based on the pictures and your description, I suspect Mazie may have a bacterial skin infection. I would recommend having this looked at by a veterinarian so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. She may need to be placed on an oral antibiotic and topical medications to treat this. I hope this helps and that Mazie's skin improves! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Hi. At 5 to 6 years old, unless there is something that is decreasing the immune system, it is unlikely. This appears more like a skin infection, possibly related to underlying allergies or food sensitivity. He needs an exam