Does anyone know anything about dogs with skin problems?

Question

My dog is a 10 year old Chow / Rottweiler mix and recently he has started to get black looking, scabby patches under his fur, and when you pet him or brush him, small clumps of hair with skin attached fall out, does anyone know what might cause this, or how to fix it? He also seems to have some new black patches around his nose. Please help.

My dog does have a flea allergy, he has to get frontline and coritisone injections each year, but usually the only reaction he has from the fleas is he digs a hole in his hip, thats usually how we know it's time to get him started on the meds. And I know we should take him to the vet, and we will, but the last time we took him in for a very substantail weight loss, the doc pretty much seemed to brush it off as him getting older and said to limit his protein, and now, not much later this is happening, don't know if I might need to find a new vet. It's common sense he needs to see a vet, was just hoping someone on here might have some answers or ideas for us.

Answer 1

First of all the weight problem is because of the fleas. The blood loss from the fleas biting your dog make him anemic and he doesn't get necessary vitamins or iron and therefore looses weight. Get him on a good healthy diet...Eukanuba or Iams dry dog foods are some good suggestions. Buy the one that is specific to the age of your dog. You might also get some liquid doggie vitamins to supplement his diet (sprinkled on his food).

The hair loss could be from the fleas but the black spots and hair loss could be sarcoptic mange...if the hair is loosening in clumps. This is a dog "scabies" and it is contagious to humans. You will need to have the dog dipped in an insecticide if this is the case. Just go to the vet and have him do a skin scraping to test for mites/scabies (aka; sarcoptic mange). If it is positive you will need to sterilize everything (dog bedding etc..) in hot water and bleach the hard surfaces.

Before you go crazy sterilizing everything...have the vet do the tests, then let me know how it comes out.

Answer 2

something like this just happen to our pit bull pup she is only 5 months old we had to take her to the vet because we tried to treat it at home but it just got worse any way all her hair fell out and her skin was really red we took her in and the vet said she was bitten by a flea the she is allergic to we had to get antibiotics it has only been a week or two but her hair is already growing back and all the redness is gone no more cleaning up hair either. So I would say the best thing to do is take the dog in to be seen. I don't know where you live but here we have a low cost animal clinic we only had to $35.00 for the visit and the meds. were $37.00 that isn't bad. alot of places wanted $50-$75 just to look at her. well good luck by the way you can also search the web try typing in info on sick dogs losing hair.

Answer 3

I have a 6 week old boxer puppy. We took her to the vet today for shots. We have the same problem with her. He said it was a fungus. He put her on a Chlorahexiderm shampoo to use once or twice. He also gave us some Chlorahexiderm spray in a bottle & told us to use a cotton ball & apply it at least once a day. When we see these dry patches, remove the fur on it & apply this medicine. He said it should clear up in a couple of weeks. I asked the lady behind the counter if the shampoo he gave us would be enough for one treatment or more than one. She said we should bathe her with it tonight & maybe do it again in 2 weeks.

This sounds exactly like what Nikita has. The vet also told us to be careful @ her & always wash our hands. It is contagious.

Please take him to the vet & ask him about it. Don't take any chances.

Good Luck

Answer 4

Now don't poison your dog like Gianna does... don't use Murphy's oil soap.. that is a house cleaner.. don't be silly Any shampoo with a oatmeal base. There are products on the market that will help with dry skin. Also is she has dry skin, she might not have enough oil in her food . An easy fix without spending tons of money and changing food is.. for her size add 1-2 teaspoons of corn oil onto her food at each meal. This will add oil to her diet and help her skin and hair coat. Also watch, carpet deodorizers and plug in air fresheners They are the lead cause to dog allergies .

Answer 5

I have a shepherd-chow mix, 10 years old, who has had flea allergy all her life. The skin on her belly and under her arms is black and scaly, like an alligator. She gets medicated baths, I keep her fur trimmed pretty short, and she is on cortisone 3 times a week, and benadryl daily. This regime controls it pretty well. I would find another vet, with a reccommendation from someone you know and trust. There is a reason for her weight loss. If she's otherwise pretty healthy, there's no reason she shouldn't enjoy several more happy years. I wish you the best.

Answer 6

Pure breeds puppies have more of a tendency to be having skin problems and infections. Unfortunately this puppy skin disorders are are not easy to get rid of. These types of problems are things that only a veterinarian can take care of and treat adequately. There are also many different types of allergies that itch very intensely causing the puppy or dog to bite at his skin or coat and this can cause the dog to bite into his own skin causing nasty infections and scabs.

Answer 7

A vet will have to do a skin scraping or take a biopsy to diagnose your dogs condition. It may be as simple as dry skin or not so simple as melanoma, demodex, scabies, sunburn, flea allergy dermatitis, other allergies, autoimmune disease etc...
Is the dog itchy? Best advise, get the dog to a vet and have it checked out.
Hope all goes well.

Answer 8

This sounds like mange. We rescued a stray dog that had it bad. (Still have her -- her name is Gypsy.) Mange is caused by little microscopic insects that suck the dog's blood and itch terribly. You need to see a vet for this, because home remedies don't really work and your dog will continue to be in misery. My vet gave us a systemic medication that we put into the dog's food once daily for a month. This works from the inside out to kill the mange mites through the dog's blood. Her hair grew back in fine.

Answer 9

Dogs are just like humans in a way. They can get all the same skin problems and more. And yes although it wouldn't be that obvious they can also get skin cancer.

Answer 10

It sounds most like an allergy. His kibble may need to be changed to an hypo-allergenic formula. Ask at your local pet supply as to which formula they carry. You want one with no corn or soy or wheat.
Rice is best, and chicken or lamb as the first ingredient. Solid Gold makes a very good one with Fish.
Give him a cool bath with an oatmeal shampoo, such as Aveeno, or a generic of same. Rinse it well. This will make him comfortable and help him heal.