My 6-year-old dog has spring allergies and a rash. Should I spay her?

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to see that Skye is having some problems. A skin rash can be caused by many things including a bacterial skin infection secondary to fleas, ticks, mites, allergies, contact irritants in her environment, drug reactions, reactions to flea/tick products, skin reactions to intestinal worms, nutritional problems etc. I see she is not spayed but don't have an age. The swelling near her vagina/vulva looks like the beginning stages of her heat cycle. Swelling occurs first then they will develop the bloody discharge of the heat cycle. I would advise a good Oatmeal shampoo without detergents/soap and a good Oatmeal conditioner for her, a good flea/tick product, and a good diet. If the rash continues or she becomes very itchy, I would advise taking her to your veterinarian and let them evaluate her and possibly recommend some tests to diagnose what the problem is. There are skin tests that can be performed if mites or fungal organisms are suspected. Once a diagnosis is made, they can advise a sound treatment plan. Monitor her for signs of heat- swelling, bloody discharge, decreased appetite, wanting to roam, odd behavior, etc. You can talk to your veterinarian about spaying her also. Good luck with Skye.

The rash is quite extensive, i suspect it might be related to the spay surgical site that has been bothering her, you will need to take her to the vet in order to get some meds to treat this rash, she will probably need a course of antibiotics as well. the surgical incision looks fine by the way so i wouldn't worry about it.

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!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing her allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. She may have mastitis which could explain the discharge from her nipples. That is something your veterinarian can evaluate. 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!

This is probably due to a severe allergy, although it could also be fleas or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat Molly with a high quality flea treatment (e.g. Trifexis or Advantage), then get her to 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 discovering the cause of the allergy. Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair the skin lesions (steroids and antibiotics). simultaneously you should start her on a prescription hypoallergenic diet for at least 2 months. Hopefully you will see some results after all this, if not you and your vet should consider putting her on a long term allergy treatment (Atopica or Apoquel).

It sounds as if your dog has a skin infection, most commonly caused by an allergy, a skin mite (Demodex) or fleas. 

The allergy could be a due to a protein in your dog’s food or an environmental allergy like to dust, pollens, grasses, etc. 

The allergy causes your dog to itch and chew at the skin which breaks down the skin barrier. This then leads to infection. Skin infections are typically characterized by large areas of hair loss, redness, crusting, flaking, and pustules. A thorough skin examination by your veterinarian should be able to determine the cause of the itch so it can be treated appropriately. Your dog will most likely need antibiotics to help clear up the infection and possibly an allergy/anti-itch medication like Apoquel, Atopica, or Cytopoint to give some relief while the infection clears up. A medicated shampoo may be beneficial as well. I would also recommend he be on a good flea control routinely too. Once the infection has resolved a long term allergy medication (like Apoquel or Cytopoint) can be given on a regular basis to prevent any future problems. I would avoid putting anything on the skin until the infection is under control. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

It could be an allergy or an infection. Hard to say without an exam and some testing. You can try using this medicated spray on the affected area . If after a week or so of treating her the skin doesn't look much better then she should see a vet. You would use one spray every day to every other day until the lesions have resolved. ( https://www.allivet.com/p-6677-douxo-chlorhexidine-micro-emulsion-spray-for-dogs-and-cats-68-oz.aspx?SearchTerm=duoxo+Auto )