Why does my dog have red pimples, dark hair, and shedding skin?

It looks 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 infection and itch so it can be treated appropriately. Because your puppy is so young I would be very concerned about Demodex as the primary problem. 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 (based on the type of infection your veterinarian can recommend the most appropriate one). I would also recommend that he be on a good flea control routinely too. The thyroid gland is located in the throat area but it is probably not what you were feeling. I suspect you may be feeling a large lymph node or just severely inflamed skin tissue judging by the severity of his infection. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.



It sounds like he could have a bacterial skin infection. You could bathe him with a medicated dog shampoo but he may also need an antibiotic. Have your vet take a look at him to determine the exact cause and prescribe medications to treat. He may need an antibiotic, anti-histamine, or corticosteroid to help.

The bald spots and pimples may indicate minor infection or may be a symptom of a broader underlying condition. Skin problems can have a variety of causes, sometimes more than one. It is important to have the condition addressed by your veterinarian to determine if there is a medical cause for your pet’s skin issues and treat accordingly. Young dogs can get skin infections, commonly referred to as 'puppy pyoderma'. This usually occurs on the belly and inside the hind legs. This type of infection usually resolves without treatment as the puppy gets older. [*Staph* infections](https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/staphylococcal-pyoderma-1/) are common in dogs of all ages and may requires antibiotic therapy to treat. In pets of all ages, [fleas](https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/flea-allergy/), [food allergies](https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/food-allergies/) and [environmental allergies](https://www.petcoach.co/article/food-allergies-vs-environmental-allergies-whats-the-difference) (contact or inhaled) can be a cause. Any one of these may not be enough to trigger the breakouts, depending on how sensitive your pet is, but a combination can be enough to start the itch-scratch cycle. Finding out the cause and eliminating it is the best course of action. With flea allergies, if your pet is sensitive enough, a single bite can cause them to break out scratch enough to tear their skin or cause a [hot spot](https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/hot-spots/). Diagnosing the cause of allergies may require [allergy testing](https://www.petcoach.co/article/allergy-testing-immunotherapy-in-dogs) and [food elimination trials](https://www.petcoach.co/article/food-trials-for-allergies-in-pets-what-to-expect). [Check for fleas](https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-to-check-your-pet-for-fleas-and-ticks) with a flea comb. Look for fleas and/or tiny black granules, like coarse black pepper. This is flea feces, consisting of digested, dried blood. You may find tiny white particles, like salt, which are the flea eggs. Applying a good topical monthly flea treatment and aggressively treating your house and yard will help break the flea life cycle. If you use plastic bowls, this is a possible cause for hair loss, though this tends to be on the chin, where their skin touches the bowl while they eat. If you suspect this to be the culprit, try changing the bowls to glass, metal or ceramic. Food allergies are often caused by sensitivity to a [protein in the food](https://www.petcoach.co/article/all-about-protein-in-pet-food). Hill's Science Diet offers some non-prescription options for sensitive skin as well as [prescription hypoallergenic foods](https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/category/dog/dog-food/prescription-dog-food-and-treats) for more severe cases. Royal Canin carries limited protein and [novel protein](https://www.petcoach.co/article/what-is-a-novel-protein-pet-food) diets that may also offer some relief. Your vet can recommend a specific diet that will help.

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 Bella with a high quality flea treatment (e.g. advocate 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).

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Bella. This looks like puppy pyoderma, which is a skin infection that can be common in puppies. This is because their skin is extra sensitive. I would take her the vet. The vet can confirm she does have puppy pyoderma, and can prescribe medication to treat it. I hope this helps!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Judging from the pictures and your description, I would suspect that this could be due to a superficial bacterial skin infection. I would recommend using a shampoo such as Duoxo PS + chlorhexidine combination shampoo, fish oil such as Welactin and essential 6 spot on by Dermoscent. If there is no improvement with the skin / hair coat worsens, I would recommend having a veterinarian take a look at Ruby so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Based on your description, it sounds as though Cherry Pie may have a skin infection. This infection may be from bacteria, fungus or both. I would recommend having her examined by a veterinarian so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. If you are unable to get her to the vet I would recommend using the below recommended products which can be found online quite easily. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. 1. Douxo PS Chlorhexidine combination shampoo and bathe twice weekly until resolved 2. Malacetic conditioning spray and apply to the affected areas twice daily until resolved 3. Essential 6 spot on by Dermoscent 4. Welactin omega 3 fish oil capsules for dogs.