Dog scratching belly, red sores, licking, and losing hair. What to do?

This is probably 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.

You will need to take your dog to a veterinarian for a skin exam. Your dog could be suffering from an allergy, mites, fleas, a bacterial or fungal infection. each of these requires a different treatment, so it is important to find out what is causing the itch. Your vet will do a thorough exam and maybe a a skin scrape. He will then discuss the options with you and then prescribe medications, possibly give an injection to stop the itching.

Hi, it looks like Buddy has inflammation of the skin, possibly secondary to an allergy . He might also have a secondary bacterial infection. It would be best to have him checked over so that he can have some medications to help his skin settle. Hope this helps and that Buddy gets better soon !

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Unfortunately, without pictures, it is very hard to guess. Some possibilities include: urine scald (basically an extreme diaper rash), skin infection, allergies/hot spots, tick/flea bites, insect bite hypersensitivity, and more. If it looks serious (painful, infected, or very itchy), he should see a vet right away to get on medication to control itching or infection. If it looks only mildly uncomfortable, try an E-collar to prevent licking. Keep him from lying in his urine/feces and keep him clean and dry as much as possible. If it is a urine scald, it should improve dramatically in a few days with just this. Best wishes to you and your new buddy Jackson!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Morris could have something like an insect bite or something more insidious leading to the itching. As there is no over-the-counter product available for dogs, there is not anything you can give him orally. Topical anti-itch sprays available for dogs often contain hydrocortisone; it will likely help with the itch, but it is likely to be only temporary relief and makes his skin susceptible to infection. As such, I do not recommend them. However, bathing him with a colloidal oatmeal shampoo in cool to tepid water may help sooth the itch, if only temporarily. If it does not help or his itching returns soon after the bath, I would recommend having him seen by a veterinarian to look a little closer at the issue. Hope this helps!

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 his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. 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!

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 his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. 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!