Why does my dog keep getting skin infections despite allergy meds?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Dog | Shih Tzu | Male | neutered | 20 lbs
Dog continues to get scabs that turn red when picked off. He also keeps having bacterial infections on his skin. He takes allergy meds everyday. No fleas. I take him to the vet and they will find bacteria and white blood cells. I bathe with sensitive soap...I also give him allergy sensitive food. why does he keep getting bacterial infections?
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on June 24th, 2017
Poor Aspen. He is obviously very sensitive to some type of allergen which that be grass, dust, tree, chicken/beef, fleas (even if you aren't seeing any), and more. i would recommend to talk to your vet about apoquel or a course of steroids. Both of these are great for allergies. Apoquel is preferred as it is safer long term. Also I would recommend a prescription hypoallergenic diet for a minimum of 12 weeks to see if it helps his skin. When you do a food trial you cannot give him any treats or human food. You also need to make sure his hesrtworm prevention is hypoallergenic. I hope this helps! Allergies can be frustrating but it is important to figure out how to manage them as they cannot be cured.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on February 19th, 2019
Poor Oscar. Allergies can be SO frustrating. If it improves at all on steroids then it sounds like he needs to be on long term allergy meds like apoquel or cytopoint. I would also put him on a prescription hypoallergic food trial for a minimum of 12 weeks. I like science diet z/d or Purina HA. This means ONLY this diet and the treats that go with the diet your chose for 12 weeks to see if it helps with the itching. If you give him heartworm prevention, you need to ensure the kind you give is hypoallergenic or you switch to the injectable heartworm prevention. I would also be sure he stays on a high quality flea preventative. Without seeing him, I cannot say for sure what other meds may help but I would talk to your vet if they feel like he has yeast on his skin. If so, a long term anti-fungal may be helpful like terbinafine. You can give it once a day for a month or two then give it every Monday and Tuesday long term to control the yeast for dogs with allergies. If all else fails, I would recommend to find a veterinary dermatologist in your area or seek out an alternative vet who specializes in acupuncture and herbs as they may be able to provide more specialized treatment that your regular vet. I hope this helps and he starts to feel better really soon! http://www.tcvm.com/Resources/FindaTCVMPractitioner.aspx
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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