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My dog has bumps, hair loss, and flaky skin. Is it allergies?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Pit Bull Terrier | Male | neutered | 5 years and 11 months old

Dog has bumps on the back. Some hair loss and flaky skin. Is it allergies ?

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

Published on September 15th, 2016

Allergies are a very common cause of hair loss and flaky skin with bumps - so yes, this is a strong possibility :) Other possible causes of these symptoms would include fleas, a bacterial or fungal skin infection, or skin mites (mange). In dogs, effective treatment for allergies or any other skin condition like this normally requires prescription medication, so I would recommend having him examined by a vet when you're able to - he/she can do a simple test called a skin scrape if needed to help diagnose the problem and get him started on appropriate medication to treat it.

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19Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Other Answers

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    Answered By Dr. Massimo Orioles, DVM, Cert AVP, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on November 27th, 2018

    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. Please find the time to give us a feedback about the consultation as that will be used to improve our service.

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    10Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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    Answered By Angel Alvarado, LVT

    Licensed Veterinary Technician

    Published on August 22nd, 2018

    Flaky skin and hair loss are symptoms with multiple causes. Infection (bacterial, fungal or parasites), nutritional issues, endocrine disorders and allergies are all potential causes. An exam with your veterinarian may diagnose the underlying cause. Infections can be treated topically or orally, parasites can be treated with monthly preventative and blood work can assess endocrine and major organ function. Allergies can be frustrating to diagnose but can be managed once identified. Discuss allergy testing, hydrolyzed diets, food elimination trials and antihistamine use with your veterinarian.

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    6Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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    Answered By David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on August 21st, 2018

    Itchiness and pink bumps can be caused by various reasons such as fleas, mites ,fungal infection, bacterial infection and allergies. the first 4 needs to be ruled out before we start treating for allergies. in order to do that first de-flea Benji with a high quality flea treatment such as advantage spot on, if it doesn't help - take him to the vet in order to check for/treat the other possibilities. If everything is ruled out, then an allergy treatment can be started. Usually an hypoallergenic food is a good way to start together with anti histamines. if it doesn't help - the best solution is a medication called Apoquel which treats allergies with great success and without side effects.

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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