My dog is licking her painful, crusty chest rash. What to do?

Related Answers from Veterinarians

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  Answered By Destini R. Holloway, DVM

  Veterinarian

  Published on June 27th, 2018

  Thank you. Much better photo's. : ) This looks bacterial in nature, due to the lack of hair loss in these areas and the yellow crusting and redness of the skin. Some pets get random skin infections due to a challenge to their immune system, and I suspect this may be the case here. A short course of antibiotics should be tried first before suspected a true skin allergy here, unless of course she is also itchy all over and licking her paws. A topical spray antibiotic can also be used (hot spot sprays over the counter can help), but an oral antibiotic should be used here. If she has a resistant bug that isn't responding to the first antibiotic your vet chooses, you should consider getting her skin cultured to find out what antibiotic will work for this. Best of luck with your pet Bella moving forward and I hope that her skin resolves soon. Take care!

  

  1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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  Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

  Veterinarian

  Published on August 17th, 2018

  Poor little Bella! It looks like she could have a rash, and it could be caused by allergies or a skin infection. I definitely think she should see the vet tomorrow. Try giving her an oatmeal bath tonight to see if that helps her, and put an Ecollar on her to keep her from licking it. I will put a link below on how to make one at home. I hope this helps! http://dogsaholic.com/care/homemade-dog-cone.html

  

  1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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  Answered By Lauren Jones VMD

  Veterinarian

  Published on August 14th, 2017

  Oh dear, poor Bella! These skin lesions could be a sign of a bacterial skin infection (most commonly from underlying allergies and still possible even though pus is not seen), viral papillomas, benign or malignant masses, among other issues. Until you can get to the vet, keep an e-collar (cone) on Bella unless you are directly watching her because licking and scratching will only exacerbate these lesions. You can also try bathing her in a medicated shampoo (here is one example: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=27980 ) to try to decrease her itching. Since she also has lesions on her lips, be sure that she is eating out of stainless steel bowls rather than plastic or ceramic since it is less porous and less likely to harbor bacteria that could contribute to acne around the lips. Also be sure that she is receiving a high quality flea preventative, such as Nexgard, Bravecto, or K9 Advantix II regularly to assure that a flea issue is not contributing to these lesions. I hope this helps and that Bella feels better soon!

  

  1Pet Parents found this answer helpful