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What causes red, scraped patches on my dog's neck and chest?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Small (up to 22lb) | Female | unspayed | 10 lbs

My dog has been getting these red patches on her neck/chest area. I don't see her scratch it but it looks scraped. She was eating blue buffalo wilderness small breed beef flavor and gradually switched to freedom blue buffalo small breed Chicken flavor. Also gave her capstar and used frontline to rid fleas what else could it be?

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5 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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

Veterinarian

Published on July 26th, 2017

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 (change product), 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). 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.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Dr. Strydom, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    It looks like abrasions from Luna scratching. I don't think it looks too severe. Glad you used Capstar and Frontline - that was a perfect thing to do! My recommendation now would be to give her a bath with a medicated shampoo like this one. Most Walmart's carry it. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Veterinary-Formula-Clinical-Care-Hot-Spot-and-Itch-Relief-Medicated-Shampoo-for-Dogs-and-Cats-16-fl-oz/24885757 Use as directed on the label 2-3 times this week. If no improvement then I recommend you get Luna to your vet for an exam. I hope this helps. Best wishes!

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    Answered By Dr. Leigh, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on June 5th, 2017

    It looks like she has a pustule in the one picture so she could have a bacterial skin infection, possibly secondary to allergies. You could try an antibacterial dog shampoo and see if that helps. Otherwise, she may need an oral antibiotic, anti-histamine, and/or a corticosteroid to help treat the problem. You could also try Free From Snip Tips to help keep her skin and coat healthy. You could also try a hypoallergenic diet and see if that helps, too.

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    Answered By David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on May 23rd, 2017

    Scratching and itchiness 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 her with a high quality flea treatment such as advantage spot on, if it doesn't help - take her 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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    Answered By C. Rathjens, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on April 2nd, 2018

    I can see a few crusts and scabs in the last picture. That, in combination with your description of how itchy she is, makes me think she may have a superficial skin infection of either bacteria or yeast. This is VERY common in dogs and is often related to having allergies. Dogs get skin issues when they have allergies to food, the environment, or fleas. I would recommend scheduling a vet appointment for as soon as possible, but don't feel like you need to go to the emergency clinic if they aren't available until tomorrow. I hope this helps and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

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