My dog has scabs on his chest and under his front legs and lower area. can this be an allergic reaction? Pet's info: Dog | Great Pyrenees | Male | neutered | 5 months and 1 day old

This is probably due to a severe allergy, although it could also be fleas or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat Dagwood with a high quality flea treatment (e.g. bravecto or advantage), then get him to 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 discovering the cause of the allergy. Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair the skin lesions (steroids and antibiotics). simultaneously you should start him on a prescription hypoallergenic diet for at least 2 months. Hopefully you will see some results after all this, if not you and your vet should consider putting him on a long term allergy treatment (Atopica or Apoquel).

This is probably due to a severe allergy, although it could also be fleas or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat Milk with a high quality flea treatment (e.g. advocate or advantage), then get her to 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 discovering the cause of the allergy. Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair the skin lesions (steroids and antibiotics). simultaneously you should start her on a prescription hypoallergenic diet for at least 2 months. Hopefully you will see some results after all this, if not you and your vet should consider putting her on a long term allergy treatment (Atopica or Apoquel).

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. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

My dog has scabs on his chest and legs. What could be the cause?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Great Pyrenees | Male | neutered | 5 months and 1 day old

My dog has scabs on his chest and under his front legs and lower area. can this be an allergic reaction?

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4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Jenna Beyer, DVM, MBA, cVMA 181

Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

Published on September 14th, 2017

It is possible that these lesions are caused by an allergic reaction, but it could also be caused by an infection, puppy pyoderma (small pustules that aren't caused by infection), mites, ringworm, among a few others. I would recommend that NaNook get checked out by a vet to determine the cause so that he can get appropriate treatment. The vet may recommend a medicated shampoo like Dechra MalAcetic Ultra which can help with simple bacterial or yeast infections.