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Why is my dog lethargic with yellow skin sores and a fluid lump?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Akita | Male | unneutered | 3 years and 7 months old | 85 lbs

My Akita has what seems to be yellowish lesions below his neck above his chest. He also seems to have a lump that feels like it may be filled with fluid. He is acting very lethargic or sick.

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Kevin Sanada, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on September 17th, 2017

This appears to be a pustule, which indicates a skin infection. The skin appears rather red, which indicates that something must be irritating the skin. Often, a skin infection starts due to some sort of irritation. The common causes of skin irritation are allergies and external parasites (fleas, mites, lice). However, this does not explain him acting lethargic or sick. This would be my primary concern and could be due to many different things. I think it's best if you can take Akita to get examined by the vet sometime soon. The lethargy can indicate moderate to severe conditions, so it's best if you can take him within the next 24 hours to keep him from getting worse.

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    Answered By David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    This is probably caused by an allergic reaction. first of all make sure you de-flea Your Akita regularly every month with a high quality spot on (ex. Advantage) as fleas are by far the most common reason for these reactions. If the fleas are not the problem, it could be an allergic reaction to food or an environmental factor. this is more complicated to treat and will sometimes require medications such as Steroids, anti histamines or Apoquel in order to stop the allergy. the lethargy might not be related to the skin lesions and i would recommend having it checked by your vet ASAP.

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