Why is my dog's itchy red belly skin not improving with prednisone?

Question

My sister's dog has itchy red skin on lower part of belly near privates. Been given prednisone, didn't work. Is there anything natural the she can give? Pet's info: Dog | Pit Bull Terrier | Male | neutered

Ricardo Fernandez, DVM · Accepted Answer

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! There is nothing natural that will consistently work for these types of skin condition. However, he may not require more treatment in the future if you are able to find out exactly what is affecting him and get that treated. This is most likely skin allergies in which case it is a matter to try to find out what he is allergic to and try to avoid that. There are other medications like Apoquel that your veterinarian could prescribe that help with the itch in the meantime. The first thing you should know is that you are not alone. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

Why is my dog's itchy red belly skin not improving with prednisone?

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