My dog has itchy skin, bald spots, and black patches. What's wrong?

Question

My dog has been itching for weeks and now has developed patches of baldness on her chest and head. I have tried to bathe her once with curaseb. Now she is rubbing all over the carpet. I feed her grain free food. Her ears seem to be bothering her. The bald areas do seem to have like black mold. Pet's info: Dog | Chihuahua | Female | spayed | 4 years and 5 months old | 6 lbs

Kevin Sanada, DVM · Accepted Answer

Itchy skin is often due to the following things: 1) Allergies - this can happen suddenly and is usually due to an environmental (i.e pollen) cause. 2) External parasites - fleas, lice and mites can all cause intense itching. It's good to check him for fleas and get treatment if needed. Otherwise a veterinarian will need to check for mites (mange) and prescribe treatment. 3) Over-bathing, or using the wrong product for bathing - Bathing too often can cause the skin to get dry and irritated. Dogs should normally be bathed no more than once a month with a shampoo that is labeled for dogs. If you bathe more than that, or use a shampoo or soap that is meant for people, then you could be damaging the normal protective barrier of the skin. One thing you can do for now to relieve itchy skin, is give a bath with cool water using an oatmeal or aloe shampoo. You can get these shampoos at the pet store. I hope this helps you to identify the problem. I think it will be worthwhile to take her to the vet, because the itching seems quite bad. We can usually discover the cause quickly and provide the most effective treatment to relieve it.

My dog has itchy skin, bald spots, and black patches. What's wrong?

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