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Why is my dog scratching, red, and losing hair? What can I do?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered | 5 years and 11 months old | 120 lbs

I have a yellow lab he is eating Purina lamb an rice dog food.. he has been scratching at ears paws an belly till he is all super red an has no hair on places he scratches.. what could be the cause an what can i do

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Rodrigo Roca, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on October 7th, 2017

Hello, sorry to hear about Marley. It sounds like he is having an episode of allergic skin disease. Skin allergies in dogs may be cause by 3 common problems. 1. Flea allergy dermatitis - Allergy to the flea saliva which is caused when a flea bites a dog wether it has flea protection or not. A single flea bite can be enough to induce an allergic response 2. Environmental allergies - Allergy to the environment includes things such as dust mites, pollen, human dander, cat dander, grasses, and detergents. These are typically contact allergies, meaning an allergic response is caused when your pet comes into contact with an environmental allergen. 3. Food Allergies: Allergies to a protein in the food. Most commonly chicken and beef are proteins that dogs can be allergic to. Diagnostics include ensuring your pet is protects against fleas on a monthly basis and treating your environment for fleas monthly as well. The next step is to try food trials with novel protein foods or hypoallergenic food. Finally, doing an allergy test to check for environmental allergies. Treatment includes administering allergy medications, calming shampoos, and treating secondary bacterial or yeast infections as needed. Consult with your veterinarian about examining and testing Marley for allergies. Hope this helps and best of luck.

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    Answered By Dr. Leigh, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    It sounds like he could have allergies and might also have an ear infection and a skin infection. You could bathe him with a medicated shampoo, like Epi-Soothe and clean his ears with an ear flush and see if that helps. Otherwise, he should be examined by a vet for treatment. He might need an antibiotic, anti-histamine, and/or a corticosteroid to help.

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