My dog has hair loss on back with redness and pus. Emergency vet?

Question

My dog is experiencing hair loss on his lower back, accompanied with redness and puss drainage. I am concerned and wonder if I need to take him to an emergency vet. What could this be? I have not noticed him licking more than usual but I also am at work a lot so I cannot keep a close eye on him. Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Male | neutered | 3 years and 9 months old | 55 lbs

David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS · Accepted Answer

This is probably due to a severe allergy, although it could also be fleas or mites. it is not an emergency and you can wait to take him to your regular vet tomorrow. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat him with a high quality flea treatment (e.g. 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).

My dog has hair loss on back with redness and pus. Emergency vet?

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