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My dog has a sudden allergic skin reaction. Is it an emergency?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Large (61lb +) | Male | neutered | 1 year and 3 months old | 80 lbs

This just popped up on my dog (pit) in what seemed like a couple hours while I was gone for about 3.5 hrs. He was put away in his kennel with a cotton comforter and given a Nudges chicken and bacon treat. A week ago he was given a steroid shot a week ago for yeast infection of the ears. Is this a worse allergic reaction? Does he need an emergency room? His energy and behavior seem fine.

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1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Daniel Fonza, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on November 28th, 2017

Hi there and thank you for using Pet Coach to address your concern. From the pictures you have provided, it appears that Kronk has some sort of allergic reaction on the top of his head and he has caused a bit of trauma scratching or rubbing it. I would recommend that you have a veterinarian take a look at Kronk but this can probably be done as a regular appointment and not an emergency exam. If his face begins to swell and he becomes lethargic then I would recommend he be seen by an emergency veterinarian. There are many new options for treating allergies that your veterinarian can prescribe for Kronk such as Apoquel or Cytopoint. I would recommend the below products for treatment of allergies. These can all be found online quite easily. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns. 1. Welactin omega 3 fish oil 2. Essential 6 spot on by Dermoscent 3. Duoxo PS Chlorhexidine combination shampoo and bathe twice weekly until resolved. 4. Malacetic conditioning spray and apply to the affected areas twice daily until resolved

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