My dog has bald spots, rash, and itches. Is it flea or food allergies?

Question

My dog has two bald spots on her back legs (in the exact same spot on each leg) with a very light orange, VERY slightly rough rash. It's very small, barely there if you aren't looking. She's had fleas for a while (on and off still working to get rid of them) as well as recently having a bad food reaction. What is the possible cause of this? She does chew on her legs a lot, I have a shampoo from The vet for her sensitive skin. She seems to be itching a lot as well. Any ideas? Pet's info: Dog | Miniature Poodle | Female | spayed | 5 years and 5 months old | 12.5 lbs

Ricardo Fernandez, DVM · Accepted Answer

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing her 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!

My dog has bald spots, rash, and itches. Is it flea or food allergies?

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