My puppy has a skin rash and boils. What should I do to treat it?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Small (up to 22lb) | Female | unspayed | 10 lbs
Hi. We recently rescued this puppy from a local subway. She had alot of injuries and skin issues when we rescued her. We got her vaccinated and dewormed and also got her injuries treated. She was doing fine until a few days ago when we saw a rash on the inside of her leg. She also has huge boils on her stomach. What do we do?
3 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on December 6th, 2017
Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Boondi. This is a bacterial infection caused by a staphylococcus organism which is a normal skin resident. This is very common in puppies due to an immature immune system, nutritional/intestinal parasite problems, and environmental causes. I would advise taking the puppy to your veterinarian for an examination. Your vet can advise you on treating this condition and also on providing the best preventive health care (vaccines, deworming, etc). If you cannot get to a veterinarian, I would advise a benzoyl peroxide medicated shampoo. Lather her up well with the shampoo and leave the lather on for 10 minutes so it can work. Rinse very well. Repeat this 2-3 times weekly until improvement occurs then decrease to once weekly until gone. She might need antibiotics to help clear this up. Good luck
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on August 9th, 2018
Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! It sounds like you are describing perfectly a bacterial skin infection. If it is all over his body he should see a Vet for oral antibiotics. You can try a medicated shampoo by bathing him twice weekly and leaving the later on for 10 minutes before rinsing. At 8 weeks he should be seeing a Vet now for vaccinations, deworming and starting heart worm and flea/tick prevention. I wish you the best! https://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=27975
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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Published on January 6th, 2019
Hi there! I'm so sorry to hear about Maggie's skin troubles. The rash looks pretty severe in my opinion. I would definitely take her in and have her evaluated by a veterinarian. Although it definitely could've been triggered by an allergic reaction, my concern is the red spots and raw areas. Maggie may need some oral antibiotics and medicated shampoos to help her along. Some things that can cause infections in puppy skin are staphylococcus and streptococcus bacteria, mites or other parasites on the skin, or even fungus. The streptococcus bacteria can cause something called, "puppy strangles" that can definitely be a serious infection in puppies. The veterinarian, as I mentioned, can prescribe some medicated shampoos and oral medications to help to keep the infection at bay. In the meantime, I see no harm in a soothing oatmeal bath, as long as it's made for puppies 4 weeks and older. I hope you find this answer helpful! Best of luck!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Sir, can I take this puppy,
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