My dog has tender, crusted skin sores with hair loss. What can I do?

Question

MAtter pending two woks in dog friendly hotel (on vaca)My 10yr old Westie has round sores that are crusted over but seem to have hair like coming out of them on her sides, back, tail, & now the corners and lumps above her eyes. Also on her hind end & rectum. Not an all over rash they are spotted sores and seem to be very tender to her. I really want to find her relief. I've never seen this before. Pet's info: Dog | West Highland White Terrier | Female | spayed | 10 lbs

Ricardo Fernandez, DVM · Accepted Answer

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If this is associated with itchiness, this may be due to skin allergies. There are medications such as Apoquel and prednisone which may help to decrease the itch. 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 tender, crusted skin sores with hair loss. What can I do?

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