Why is my dog licking, losing hair, vomiting, and not eating?

Question

My 3yr old Pitbull has rough patches of skin around his ears and head. Red bumps around his neck, between his shoulders, and tail. The hair is thinning in these areas as well. He has been chewing and licking himself in many areas, not just his paws. He vomited this morning and it looked a bright yellow color. He hasn't eaten or drank much in the past 15 hours. I'm noy sure what I can do to make him better. Any advice would help. Pet's info: Dog | American Pit Bull Terrier | Male | unneutered | 3 years old | 100 lbs

Ricardo Fernandez, DVM · Accepted Answer

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The vomiting and inappetence could be due to gastroenteritis, dietary indiscretion, pancreatitis, among other possibilities. The skin issues are possibly due to allergies. This warrants evaluation by a veterinarian. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his 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!

Why is my dog licking, losing hair, vomiting, and not eating?

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