What causes painful scabs and hair loss on my dog's back and tail?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Dog | Dogue de Bordeaux | Male | neutered | 110 lbs
Hi we have a dogue de Bordeaux who has a couple of scabs on his spine and near his tail They seem to be painful to touch and seem to have come out of nowhere, his hair seems to fall out this time of year, I don’t know if this is anything to do with it Do you have any ideas of what his could be?
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on January 8th, 2018
Hello there. So sorry that Beau is having this issue. It is really difficult to give advice without seeing a photo of what you are referring to. Can you please re-post with all the same information but add a few photos? All I can say without seeing it is that usually scabs mean trauma/injury to the skin. Is he scratching/biting that area? Have you checked him for fleas? Right at the base of the tail is where fleas like to congregate and cause irritation. Please post again with some photos if you can. Thank you.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
-
Published on March 5th, 2017
That is likely to be due to a bacterial infection. A check up, proper cleaning (with hibiscrub or betadine solutions) and a local (ointment) antibiotic would be needed. It would be best to have a buster collar to avoid him licking the part. Often those ointments have anti-inflammatory meds inside as well.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Health & Wellbeing
My dog has red would say small red scabed spots on her back near her tail, she gets treat for worms and fleas regularly I have checked for fleas and can see no signs of any. She is long haired and aftwr reading stuff on the internet I'm still at a lo
This is probably due to an allergy, although it could also be infection or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment (advocate or advantage), then ask the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try to discover the cause of the allergy. Three main type of allergies are usually affecting pets: food allergies, flea and parasite related ones and environmental type (allergens coming from trees, pollens, dust etc etc). Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair any possible skin lesions (like steroids and antibiotics). Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My English Mastiff has some flacky scaps on head, losing hair around scapy area. Should I be concerned?
Thanks for using Boop by Petco! This is possibly due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. This of course could be something else like ringworm or mange, among other possibilities and an exam and diagnostics would be needed to determine that. 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
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My 8 week old puppy has scabs on both eats and is missing fur on his tail. He has had a skin scraping and it came back negative for parasites. What could the possible issue be? They placed him on an antibiotic. She said the skin was infected.
I am sorry to hear about your puppy! Based on the photo you have shown here it looks like your pup could be suffering from ear margin dermatosis. If your vet is certain that parasites aren't the cause, then I would also ask them if they feel testing for ringworm should be done, particularly if there are other patches of hairless skin. We can see bacterial infection cause areas of hair loss like this as well. Sometimes treatment with topical shampoos is adequate, other times oral medications are required. You can read more about this condition at http://www.merckvetmanual.com/eye-and-ear/diseases-of-the-pinna/ear-margin-seborrhea
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My dog has three round sores one on each side of her neck and one on the underside of her tail. (All three pictured) They are causing her pain. They are red sore and she will not stop itching them. She is whining and panting. They keep her from sleep
Hello. I’m sorry but it does not appear that any photos were successfully attached to your post. Please try to post and upload the photos again. It would be helpful to see them. These may be hotspots or some other type of infected skin lesion.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Hello, our friends has fleas so my boyfriend bought what they used on their dogs just as a precautionary I did not find any fleas on both my dogs. They have had them on for two days I took them off today because I noticed my dogs are weird scabs and
It is hard to say what is causing Bacardi's problems. The third picture you included looks like pus, which would indicate infection and would need antibiotics to treat. Some dogs can be allergic to fleas, and it may only take 1 bite to make them itchy all over. If you are seeing scabs from where you applied a flea medication or flea collar, it may be irritating the skin so I would recommend removing it and bathing with dog shampoo thoroughly. Causes of itching in dogs include fleas or flea allergies, mites, or skin infection. The hair in the second picture looks like normal shedding to me, but if you feel it is weird for Bacardi, it could be caused by inflammation or from the extra itching she is doing right now. You can try a shampoo like Dechra MalAcetic Ultra Shampoo, but if it doesn't respond in a day or two, Bacardi should be seen by a vet as she may need oral medications to control the itching.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
New Pet
My new puppy a pom age 4 months has a bald spot above his tail with no irratations?
Hi, thanks for using Boop by Petco! Possible causes for hair loss on the tail are: fleas, demodex mites, ring worm or a bacterial skin infection. I would have him on Nexgard to cover for fleas and demodex. You can try a medicated shampoo, bathe 2 times per week and leave the lather on the area for 10 mins before rinsing. If there is no regrowth or improvement in 2 weeks I would have your Vet examine the area. There is a scent gland on the tail and hair loss can occur at that location but I usually see that in older dogs. Also you can always post a picture here. Good luck! https://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=27307
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
I've noticed my German Shepherd, Captain playing and barking at the other side of the fence. He took a glance and there was a dog on the other side. I knew the neighbors had a pet, but I never checked it out until a few weeks ago. It seemed to have s
Poor doggy. It could be flea infestation, flea allergic dermatitis, mange, fungal disease, alopecia due to metabolic and system disease. Really hard to tell by the picture but definitely need a vet check up. Please post again on the forum if you would like to discuss it further. I hope my answer was helpful.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Recently noticed unusual patches in my boys coat. It is sometimes painful to him when brushed. It only seems to be on his back and hind. When the hair is moved against its growth pattern their are bald patches and the flakes as shown. He is an inside
Hi, and thanks for your question. This could be due to an allergy, although it could also be infection or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to ask the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try to discover the cause of the allergy. Three main type of allergies are usually affecting pets: food allergies, flea and parasite related ones and environmental type (allergens coming from trees, pollens, dust etc etc). Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair any possible skin lesions (like steroids and antibiotics). The following products can be found online and can be tried as a first line approach: Douxo PS Calm shampoo, Essential 6 spot on by dermoscent, Krillex Krill oil chews. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Our dog has scabs all down his back that are very painful. It itches so bad that he scratches till it bleeds. His skin is very tender and pink. He is a long haired dog. Can you help us?
Thank you for your question. Patches must be pretty uncomfortable. There are several possible reasons for this type of itchiness. The first thing I recommend is make sure he has been treated for fleas. Even one little flea can trigger massive itching in a dog that is sensitive to them. Other things that can cause this type of itching are food allergies, environmental allergies, mites, and bacterial skin infections. When the skin becomes this damaged, a trip to your veterinarian is necessary. We often have to prescribe antibiotics to control local bacterial infections that can result from all the scratching. We also need to get the itching under control. Sometimes this means steroids, and sometimes we prescribe a medication specifically to control itching. A t-shirt can be used to protect the skin from further scratching while it heals. There are some over the counter anti-itch sprays you can try, but many times they are not strong enough. I hope this helps, and Patches is feeling bett
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Leizel has scabs from the outer hock of her left hind up into her left flank. There has been no apparent trauma to cause these; no biting/scratching either. Scabs near hock are small and close together. Two large scabs on upper left flank, a fair di
Based on what you are describing, I would recommend starting with some preliminary diagnostics of the affected area just to rule out a couple of things. A skin scraping will be able to mostly eliminate some fairly common dermatologic parasites like mites, though these typically do cause a fair amount of itchiness. The locations you are describing are not typical for a flea infestation so it is not very high on my list of possibilities. Based on the second and third picures, it looks like the hair is coming out very easily and that the skin beneath in the third picture is quote dry / seborrheic. It is possible that Leizel could be experiencing some localized allergic reaction as well. Lastly, a cause of the issues you are seeing can be attributed to certain immune-mediated disease that affect the skin. These are usually only positively diagnosed through biopsies of the affected regions.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Have A Vet Question?
Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.
