Why won't my dog's head scabs heal when he keeps scratching?

Question

I’m wondering what is going on with my dogs head. He has these scabs on the top of his head that are not healing. They’ve been there maybe 2 weeks. He scratches them so I think that’s a big reason why they aren’t healing. Im worried it could be skin cancer?? They don’t seem to hurt him... and he is outside when we’re at work [in shade]. He’s always getting into things. His appetite hasn’t changed and he still drinks a ton of water and goes to the restroom normally. Pet's info: Dog | American Pit Bull Terrier | Male | neutered | 80 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 his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. What you can do in the meantime is use an e-collar to prevent further self-injury. 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 won't my dog's head scabs heal when he keeps scratching?

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