My dog has severe fleas, hair loss, scratching, and a lump. Help!
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Large (61lb +) | Female | spayed | 2 years and 1 month old | 70 lbs
Hey, coco has fleas really bad and I’ve tried just about everything under the sun to fix it. She’s lost her hair on her ears legs and back, and she won’t stop scratching or biting. Now she has a big hard lump on her back where she chews at and it sometimes while she walks she shakes her back legs. How do I get her hair back fast and what about the lump?
4 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on August 3rd, 2018
Hello and thank you very much for your question. Fleas can be so frustrating and I sympathize with what you were going through. What has to happen for your dog to heal and for the lump to possibly go down, Is for the itch cycle and the inflammation to be stopped. A visit to the local veterinarian is a must in this situation because they will have strong prescription strength flea preventative as well as steroids that can be given to your dog to stop the fleas and therefore the dermatitis that’s associated with their biting. I urge you not to use any further over-the-counter flea preventative or skin medications without the approval from your veterinarian. This will only delay the healing and may exacerbate the problem. The lump should go down with time as long as the fleas are killed and the inflammation of the skin is controlled. But, if the lamp does not go away within the next two months, you may want to have your veterinarian take a biopsy of it just to see if it is indeed even related to the fleas. Does that make sense? I appreciate you reaching out to our service. I hope I’ve helped you today.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on October 16th, 2017
Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Patchez! Flea allergy can be so stressful to deal with. The main thing is getting rid of fleas effectively as that is the inciting cause driving the itchiness resulting in scratching and self-traumatic lesions like that. If she is already on a flea preventative, then you could consider switching to a different product. There are many great product in the market such as Frontline and Bravecto, among others. Also, it is important to vacuum the house and all things that have contact with Patchez. Try this for 1-3 months and if does not make a difference, she may have another type of allergy such as a food allergy or environmental allergy. Good luck and thanks for letting us take care of you today!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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Published on September 25th, 2018
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, 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). Hope this answer was helpful, but 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.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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Published on June 5th, 2017
She could have a bacterial skin infection associated with the flea allergy dermatitis. Since it is not responding to the treatments that you have tried, she should be examined by a vet for treatment. She may need a corticosteroid, antibiotic, and an anti-histamine to treat. Your vet can also recommend an effective flea control regime to help prevent fleas. The best thing is to use a monthly flea prevention, like NexGard, Frontline, Advantage to help control the fleas.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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