My dog's skin is inflamed and losing hair from tick bites. What helps?

Question

I am thinking Kloe might have a skin allergy to ticks. She was bitten about 6 months ago in one spot and her hair never grew back in the bite spot. She was outside about 4 days ago and came back inside for a bath when I removed a small seed tick from the top of her head and now it is getting inflamed even worse than the last one. Is there anything that could help with this? Pet's info: Dog | Chihuahua | Female | spayed | 2 years and 8 months old | 7 lbs

Jessica Keay, DVM · Accepted Answer

Poor Kloe! I do worry in these cases about secondary skin infections as a result of the tick bites. I would recommend having your vet examine the area if it remains inflammed. In the meantime you can try washing with a chlorhexidine soap/shampoo such as Hibiclens (available at most drug stores) or Duoxo products (available online) and applying a topical antibiotic ointment to the area twice daily. It also might be wise if these ticks were attached for a long time (more than a few hours) to let your vet know as there are some tick borne diseases depending on your location that we may recommend testing for. I would also recommend getting her on a tick preventative such as a Seresto collar or Vectra 3D. Your vet may have another product they recommend. If they feel it is very inflammed they may also recommend a topical steroid such as hydrocortisone.

My dog's skin is inflamed and losing hair from tick bites. What helps?

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