My dog is scratching non-stop with sores and scabs. What's the cause?

Question

My dog keeps scratching and has sore/scab areas at the ears, side and back at tail. It is almost non stop now. I changed his food per breeder said she had her dogs checked and it was chicken and told me what food to get. I do not think it’s food, it’s either in the home or maybe the yard. Or, is it possible a dog gets this from anything? I had him groomed by getting his haircut very short hoping it would help it did not. I’m not able to take him to the vet I am broke at this time. Any ideas? Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Large (61lb +) | Male | neutered | 4 years and 6 months old | 115 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. 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!

My dog is scratching non-stop with sores and scabs. What's the cause?

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