Why is my dog scratching, smelling, and having skin and eye issues?

Question

My dog is shedding this sticky hard to remove black substance which I do not know is skin or not. He also has this really bad smell which is has a similar smell to something rotting. Hes always scratching and sometimes his eyes get this green gooey substance in them. When the weather is bad, his skin cracks and bleeds. Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Small (up to 22lb) | Male | neutered | 20 lbs

Ricardo Fernandez, DVM · Accepted Answer

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. It sounds like this possible infection may be significant though it is hard to tell without an examination. 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 is my dog scratching, smelling, and having skin and eye issues?

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