My dog's itchy, smelly coat and hair loss: What are the causes?

Question

Good morning! My dog's back itches and the coat has smell, very smell. She usually scratches so some parts on the body lost hair and have a space there. I took her to the Vet but he said that he couldn't vaccinate for her until 10 days from the time we picked up her home. He also told me to take a bath for her by soap to treat itching for dog and feminine cleaning solution. I have done like that but she still has smell and itches. Can you tell me some advices for my dog's case? Pet's info: Dog | Pembroke Welsh Corgi | Female | unspayed | 2 months and 22 days old | 11 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. 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's itchy, smelly coat and hair loss: What are the causes?

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