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Why is my dog's rash not improving, and new skin problems appearing?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Rough Collie | Male | unneutered | 3 years and 7 months old

My dog has a rash in his right armpit and elbow. We took him to the vet and they weren't sure what could be causing it. They prescribed him Betafuse vet gel and told us to use it twice a day for 2 weeks. It's been 2 weeks now and the rash has gotten a bit better but not totally cured. Now he has gotten a new rash (?) in his paw which looks a lot different than what he already had. I've been rinse it with antiseptic spray. What do you think this could be and can these both be the same rash?

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1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Ricardo Fernandez, DVM

Veterinarian, Veterinary Oncology Resident

Published on January 31st, 2019

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!

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