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My dog has a bald, scabby nose. Is it allergies or something else?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Male | unneutered | 3 years and 2 months old | 6 lbs

Hello! Dog's nose bald and have scabs, I'm from China, here Vet is no so good. Please, can you help, what is it and how is it treated? Local Vet said that is not lichen, and said that is no problem, but didnt say what is it. Please help.

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1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Ricardo Fernandez, DVM

Veterinarian, Veterinary Oncology Resident

Published on April 22nd, 2018

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. Another possibility is something like mites and this is something usually determined on a physical examination and basic diagnostics. 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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