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My dog has red skin patches on body and ears. What's the reason?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Golden Retriever | Female | 28 lbs

Blood patch in shoulder, back side of both the ears and other parts of body. What may be the reason? And, what medicine should be given? My doctor prescribed Cefpodoxime Proxetil tablets IP 200 mg with Prednisolon IP 10mg.

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Ricardo Fernandez, DVM

Veterinarian, Veterinary Oncology Resident

Published on April 25th, 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 her allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. The cefpodoxime should help with the bacterial infection component and the prednisone should help with the itch component. 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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Other Answers

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    Answered By Lauren Kennedy, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on April 26th, 2018

    It looks as if your dog has a skin infection, most commonly caused by an allergy, a skin mite (Demodex) or fleas. 

The allergy could be a due to a protein in your dog’s food or an environmental allergy like to dust, pollens, grasses, etc. 

The allergy causes your dog to itch and chew at the skin which breaks down the skin barrier. This then leads to infection. Skin infections are typically characterized by large areas of hair loss, redness, crusting, flaking, and pustules. A thorough skin examination by your veterinarian should be able to determine the cause of the itch so it can be treated appropriately. Your dog will most likely need antibiotics to help clear up the infection (this is the Cefpo that was prescribed) and possibly an allergy/anti-itch medication like steroids (the prednisolone) Apoquel, Atopica, or Cytopoint to give some relief while the infection clears up. A medicated shampoo may be beneficial as well. I would also recommend she be on a good flea control routinely too. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

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