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My dog has chronic skin allergies. What can I do to help him?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | German Shepherd | Male | unneutered | 4 years and 2 months old | 40 lbs

Hi, my dog has been suffering from a skin allergy for a very long time now. We have consulted almost all the vets in our city but nobody is able to solve this problem. Please help me

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3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Elizabeth

Veterinarian

Published on December 2nd, 2019

Chronic skin allergies can be related several things including allergies to fleas, skin mites, allergies to something in the environment, food allergy or endocrine disease. Each one of these problems is detected and addressed differently and I recommend to discuss with your veterinarian which one to start hunting down first. Parasites are often ruled out with an oral medication like Simparica. Food allergy is best ruled out with a diet trial using a hydrolyzed protein. Endocrine diseases are detected with blood work. Environmental allergies are a little more difficult to detect but a response to therapy or a blood test can give an indication. Once you figure out and address the underlying cause, the lesions should not come back. There are a couple things you can do at home and they can help but they may not address the underlying cause. You can try adding in an omega 3 fatty acid supplement for dogs, this can help improve the skin health. You may also try changing his diet to something like Royal Canin or Nutro as they are aimed at skin health. Also protect the area from trauma by having Simba wear an elizabethan collar at all times. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on November 3rd, 2018

    Skin allergies are difficult to get rid off in dogs, when a dog is constantly suffering from skin allergies and the source of the allergy cannot be found i usually recommend putting him on allergy treatment such as Apoquel or Cytopoint- both of them very effective for skin allergies (both of them prescrition only).

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    Answered By Dr. Elizabeth

    Veterinarian

    Published on December 30th, 2019

    Poor Black Jack! Persistent skin lesions could be several things including allergies to fleas, allergies to something in the environment, food allergy or endocrine disease. Each one of these problems is detected and addressed differently and I recommend to discuss with your veterinarian which one to start hunting down first. Parasites are often ruled out with an oral medication like Simparica. Food allergy is best ruled out with a diet trial using a hydrolyzed protein. Endocrine diseases are detected with blood work. Environmental allergies are a little more difficult to detect but a response to therapy or a blood test can give an indication. Once you figure out and address the underlying cause, the lesions should not come back. There are a couple things you can do at home and they can help but they may not address the underlying cause. You can try adding in an omega 3 fatty acid supplement for dogs, this can help improve the skin health. You may also try changing his diet to something like Royal Canin or Nutro as they are aimed at skin health. Also protect the area from trauma by having Black Jack wear an elizabethan collar at all times. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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