Why does my senior sheltie have recurring bald, scabby, red skin?

Question

My sheltie is 13 yrs.3 years now he has repeatedly presented with a skin disorder. The center is bald, the skin looks normal. But the edges are scabby crusty, bright red & oilyish. if you try to clean or treat the scabby area the fur falls out. poor dog has oval and round patches of missing fur all over his body,head and neck. He has been treated multiple times with amoxicillin and 4 other antibiotics. His skin clears up and fur starts to grow back. But within a month it 2 it’s back. Help please. Pet's info: Dog | Shetland Sheepdog | Male | neutered | 13 years and 11 months old | 29 lbs

Dr. Elizabeth · Accepted Answer

Chronic skin disease 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 Pipsqueek wear an elizabethan collar at all times. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Why does my senior sheltie have recurring bald, scabby, red skin?

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