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Why is my German Shepherd scratching badly and has skin issues?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | German Shepherd | Male | unneutered | 1 year and 5 months old | 55 lbs

concerned about my 1.5 yr old german shepherd. Started scratching bad about two weeks ago. Woke up this morning to this. Help please! TY

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1 Answer

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Answered By Dr. Elizabeth

Veterinarian

Published on April 14th, 2020

Those spots on Coby could be several things including fleas, allergies, skin mites, bacterial infection, ringworm (which humans can get) or endocrine disease. There are a couple things you can do at home and they can help but they may not address the underlying cause. Treat for fleas. 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. You can wash the lesions once a day (not his whole body, just the lesions). Also protect the area from trauma by having your pup wear an elizabethan collar at all times. If the lesions do not start improving within a week or if they are getting worse, have him examined by the veterinarian. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

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