Flaky skin.

Dr. Marie replied:

Hi Charlotte. Sorry to hear that Samson is going through frustrating problems with his skin. While it is often hard to talk about skin problems over the internet, I can give you a few ideas.

First of all, if you would like to email me a photo at photos@askavetquestion.com this may make it a little easier for me to give you some advice.

There are a number of different reasons for a dog to have flakes over his back end. And yes, I would consider it itching if he is rubbing his back on the floor.

It is possible that he has a skin infection. Are there any lesions, red spots or bumps at all? If so, then I would likely be putting him on a several week course of an antibiotic called cephalexin. However, if your vet has examined him and didn't feel there was an infection there then this is probably not the case.

It may seem simple, but is he on a good quality flea preventative such as Frontline, Advantage or Revolution? The most common reason for skin irritation over the back end is an allergy to fleas. Some dogs are so allergic to fleas that even one bite can set them off. You often don't actually see the fleas if there are not many of them there.

It's also possible he has allergies which are causing him to get seborrheic dermatitis. This means that the skin is flaky and itchy. There are some good shampoos that your vet can prescribe that can help to reduce the flakiness. One example is a shampoo called Sebolux.

Another product that helps in case this is a dry skin issue is something called Dermoscent often helps. This is a product that you apply a small amount of to the skin and it helps to moisturize the skin.

It is unlikely that the lumps you are feeling are causing any problems.

There definitely are veterinary dermatologists. I always recommend seeing one if your vet is unable to figure out what is going on.

One other thing that either your vet or the dermatologist can do is a biopsy of the affected skin. Usually this can be done with a local anesthetic. A biopsy is a great way to find out what is going on.

I hope things are figured out soon!

Dr. Marie.


Do you have a pet website? Interested in learning more about SEO for Wix?

---

Check out our dog age calculator and cat age calculator.