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Scabs and Dog Skin Lesions on Rear Canine Hunches

by Anonymous Reader Followed by Suggestions from Our Veterinarian

<b>Dog Skin Lesions Are Diagnosed on pets such as this Wheaton Terrier  with a Skin Scraping</b><br><small>Source: Washington State University</small>

Dog Skin Lesions Are Diagnosed on pets such as this Wheaton Terrier with a Skin Scraping
Source: Washington State University

My dogs have experienced some biting from some type of parasite, some scratching and now scabs with a crusty dark grey color. They are two Wheaten Scotties, three years old. Nutro lamb and rice food, (no table scrapes) since 4 months old with daily skin and coat omega 3 from Drs Foster & Smith. They are on a flea preventative and are well exercised.


They are bathed regularly, no more often than every 10 days and usually at 14 day intervals. I have brushed them and some flaking occurs, however this condition has persisted for more than 2 weeks and I am concerned. I have have two other dogs, years ago, with skin problems that got out of hand.

Do not want to wait too long to address this potential problem.

Thank you for your attention.

Vet Suggestion Scabs on Rear Dog Hunches and Causes of Canine Skin Lesions

Hello,

The fact that your dogs’ skin lesions are primarily located on their haunches puts a flea infestation at the top of my rule-out list. You mentioned that they are on a flea preventative. Do you have confidence in the brand, and are you using it per label directions? Check your dogs thoroughly for any evidence of fleas. If they are allergic to fleas, it can take only one or two bites to drive them absolutely crazy, so you may not see much.

In cases like these, I typically recommend flea preventatives that contain the active ingredient fipronil (e.g., Frontline or its generic equivalent) or Revolution. These products have the added benefit of treating some of the mites that can cause symptoms similar to those seen with flea infestations.

If fipronil or Revolution doesn’t take care of your dogs’ problems, skin scrapings to look for mites, skin cytology to rule out infection, and fungal cultures for ringworm would be logical next steps.

Good luck,

Jennifer Coates, DVM

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