Different Types of Skin Rashes in Dogs

At some point in even the healthiest dog's life, he will likely have some sort of illness or injury. One of the more common illnesses is a rash. Your dog can experience rashes for multiple reasons and knowing the possible causes of a rash can help you and your veterinarian decide on the best course of treatment.

  1. Bacterial Infections

    • When your dog develops a bacterial infection, it is probably caused by staphylococci. Bacterial infections generally are not contagious but do cause your dog's skin to itch excessively. The infection usually begins with yellow abscesses, similar to pimples. They later will ulcerate and cause pain to your dog before eventually becoming crusty and dry, and causing a dog's hair to fall out.

    Fungal Infections

    • The most common fungal infection is ringworm, which is contagious to other animals and humans. It looks like round circles under the skin and is itchy to a dog. The ringworm most often impacts younger dogs and starts on the head and legs. However, if you do not seek treatment of the ringworm, it can spread to other parts of the body.

    Parasites

    • One of the most common parasites that impact a dog is mange, which are small parasites that live on a dog's skin. Depending on the type of manage, your dog may begin to have a foul odor from the inflammation. Sometimes the mange is contagious, like sarcoptic mange, and other times it is not, like demodectic mange. It is important to have the type of mange diagnosed by a vet to determine possible impact to other dogs in your home.

    Allergies

    • Dogs can develop allergies to a variety of things, just like humans. One common environmental allergy is an allergy to plastic bowls. If you suspect a plastic allergy, switch to glass or metal bowls. Some dogs are allergic to their food. Dogs can be allergic to gluten, corn or other food fillers. It is best to provide higher quality food for all dogs to help prevent allergies from developing. Other dogs have allergies to fleas, called flea allergy dermatitis. One bite from a flea is like the bite of a hundred, causing him to itch and scratch. Dogs can be allergic to grass and pollen as well.