My dog has several crusty scabs on his back and neck. They seem to have spread, and I haven't found any fleas or ticks on him. What could be wrong?
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He most likely has allergic dermatitis (skin allergies). Allergies in pets can be caused by things in the environment (pollen, dust mites, grass), food (chicken, beef, turkey and lamb are #1 food protein allergens), and fleas. You can't really rule out fleas as the cause unless your pet is currently on flea preventatives, given monthly. These tiny creatures are good at hiding, and it only takes 1-2 bites to cause a full blown allergic itch in a pet, with subsequent scabbing and crusts.
I would recommend to start with a good flea preventative (Bravecto, Nexgard, Trifexis, or Advantage Multi). Then I would recommend reading up on flea allergies for pets and the process for working up a pet with this condition. I will warn you that pet allergies can be frustrating if severe, and most cases are not an easy fix, so the more research you do ahead of time, the better.
Then you can try a soothing shampoo on Ebony. I would recommend the Duoxo shampoo line. They have a calming shampoo for pet allergies and may be found at Petco ( www.petco.com ).
Then I would recommend scheduling an appointment with your veterinarian to get strong prescription medication (steroid, immune modulator drugs, antibiotics if needed) to help stop the reaction and get the skin under control.
Below is an article with more information on pet allergic dermatitis.
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