Skin Problems in Puppies

If your new puppy's skin has started to get crusty, flaky, or itchy, or they develop a stomach rash, there are a lot of possible causes.

We’ll describe some of the most common ones here.

Many of these conditions are easily treatable with a trip to your veterinarian, while some can be more serious or long-lasting.

The most important thing is to make sure your puppy sees a veterinarian as quickly as possible so that they can get treatment and get back to having fun with your family!

Puppy Pyoderma or Impetigo

What Is Puppy Pyoderma and Impetigo?

Impetigo is the fancy term for a superficial, or surface, bacterial skin infection (called pyoderma). It most often occurs in hairless areas, such as the belly or underarms, and it can look like a bunch of small, red pimples (papules) or pink/white raised bumps (pustules). Very commonly, this can look like a stomach rash.

A lot of the time, this looks like a skin rash, but the cause is infection, not irritation like a true rash. When these papules or pustules break open, they form round, cream colored to light brown crusts on the skin surface. Sometimes your pup may be itchy in the area with the infection, but usually they don’t notice it’s there.

What Causes Puppy Pyoderma and Impetigo?

The bacteria that cause this condition are usually Staphylococcus species, which are the most common skin bacteria on dogs.

Your puppy, just like you, has a low number of bacteria on their skin all the time when they’re healthy, and their immune system is responsible for keeping this bacterial level low.

However, puppies’ immune systems are not completely formed, and so they can sometimes allow bacteria to multiply and form an infection like impetigo. This is pretty common in young dogs and isn’t concerning as long as the infection goes away with treatment. However, if your puppy is developing these infections frequently, this could be a sign that they have an underlying issue, such as a food allergy, that will need to be managed to prevent these infections from recurring.

How Puppy Pyoderma and Impetigo Are Diagnosed

Impetigo is diagnosed with a skin cytology. Your veterinarian will press a glass slide or clear tape strip gently to your puppy’s skin to collect the sample, then examine it under the microscope to look for bacteria and inflammatory cells that you see with infections. This step is very important because other conditions can look like a skin infection on the surface, and so you need to look for bacteria on cytology to make sure you’re treating the right thing.

How to treat Impetigo or Pyoderma?

Surface infections like this are usually treatable with topical products. Your veterinarian will likely prescribe an antimicrobial shampoo, likely one that contains chlorhexidine, and recommend baths 1–2 times weekly until the infection resolves.

They may also recommend antimicrobial wipes, foams, or sprays to apply to the problem area daily until your pup heals.

Your puppy may occasionally need oral antibiotics to treat an infection if it is widespread on their body, but your veterinarian will decide if this is necessary. We try to avoid treating with oral antibiotics if possible, just like in people, because the more you use antibiotics, the more you risk the bacteria on your skin developing resistance and becoming harder to kill.

Demodicosis

What Is Demodicosis?

Demodicosis is the term for a Demodex mite infection. There are three types of demodex mites that can cause problems in dogs: Demodex canis, Demodex injai, and Demodex cornei. Demodex mites are microscopic parasites that live in the hair follicles and oil glands (sebaceous glands) of dogs. They are part of the normal environment of the skin in low numbers, and they pass onto a puppy’s skin while they are nursing from their mother. As with normal skin bacteria, demodex mites are supposed to be kept to low numbers by a pup’s skin immune system. Because puppies don’t always have a fully functional immune system when they’re young, these mites can overgrow and cause problems.

What Does Demodicosis Infection Look Like?

Demodicosis can look like one or a few small areas of flaky, red, hairless skin on the body (most often the face and front legs), called a localized infection. However, it can also spread to cover larger areas or even the entire body, called a generalized infection.

Your pup may be itchy, and could be less happy than usual if they’re very uncomfortable. Skin that is inflamed by demodex mites can also develop bacterial infections, causing red bumps on the surface or sometimes deeper infections in the skin that lead to swelling, thick crusting, or even open draining tracts.

How Demodicosis Is Diagnosed

Demodex mites are generally found on a deep skin scraping by a veterinarian. Your veterinarian will take a very dull scalpel blade and gently scrape a few areas on your puppy’s body, then look at the samples under a microscope. When they’re done, your pup will have a red area on their skin surface, but it isn’t painful, and it will heal within the next few days.

Your veterinarian will also want to check a surface sample using a slide to look under the microscope for any bacterial infections.

Is Demodicosis Contagious?

Demodicosis is NOT contagious. The mites don’t pass between dogs or from dogs to humans, so you don’t need to worry about keeping your puppy isolated while they’re receiving treatment.

How Is Demodicosis Treated?

Demodex mites used to be a lot harder to treat. We’re very lucky to have the parasite treatments we have now!

The easiest and quickest way to kill demodex mites is the use of a prescription parasite preventive that contains an isoxazoline medication, such as Nexgard®, Credelio®, or Simparica®. However, this medication is not suitable for all dogs, and your veterinarian will be able to recommend the safest treatment choice for your pup. There are other options available for pets that have a history of seizures, for example, or a documented history of allergies to isoxazoline medications. All of these medications require a prescription, so you’ll need to see your veterinarian to get them.

Your pup will need treatment for at least 2–3 months, most of the time. They will be retested with a skin scrape by your veterinarian every 3–4 weeks until they have two negative samples back-to-back. At this time, they will be considered cured.

Demodex mites can overgrow in normal puppies, so it is not necessarily a sign that there’s something wrong. However, puppies with generalized demodex are thought to have a genetic susceptibility to developing this condition (though they’re otherwise perfectly healthy!), so it is recommended that you not breed these pets to avoid passing this susceptibility on.

Ringworm in Puppies

What Is Ringworm?

Ringworm in dogs is a fungal infection that is caused by three main species: Microsporum canis, Microsporum gypseum, and Trichophyton mentagrophytes.

It is called “ringworm” because, in humans, the infections often form a red, raised circle on the skin that looks like a worm, but this is not a parasite. In dogs, ringworm usually looks a bit different.

Dogs often develop crusts and red bumps (papules) that spread into single or multiple round patches of hair loss on their bodies. It most often affects the head, ears, and feet at first, but generally spreads over much of the body with time. Ringworm infections can also infect the nails, causing them to become brittle, misshapen, and break off. These infections can sometimes be itchy, and pets can also often develop secondary bacterial infections. Your veterinarian may need to treat two infections at first: a bacterial and a fungal infection.

How Is Ringworm Diagnosed?

If your pup is suspected of having a ringworm infection, your veterinarian may first use a Wood’s lamp during the appointment. This is a light that emits a specific wavelength, which causes hairs on your pet with a Microsporum canis infection to glow apple-green (as demonstrated in photo below). If this does not happen, it doesn’t rule out a ringworm infection; it’s just a useful screening tool.

After a Wood’s lamp test is performed, your veterinarian will take a sample of your pet’s hair and crusting to submit to a laboratory for a culture and possibly genetic testing (PCR) to determine whether a ringworm fungus is present and what kind it is.

Genetic testing can take only a few days to come back, but it is often less precise and so can miss some positive test results. Ringworm cultures rarely miss positive results, but they can take up to 3 weeks to be finalized. Therefore, your veterinarian will often run both genetic testing and a culture to be able to screen quickly for ringworm and start treatment if necessary, then make sure nothing was missed if the initial screening test is negative.

Ringworm Is Contagious

It is very important to remember that ringworm in dogs can infect the other pets in your household (including cats!) and ALSO people.

If your puppy is diagnosed with a ringworm infection, you’ll want to start treatment as quickly as possible and keep them isolated in a small area in your home (a single, easily cleanable room like a bathroom is best) until they are no longer infected. If possible, you should either carry your puppy outside to pee or walk them along a strict path to go outside and clean the area thoroughly once they’re back in their isolation room. Your veterinarian will likely want to test any other pets in your household as well, even if they’re not showing symptoms, to make sure no one else needs treatment at the same time.

How Is Ringworm Treated in Puppies?

Treating your pup for ringworm will likely involve a combination of oral antifungal medication and topical antifungal shampoos or sprays.

Make sure you follow your veterinarian’s treatment recommendations closely! To reduce your risk of picking up an infection from your pup during treatment, please don’t cuddle them, wear gloves and long sleeves while handling them, and wash your hands and clothes afterward.

Most often, dogs will be prescribed either lime sulfur dips or a shampoo that contains chlorhexidine and miconazole. The most effective frequency of treatment is twice weekly, and make sure you follow your veterinarian’s instructions very specifically to make sure you’re using the products as directed. Lime sulfur dips especially require careful dilution to make sure they’re safe to apply to your dog.

There are several types of oral antifungal medications that are prescribed to dogs with ringworm, depending on their age and body weight. Your veterinarian will decide which is best to give your pup.

Most of the time, ringworm takes about 3 months of treatment to fully resolve. Your vet will monitor your pup’s status by rechecking ringworm cultures every 3 to 4 weeks. Once your pup has two negative (no ringworm) cultures back-to-back, they will be considered cured.

How Do You Treat Your Home?

Part of treatment also includes cleaning your environment thoroughly, because parts of the ringworm fungus can live for up to 2 years in your home! You’ll want to thoroughly clean your pup’s isolation area twice weekly and clean daily to remove any pet hair or debris that could carry the fungus. Anything that can’t be completely cleaned, such as fabric carriers, pet rugs, and fabric toys, should be thrown away.

To clean washable items, such as bedding, clothes, or towels, wash them twice on the longest wash cycle. After you’re done, spray your washer and dryer inside with chlorine bleach, diluted as 1 pint of bleach in 1 gallon of water, or accelerated hydrogen peroxide cleaners, and then let them dry before using them again.

To clean carpets or rugs, vacuum to remove any loose hairs or crusts, then use a carpet shampooer twice on the entire area and allow to dry.

Hardwood flooring and tile cleaning are similar processes and start with vacuuming. After that, clean hardwood floors with wood oil soap and clean tile with either appropriately diluted bleach or accelerated hydrogen peroxide cleaners.

Wash dishes, combs, plastic toys, and other non-porous items with regular dish soap until clean to remove any fungus on their surfaces.

Juvenile Cellulitis or Puppy Strangles

What Is Juvenile Cellulitis or Puppy Strangles?

Juvenile cellulitis, or puppy strangles, is an autoimmune disease. We don’t know what triggers this condition in dogs, but the good news is that strangles is generally curable and doesn’t require long-term treatment.

Some dog breeds are predisposed to develop this condition, such as Golden Retrievers, Dachshunds, Labrador Retrievers, and Gordon Setters. However, it can occur in any pup.

What Does Strangles Look Like?

A puppy with strangles will generally feel much sicker than a dog with impetigo, demodicosis, or ringworm.

Pups are often feverish, have very low energy, and don’t want to eat. They develop swelling, crusting, and pustules (small, raised bubbles on the skin that contain white pus) on the face primarily. Often, the skin around the eyes, muzzle, and ears is affected first, but it can spread to the chest and belly in some pets.

A pup’s lymph nodes also often swell, feeling like large, round balls under the skin surface beneath the chin and at the front of the shoulders.

It’s important to remember that if your puppy is not acting like themselves, even if you don’t see any signs besides feeling lower energy or less hungry, it is VERY important to bring them to a veterinarian as soon as possible. There are a lot of diseases that can make a puppy feel sick, and some are very serious, so prompt treatment is crucial!

How Cellulitis and Puppy Strangles Are Diagnosed

Puppy strangles is often suspected based on your veterinarian’s exam and your pup’s history. It is confirmed with a biopsy sample, where your veterinarian will take several small, round punch samples of the skin around the size of a pencil eraser and submit them to a pathologist.

The pathologist is a specialist veterinarian who will be able to look for specific inflammatory cells and structures that are consistent with strangles to confirm your veterinarian’s diagnosis. Often, since puppies with strangles feel so sick, veterinarians take biopsies and start treatment while they wait for results. Your veterinarian will decide if this is appropriate for your pet.

How Is Cellulitis and Strangles Treated?

Strangles is an autoimmune disease, which means that your puppy’s immune system is overreacting. To treat an autoimmune disease, you will need to suppress the immune system temporarily and calm the inflammation down. Most often, your pet will be treated with a high dose of oral steroids to start, and then your veterinarian will slowly reduce the dose of steroids as your pup improves.

It can take several weeks to a couple of months for cellulitis to fully resolve, but your pup should start feeling better within a few days to a week. You should not stop or reduce medications sooner than your veterinarian recommends, because stopping treatment early can lead to strangles reoccurring.

If your pup is experiencing side effects from their steroid medication (increased thirst, hunger, peeing, and panting are most common), please speak to your primary veterinarian for recommendations!

Once your pup has fully recovered, it is rare for strangles to reoccur, and your pup will usually be able to stop their medications completely. Strangles is a scary-looking condition, and it can make your pup feel sick, but it is generally very treatable, and your pup should be able to feel better quickly with prompt veterinary care.

Ichthyosis

What Is Ichthyosis?

Ichthyosis is an inherited condition in several breeds of dog where the normal process of skin cell production and shedding is interrupted. The gene responsible for this condition is known in some dog breeds, and your veterinarian will be able to discuss whether genetic testing is appropriate for your puppy. The most common dog breeds with a form of ichthyosis are golden retrievers, Westies, Jack Russell terriers, and Cavalier King Charles spaniels. Each of these breeds has a slightly different genetic mutation causing their condition, and so the condition looks different in each dog breed. In golden retrievers specifically, you may have heard of something called “milk crust”, which is thought to be a mild form of ichthyosis in this breed.

What Does Ichthyosis Look Like?

Ichthyosis generally appears as an accumulation of large, white flakes of tissue on the skin surface and in the hair. It usually occurs in puppies that are only a few weeks old, but it will become more obvious as a puppy grows up.

In some dog breeds, the skin can be wrinkled and red, while in others, the skin can develop a darker color (called hyperpigmentation) due to inflammation. Some dogs also develop a different haircoat texture or changes to their nails.

Because ichthyosis makes the skin abnormal, puppies are more at risk of developing bacterial or yeast infections on their skin that can make them itchy and smelly.

How Ichthyosis Is Diagnosed

In dog breeds where we know what gene causes this condition, you can speak to your veterinarian about testing to see if your pup carries the mutation. Some dogs can be carriers, meaning they have one copy of the mutation in their genes, but they don’t have signs of the condition.

To confirm if your dog’s signs are caused by ichthyosis, your veterinarian will need to collect a biopsy sample for a pathologist to look at. The pathologist will look for extra layers of cells on the skin surface to confirm the diagnosis and rule out other possible causes of their symptoms.

Because this is an inherited condition, if you know your pup’s parents or relatives, it is a good idea to let their owners know. That way, they’ll know to screen their dogs for this condition and avoid breeding them to prevent this from happening to other puppies.

How Ichthyosis Is Treated

Unfortunately, ichthyosis is not a curable condition, but it is manageable. Your veterinarian may refer your pet to a specialist dermatologist for care, since this is a pretty uncommon problem. It is important to avoid harsh, drying shampoos like benzoyl peroxide, because they can make the flakiness worse.

Often, your pup will be treated with regular moisturizing shampoos, conditioners, oils, and lotions to help soften the skin surface and reduce flakiness. Frequent bathing (sometimes weekly) is an important part of treatment, so you and your pup will get to spend a lot of bath time together!

There are a lot of different skin conditions that can affect your puppy, and your veterinarian will be able to help determine what is happening and how to fix it. Prompt assessment and care are very important so that your pup can get back to being happy and healthy, and you can get back to playtime together!