Max is very itchy and biting areas of his fur. Went to vet for yearly visit a week ago and said it might be allergies. Gave max fish oil and cetirizine. Since then he developed a bump which is now bleeding due to scratching. Is this something other than allergies like hot spots or allergies? What do you recommend products or vet questions for treatment.

Updated On April 28th, 2018

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered | 2 years and 6 months old | 58 lbs

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Answered By Ricardo Fernandez, DVM

Veterinarian, Veterinary Oncology Resident

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Thanks for using PetCoach! This is possibly due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. The itchy component needs to be addressed. There are medications to reduce the itch that can be tried such as Apoquel. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

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