Scabs on neck - again

Update 9/11

Well I haven't been putting Penny's collar on other than for walks or if we are going somewhere where she'll be outdoors. I noticed her scratching yesterday (not something she does often) and when I went to check sure enough she has scabs all around her neck again. I'm wondering if she is scratching when she is crated and I'm not there...I don't see her scratch all that much when I'm home...or at least not enough to cause that much damage...it doesn't seem to be the collar as I thought the last time...any other ideas?

Posted Aprill 5th

I went to give Penny a bath and found scabs on her neck under her collar. They are pretty large and scattered all around her neck. They are still kinda red around the scabs, but they don't seem to hurt her when I touch them. She had been scratching more often...no fleas or anything like that. Has anyone had this happen to them? Could it just be her collar irritating her? It wasn't tight or anything. Any advice would be great!

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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on September 9, 2011 at 12:08pm

Hi Melinda, would you mind snapping several in focus pic of the scabs, neck area? What kind of collar is she using and did you ever changed the collar? What kind of flea rx did you use, currently use? How often do you bath him and what did you use?

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Permalink Reply by Melinda (Penny's Mom) on September 9, 2011 at 2:35pm

Sam,

It was hard to get good pics but I tired...I used the Hartz flea protection. I did get her a new collar, she has only worn it a few times since April. I bathe her two or three times in the summer...not usually at all in the winter and I'm still using her Hartz puppy shampoo. Any insight you can give me would be great!

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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on September 9, 2011 at 3:54pm

Hi Melinda, thank you for the pics. If I was in your situation, I would use a pair of scissors to trim the fur directly above and surrounding the area, it'll allow the area to air dry and heal. Next, get a soft cone / air cone to prevent Penny from scratching the area. I would strongly recommend you to discontinue the Hartz shampoo / flea prevention, a cheap / safe alternative is human baby shampoo, it's gentle, economic and more bang for your buck. If you like a a soothing oatmeal bath, use a coffee grinder and grind your own oat meal into powder, it is much cheaper and effective than commercial ones.

Good luck and get well soon Penny!

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Permalink Reply by Melinda (Penny's Mom) on September 9, 2011 at 4:06pm

Thanks Sam. I will try trimming some of the fur away tonight and will switch her shampoo over to baby shampoo. I'm wondering if I should be worried about allergies or just nervous scratching and if I should take her to the vet.

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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on September 9, 2011 at 8:02pm

Hi Melinda, make sure you clean the area well and put a cone on Penny. Airborne allergies don't look like that, food allergies is also out of the question. I am doubting it is a bug bite, poison ivy doesn't look like this either. So I'm suspecting flea bite or chemical burn. Make sure the wound is free from moisture, let it air out and absolutely no scratching (cone).