skin rashes and scabby skins

Question
I am the Owner of a dog which looks like a golden retriever. I love her alot and she has never had any problems. But now she has started to develop small black, sort of wounds, on her ears and she has lost hair on her hocks and elbows, The skin has turned scabby. What do you think it is?
I also have another dog which i found on the streets. He is only young. He has been treated against fleas and ticks but still seems to be itching alot. I took a look at him and his skin has turned bright red like a rash but i have lokked for fleas but he is totaly clean. What could it be?
Thank you so much
Elodie Stoetman

Answer
Hi, the black wounds sound like fly bites (basically dried blood), and the sores on the hocks & elbows sound like cement marks (they call them that because they are common in dogs that lay on cement a lot, but they actually come from any hard surface).  The other dog could be allergic to flea saliva.  With those kind of dogs, you won't find fleas on them a lot of the time because the fleas may be dieing after biting, from whatever flea treatment the dog may have, but the saliva is left behind, and it is irritating the dog's skin so he still continues to itch.  those are the hardest dogs to deal with because you have to not only keep the fleas off the dog, but out of the environment as well to make sure that the dog doesn't get bitten.  

Hope this helps,


Dawn