Expert: Dr. Louis N. Gotthelf - 8/15/2010

Question
it started as a couple of tiny areas of missing fur which my dog kept licking, over a few days lots more hair came off leaving large areas off raw broken skin which scabs over and comes off again, he has now been fitted with a buster collar to stop him licking his wound and is on a course of anti-biotics, however it seems to still be spreading and now there is a patch of missing fur and scabbed skin on his neck. the vet i saw said at first glance it looked like someone had poured caustic soda or acid on him.......i doubt this is the case as it started with a little missing fur but im not going to rule it out. my questions are......if it is acid or something would it show at first as a bit of missing fur and broken skin in a small area before spreading?  if it is an infection of some sort what can i do to aid healing?

Answer
It is more likely an inf4ection with the top layers of skin and hair peeling off.  THey leave a moth eaten appearance to the skin.  Bacterial infection is secondary to something like a pollen allergy, a food allergy, low thyroid hormones, or some other primary skin disease.  So just treating the infection will not prevent it from reoccuring.