Any ideas what this could be?

[Alanward87]

As the title suggests any ideas? My boy is just over 8 months old. We are based in Nottinghamshire but have recently spent time in the new forest and in Norfolk. It's not to clear but he seems to have developed patchy fur on his chest where fur is thinning and the sore shown in the other photo. He is fine in himself, eating normally and very active as you would expect for a boxer. He is 25kg and still gaining weight month by month. It doesn't seem to bother him in any way either. I haven't seen him even acknowledge the area so I would assume it's not itchy.

 

[Kara 1]

Could it be ringworm.....

 

[Alanward87]

Possibly..... I hadn't considered it as he regularly has flea and worm treatment as he is on a pet plan at the vets. Now you mention it the marking is similar to ringworm but I'm not 100% sure. Guess its ring vets to get them to take a look.

 

[JudyN]

Ringwrm is a fungus, not a worm, so flea and worm products won't protect against it.

 

[Alanward87]

Learn something new every day. It's a very misleading name.

 

[JoanneF]

Ringworm was my first thought too but it is very, very contagious so if nobody else has symptoms that makes it less likely.

 

[Alanward87]

No, being a boxer every evening he picks one off us to lay on and snores in our ears. He is constantly in contact with us and no signs from anyone else.

 

[Ari_RR]

Is this is one spot, or many spots?
I would look up images of pyoderma on the internet and see if they look like what your boy has.

 

[Alanward87]

It's just a single spot and he also has some reddening between his toes. He has been to the vets today and given a course of steroids as they believe it to be an allergic reaction to something. I'm not sure what though as he has not eaten or come into contact with anything out of the ordinary as far as I'm aware....

 

[merlina]

Could be allergy- a plant ,say, that he's walked through and trodden in. Though would expect a bit of itching. If you've stayed somewhere new could even be a cleaning product. Good luck with him anyway.

 

[houseof_fraser]

As the title suggests any ideas? My boy is just over 8 months old. We are based in Nottinghamshire but have recently spent time in the new forest and in Norfolk. It's not to clear but he seems to have developed patchy fur on his chest where fur is thinning and the sore shown in the other photo. He is fine in himself, eating normally and very active as you would expect for a boxer. He is 25kg and still gaining weight month by month. It doesn't seem to bother him in any way either. I haven't seen him even acknowledge the area so I would assume it's not itchy.

Our friend’s golden retriever cross red fox lab had this! It looked identical. The vet told us that it was likely an allergy of some sort and since it occurs on Rover in summer months only it’s likely to be something like long grass. It can also be food related or literally anything if it’s an allergy so maybe try to keep a log of what changed and try cutting out different things or changing your walking area. Also diluted hibiscrub is great for keeping skin clean and preventing infection in the meantime

 

[Alanward87]

The vet did as you mentioned put it down to allergies. It cleared up quickly with meds and has not been back since.

His given diet is consistent so I'm confident that wasn't the issue. I'm just going to monitor if there is any seasonal influence.

 

[houseof_fraser]

The vet did as you mentioned put it down to allergies. It cleared up quickly with meds and has not been back since.

His given diet is consistent so I'm confident that wasn't the issue. I'm just going to monitor if there is any seasonal influence.

Glad to hear that it cleared up and hasn’t come back. If it does make sure to immediately log any changes in diet or walking areas or detergent on the pet bed etc... That will help to eliminate what it could be.