My dog's elbow pads look (to give you a visual) like fish scales, and now the "scales" are bright pink and falling off. I have never seen him bite his elbows so I'm concerned that he may have some sort of fungus/skin disease. Any idea as to what this is? He has an appt. with the vet in a week, but I'm concerned that it is painful for him as he winces when I try to put cream on his elbows.

Where does he sleep? Such places often develop if a dog sleeps on a hard surface too much. It may not be your fault. I once had a Lab that insisted on sleeping on the stone fireplace hearth. His elbows were a mess. You can make comfortable places to sleep available, but the dog may not choose to sleep there. If it doesn't seem to bother the dog as long as you leave it alone, I would wait until the vet appointment.

He sleeps on a blanket. I should have mentioned that the red "scales" are not grouped together; instead they are randomly showing up all over his elbow pads. Now they are falling off his elbow completely and it is getting worse.