Keegan's Mom Posted November 7, 2005 Report Share Posted November 7, 2005 I took Tess in to get her anal glands expressed and had them look at her face just below her left eye for hair loss. The vet did a skin scrap and said that Tess had scabies. They gave her a shot of Ivomec. She went back on Saturday for a second shot of Ivomec; however, I wondered if it was really scabies because she had additional hair loss. The vet told me that they must have caught the scabies early because there was only one mite on the slide and it was dead. Anyway, Keegan hasn't caught anything from Tess and they romp pretty hard by grabbing each other scruff around the neck and wrestling...so he has intimate with Tess and the place where she has hair loss. So hubby takes Tess into the vet on Saturday and tells them she has additional hair loss in the same spot from 2 weeks ago where they did the scrap and she has hair loss up by her ear on the same side. They did an additional skin scrap but didn't give my husband any results. They also did a fungal culture that we won't know the results of for a week or more. They put her on an antibiotic and we put a neosporin like cream just below her eye where there is major hair loss. She is NOT itchy. What else might this hair loss be caused by? Is there concern to worry, especially since it seems to be spreading? Could it be diet? We have fed her the same thing for about 2 months now. Any ideas or suggestions would be helpful. I've been considering it for a while, so if they can't tell us what it is after this fungal test then I'm taking her to a new vet. Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carson Crazies Posted November 8, 2005 Report Share Posted November 8, 2005 Hi Rachel! I am surprised that they haven't told you guys anything. How frustrating and stressful! Let me know what they finally figure out. I don't know what some of the causes might be, so I just wanted to let you know we have all of our paws crossed for you guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca, Irena Farm Posted November 8, 2005 Report Share Posted November 8, 2005 My first thought is demodectic mange. If it's not widespread it can be hard to spot since it's actually normal to have demodex mites - the difference is in how the individual dog is able to handle the challenge to their immune system. We went through this with Ben at the same age - contact me privately and I'll tell you more details when I get home this afternoon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keegan's Mom Posted November 8, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 8, 2005 Just called the vet and the skin scrap was negative for mites...no scabies, no demodex mites, nothing...so waiting on fungal now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JoeysMom Posted November 8, 2005 Report Share Posted November 8, 2005 I hope that Tess feels better soon, and that you get some answers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carson Crazies Posted November 8, 2005 Report Share Posted November 8, 2005 Well, I suppose we're glad its not the scabies. I hope they figure it out quickly. If not, do you still have your *stuff* from the trial??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keegan's Mom Posted November 8, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 8, 2005 Yep, told Brian last night that if they didn't find anything and didn't offer up any suggestions that I was taking her to that new vet. So only time will tell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK dog doc Posted November 8, 2005 Report Share Posted November 8, 2005 (up for a breath of air from the on-call madness...) Scabies is usually pretty itchy. Demodex is not, and it CAN be hard to diagnose, since for every 100 mites you have in the skin, you might get one on a slide. I'm with Rebecca as far as it sounding like demodex, but of course that's not proof. The good news is that usually demodex is not too big a deal and the dog outgrows it; in the rare cases where it becomes generalized, it can be a real mess, but those are quite uncommon. Bear in mind there's always skin biopsy, though that's a lot more agressive and doesn't sound warranted yet. Aaaaand descending back into the lethal on-call schedule, she disappears from view. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheStacks Posted November 8, 2005 Report Share Posted November 8, 2005 This happened to us too, on Zoey's frong leg. The skin scarpe showed no mange or scabies, etc. In the meantime we were told to use a topical antifungal. I could not really see much progress. A week later we got the fungal results back and they were negative. But they said to finish the meds anyway (10 days). So turns out we never did find out what it was. It cleared up in about 2 weeks and I have not seen anything like it again. Lauren Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2 Devils Posted November 8, 2005 Report Share Posted November 8, 2005 Not really much help but might make you feel better Riot was diagnosed with a yeast infection in one ear, a bacterial infection in the other, most likely a yeast infection in his feet and that most likely his hotspots (on the front of his legs and a mild loss of hair) are also a yeast infection. He is on a hypo-allergenic food so it is not the food but they think that originally, he had a food reaction that just turned ugly and was not going away on its own. He has been on anti-fungal medicine since Saturday. His hot spots and feet are less red and his ears are looking much better. He will be on this medicine for a month. Here is a question: when did this hair loss thing start? Was it before or after the food switch 2 months ago? It could be a food allergy. Riot has had problems since he was about 4 months old. He has been on 4 foods in a year. At least with the Wellness Simple Solution/Venison, things have not gotten worse. So after he "heals" up, we will see if the food works for him or not. I also had to switch his treats. He gets lots of carrots now. Remember that if it is a food allergy, the allergen could possibly be in the treats too... Good luck... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keegan's Mom Posted November 8, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 8, 2005 Thanks Kim. Her hair loss started about 3 weeks ago. We really just started mixing Canidae in with her Fromm which she was eating for months prior to 2 months ago. We try to feed organic treats and haven't really tried anything new. I will definitely consider this though. I thought of starting to write down the ailments that our animals have so that I have a better log. I might even put what kind of food they eat and place a label in the notebook. Yes, I am a little neurotic at times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doubleofarm Posted November 8, 2005 Report Share Posted November 8, 2005 Rachel, I know this is probably far too simple an answer but my little female always has little marks of hair missing from her face. It is the way she and my one male play that does it. Somehow it's like he shaves it off with his teeth. She is so pretty and it is starting to drive me crazy with her always looking like a gang member. I try to keep them from rough housing too much because of it. Also as I am opening the stall door she squeezes herself btw the door and the wall to get to the sheep when we feed in the morning and I suspect that causes it as well. Sometimes waiting can be very hard when there are sheep involved Tina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2 Devils Posted November 8, 2005 Report Share Posted November 8, 2005 It could also be from scratching themselves. My acd has allergies too. Hers are mainly around her eyes and at times she gets congested. HE found that her minor hair loss around her eyes was from her scratching them so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted November 8, 2005 Report Share Posted November 8, 2005 Several of these last posts made me think of an interesting skin/coat "problem" that a friend's dog had. The dog was missing some coat on both sides, and the vet had done all sorts of tests, they'd tried diet, etc. After some time of testing and trying, they found the culprit - the dog was scraping his sides as he entered and exited his crate in his particular way. A change of crate (size or style, so it wouldn't have entry edges that rubbed, I can't remember which) and the problem was solved. In a case like yours, I would always check with the vet but sometimes, when a cause can't be found through testing, etc., you may find the cause to be something you never thought of. You might have to think "out of the box". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laurie etc Posted November 9, 2005 Report Share Posted November 9, 2005 Rachel -Could also be a reaction to an external allergen. Has her environment changed in the last few weeks? Some dogs react to things like oak leaves, ragweed, cedar chips, straw, certain types of carpet fiber, floor cleaners, shampoos, etc. Kim - I had very good luck with a holistic product called Yeast and Fungal Detox made by Azmira. http://www.azmira.com .If Riot has yeast infections popping up in various places, he might have a systemic yeast infection that needs to be addressed (like Candida in people). With my old Golden, she had problems since puppyhood, starting with a resistant bladder infection that was treated with massive antibiotics. (I think in hindsight this set her up for the Yeast problems.) I took her off all food that easily converted to sugars in the body (grains, potatoes, carrots and peas), because yeast feeds on sugar. I started her initially on a home cooked diet, and added the Yeast and Fungal Detox drops to her food. It made a dramatic difference to her - cleared up the yeast problem - and this was a dog that had a systemic yeast infection so bad she was seizing and almost died. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2 Devils Posted November 9, 2005 Report Share Posted November 9, 2005 Laurie, I may look into that stuff if this round of drugs do not cure the problem. We are currently feeding Wellness Simple Solution - Venison. It has very little in the way of ingredients that are known or suspected allergens. It was made for the dog with allergies. If after this round of meds and the problem still persists, I will most likely look into feeding RAW/BARF. I really do not want to do that. I do not even make meals for husband and he would actually get annoyed if I made meals for the dogs. I don't think he would understand. I would probably go with the pre-made/frozen stuff. I can't see myself dealing with actual raw food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca, Irena Farm Posted November 9, 2005 Report Share Posted November 9, 2005 Kim - carrots will TRIGGER a yeast infection in sensitive dogs. I'd ditch the carrots and see whether that helps, too. I'm not sure what the connection is between carrots and yeast but it's been known for ages that there is one. If you find that's a trigger, you'll have to watch the premade raw formulae - they often contain carrots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2 Devils Posted November 9, 2005 Report Share Posted November 9, 2005 He loves carrots but he gets them rarely since I do not buy them. If I do the pre-made route I will make sure to watch for that. Anything else that you guys can think of that could be triggers? I was told nothing with corn which he does not get anyways since my other 2 are allergic to it, nothing with white rice, nothing with wheat, I think and a couple other things. The list is at home. Rachel - sorry for hijacking your thread... let's hope the problem is something simple. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keegan's Mom Posted November 9, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2005 No problem at all, Kim. I enjoy reading what you all have to say. I will post back when we find out the results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urge to herd Posted November 9, 2005 Report Share Posted November 9, 2005 Dairy or eggs are common allergens, and Shoshone, in her special quirky way, is also allergic to peanuts. Unfortunately for those of us who like easy answers, every dog is different, and if it is allergies, then it really could be anything. It may take some time to sort it all out. Good luck! Ruth n the BC3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claire Owen Posted November 9, 2005 Report Share Posted November 9, 2005 How old is Tess? And has anything that could be classed as stressful to a dog happened recently? My nans dog suffered a minor case of hair loss when they moved house, the vet did all the tests under the sun and eventually concluded the hair had just fallen out due to stress, it stopped falling out and grew back within three months! But I hope you get an answer soon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keegan's Mom Posted November 9, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2005 She is a year old on Saturday and nothing stressful, in my opinion, has happened lately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prosperia Posted December 8, 2005 Report Share Posted December 8, 2005 Have you found out anything? Jen is losing hair around her eyes and the vet didnt find any mites on her scraping either, so Im curious to see what they say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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