is it one of a kind case?

pleasantglen · 11-24-2007, 12:10 AM

Frustrated, you bet I am........
My cocker spaniel is only a year and a half old. He developed some sort of skin condition problem where he started to lose hair on his face, around his eyes and mouth. My puppy turned from being a gorgeous looking dog to a little monster in just four weeks. The tip of his ears are inflamed and and very dry and itchy to the point where he goes nuts from scratching them. Everyone is telling me that my dog has Mites and all the symptoms that my dog has leads me to believe that. So as a desperate measure, i took him to the vet again today and the vet did a scrape test in two spots, his face and inside his ears, and the results came negative again, meaning no mites. The vet is puzzled and did not prescribe any any medication and told me to give a lot of Benadryl to calm him down. The tip of his ears and his head is full of what seems like to be dandruff, but it is dry skin according to the vet.
My dog continue to lose hair on his face and unable to rest for five minutes due to the itching. Is there any one out there had seen a condition like this? is there a hope for my little spaniel?
Thanks in advance for your input

TeddieXRuxpin · 11-24-2007, 12:21 AM

If it's not mites.. My first thought was demodectic mange.Now my next guess is an allergy. You can have your dog tested just like us humans have done.

It sounds more like a bacterial allergy that just a regular allergy. I'd take him back to the vet and have him tested for any allergies.

Do you have any pictures of your dog with this hair loss?

Annamarie · 11-24-2007, 12:29 AM

there are many health problems that can cause hair loss in dogs, and there is a specific condition (the name escapes me) where they lose their hair as well... if the vet isn't helping I'd try to get a second opinion.

TeddieXRuxpin · 11-24-2007, 12:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Annamarie

there are many health problems that can cause hair loss in dogs, and there is a specific condition (the name escapes me) where they lose their hair as well... if the vet isn't helping I'd try to get a second opinion.

That's why I was thinking along the lines of allergy. There are several types of allergies all of which have symtems of hair loss... But I do agree getting a different vets opinion is sometimes needed. Our household has three vets that are used in different occasions.

Renoman · 11-24-2007, 08:27 AM

Have you thought about taking him to a veterinary dermatologist? You have a better chance of getting a correct diagnosis there than from anyone here.

I've dealt with serious skin conditions/allergies/immune issues for a long time with Chazz. I spent a great deal of money at my regular vet's trying to find answers and treatments. When I took him to the dermatologist - it was money well spent. I got the answers I needed and the treatments he needed.

xxxlisaxxx · 11-24-2007, 09:35 AM

Has anyone thought about food?????? I have read so many posts on here about allergic reactions to food. What are you feeding them???

007Dogs · 11-24-2007, 04:28 PM

A food allergy could be the cause. If you want to test the dog for food allergies yourself, the best method is to stop feeding processed dog food.
Pick one item, usually I suggest chicken. Feed the dog nothing but chicken for at least 10 days. I personally would just get chicken necks or wings and feed them raw. But if you feel like you need to cook, then boil chicken breasts and pull the meat off the bone. DO NOT ADD ANY SEASONING. Just plain boiled chicken. If the dog shows some signs of relief, then after the minimun 10 days, you could add some steamed brown rice. And do that for 10 days as well. You can just continue this way, slowing adding a green vegetable. But if you only add one thing at a time, and give it sufficeint time to decide if the dog is having a reaction to the food, you can generally figure out what works for your dog. After feeding this to one dog for several months, he was able to then go on to a dry food, that contained No Corn, No Soy, or No Wheat.

Renoman · 11-24-2007, 04:48 PM

That's very good advice 007Dogs.

My concern is this; what if it's not a food allergy and the OP does not seek help from another vet (or specialist) for another 10 or 20 days. During this time the underlying cause would go unchecked and could seriously compromise the dog's health.

A veterinary dermatologist can do interdermal testing (just like testing done on humans) which will give you the allergins affecting the dog, whether they're food/environment or airborne, and a course of treatment. If it's some other bacterial infection, that can also be determined.

I've been this route. In my ignorance I believed my vet knew better than I. I was wrong. By the time I got my dog to the specialist it was almost too late.

It could very well be a food allergy. Isn't it better to have an accurate diagnosis sooner rather than later?

imcalvinsmom · 11-24-2007, 06:36 PM

Sounds like sarcoptic mange to me. I am having this same problem. Sarcoptic mange only comes up positive on a skin scrape 30% of the time. Ask your vet about this. The ear thing is a big sign! They may want to do a trial of Ivermectin on him. Or possibily treat with 2 months of Revolution. If you take him to a vetrinary dermatologist, they would want scabies ruled out by treatment first before they even consider allergies.

Good luck

Tracy

Dieselsmama · 11-24-2007, 08:59 PM

It sure does sound like mange to me too, however I'm certainly not a vet. I would second the recommendation to go to a derm. vet. If it really isn't mange they would be more inclined to know what it is.

pleasantglen · 11-25-2007, 07:24 PM

I thank you all for your valuable opinions and feedback. I will definitely take Zuko to a Dermatologist to look at him. His condition during the past few days and since I posted the first thread had gotten worse. The hair lose had spread to the upper side of his ears and his entire face, he has no energy at all, not playful like he used to be, and constantly itching. I tried to post a picture of him, but unfortunately it didn't come out right since he is black and the hair lose did not appear in the picture. please keep the feedback coming since this the only way we learn more about our lovely pets.
God bless

Quote:

Originally Posted by imcalvinsmom

Sounds like sarcoptic mange to me. I am having this same problem. Sarcoptic mange only comes up positive on a skin scrape 30% of the time. Ask your vet about this. The ear thing is a big sign! They may want to do a trial of Ivermectin on him. Or possibily treat with 2 months of Revolution. If you take him to a vetrinary dermatologist, they would want scabies ruled out by treatment first before they even consider allergies.

Good luck

Tracy

Tracy,
Thanks for input. What is the treatment for Sarcoptic mang? and how did you treat your dog?
Thanks,
Max

007Dogs · 11-25-2007, 08:20 PM

Sarcopic mange will diffinately deminish there energy level. Please let us know what you find out. Good luck with your baby.

imcalvinsmom · 11-27-2007, 08:58 PM

Hey Max,

Truman was treated with Ivermectin orally. He was given his first dose on Friday and will have his second dose 2 weeks later. Now 5 days later, he is looking sooo much better. It seemed to get worse on Saturday and sunday (I presume because the mites were dying), but now scratching had diminished about 90 %. His rash is also almost gone. He is still scabby so I gave him a bath with an anti seborhhic (sp?) shampoo with sulfur. He is much more playful and seems so much more like himself! This nightmare has been going on for almost 4 months. I actually had to call the vet myself and inquire about scabies. They kept saying it was probably food or environmental allergies.

There is a kind of test that is used for detecting scabies other than the skin scrape. It is called the pinna pedal test, it works about 80% of the time for detecting scabies. Take the ear flap and scratch your fingernail along the underside right at the edge of the ear. Dogs who have scabies will often involuntarily do a scratching motion with their hind leg on the same side as the ear you are scratching.

Good luck! The Ivomec seems to be working with my dog! Let us know how you make out.

Tracy

pleasantglen · 11-28-2007, 03:07 AM

tracy,
you've been the most helpful person with your feedback. The symptoms that Truman had are identical to Zuko's. your description of the leg motion when I scratch the inside of his ears matches exactly how you described it. We went to the vet last Wed. and he gave zuko Ivermectin orally and told us to come back in two weeks for the second dose. The first two night after taking the medication were a total nightmare. Zuko could not sleep for a minute at night. We gave him several doses of Benadryl (50mg total a day) to calm him down a little bit. The itching is probably about 30-40% less even after 5 days and his energy level is still no where near where it used to be before his sickness. I was able to take some good pictures of him which I will download soon for you to take a look at it. Please keep me posted on Truman's condition and his progress.
God Bless
Max

imcalvinsmom · 11-28-2007, 09:57 AM

Oh Max,

I am so glad I have been some help! It is so nice to have someone to commiserate with. Trumans energy level isn't quite back to normal either. He is however begining to play with his toys again and is starting to be his usual pain in the butt puppy self! So, I am really hopeful he is on the road to a full recovery.

I also forgot to mention that I also appiled Frontline as a woman on this board (mastiffmamma) recommended. The baths with the slufur shampoo really seemed to help also!

Lets keep in touch! And hopefully talk about our progress.

Tracy

pleasantglen · 11-29-2007, 03:10 AM

Tracy,
take a look at Zuko's pictures and let me know if Truman's face looked like him.

imcalvinsmom · 11-29-2007, 02:56 PM

Hi Max,

Truman is a big mastiff and very light in color, so it's hard for me to compare. His hair loss, rash, and scabbiness is mostly around his legs, armpits, chest, belly, neck and the tops of his ears. None on his face. On our other dog she has dry itchy skin on her ears and belly. I think we treated her early because she hasn't lost any hair yet.

Also Truman did not display the pinna pedal reflex while the other dog did. I can't say 100% that they had/have scabies. Although they really do seem to be getting better.

Hows your pup doing now?

Tracy

pleasantglen · 11-30-2007, 12:25 AM

Tracy,
I don't see a noticeable improvement on Zuko. He used to scratch his head and ears only and now he is scratching all over. I had to change his appointment with his vet from a week from this Saturday to this coming Saturday because I can't stand seeing him not getting any better. I will keep you posted with his condition and what the vet have to say.
Talk to you soon.
Max