Dry, hairless patch

niccru · 10-11-2008, 11:35 PM

Hi everyone,

I'm new here and just brought in a nine month old chihuahua dachshund mix from a lady off craigslist. She has a clean bill of health, aside from this dry, bald patch on her back. The lady told me her vet said it was a reaction to a cheap shampoo she used to bathe her in, so apparently she has sensitive skin. I dunno, what do y'all think?

She itches at it every now and then, but not much. I believe that she does have dry skin 'cause she scratches at herself every now and then, especially when she's excited, but she has no fleas because she's on Frontline plus and I've checked her coat - no visible fleas or droppings.

Considering taking her to the vet sometime next week. Any advice would be greatly appreciated though.

Nicole

AkiraleShiba · 10-12-2008, 01:14 PM

Always take a new dog to the vet

If it really seems dry you can apply vaseline in the mean time.

RED · 10-12-2008, 06:37 PM

i agree always take any new pets to the vet just incase they have something your not aware of that could be potentualy dangerous to your other pets or you.

ask them to check for mange, mites, and alergeas. it's probably either a old burn or it could be one listed above.

good luck with your new chihuahua. she's a cutie anyways.

also what i always do if there's any itchy parts or anything like that on a dog, i put something called "bag balm" on them. it's originaly made for milking cows udders. it helps keep out infections and heal it faster. theres lots of vitamins in there to help the skin anyways. you can also use it on yourself to keep your skin/feet soft.

niccru · 10-14-2008, 10:36 PM

Thank you for your replies. I am taking her to a vet tomorrow morning.

She was in my bed recently, and that night I started itching all over. I'm not allergic to dogs, because I've had a few before so I'm afraid she has some sort of mite living off her. My hubby came home that night as well, not knowing that she had been in our bed, and itched the entire night. Of course, I washed my bedsheets next morning and the itching stopped, but everytime I get near her and play with her I start itching.

Again, she doesn't have fleas, but I'm afraid she has sarcoptic mites, aka scabies. That would explain the temporary itching on me and hubby.

Anyhoo, I'll post an update tomorrow sometime.

Nicole

niccru · 10-15-2008, 04:59 PM

Gah! My dog has mange - demodex mites. Vet gave her a medicated dip for it and put her on antibiotics. Supposed to come back for another dip in two weeks. Apparantly demodex (spelling?) is not curable and she will have outbreaks, like the one on her back, for the rest of her life. When she gets an outbreak, we visit the vet for a dip. Oh, and supposedly demodex is not transmittable to humans.

'Bout to do some research on it.

Thanks for the replies.

Nicole

RRM_Mom08 · 10-16-2008, 12:30 AM

Please research the dip ..It is very toxic and can kill your dog (I never use the dip unless it is life-threating mange) There are homopathic treatments out there that you can use that work better then the dip..You can find these books at your library most likely I did

1) Dr. Pitcairn's New Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats
2) Veterinarians Guide to Natural Remedies for Dogs : Safe and Effective Alternative Treatments and Healing Techniques from the Nations Top Holistic Veterinarians

I also used Neem shampoo (weekly) and oil (everyday) and I gave my puppy neem plus to treat it from the inside out..I was alot of pills but her mange went away totally in 4 weeks

I hope this helps mange is horrible