Food Allergy? demodex mange?

Dreadog

I'm gonna try and keep this short:

Hoku, in the past, was really itchy and shed quiet a bit.

She has a very sensative stomach/digestive tract and can not tolerate beef.

She developed a small (pencil eraser sized) bald spot of demodectic mange on her forhead.

Changed her diet by ONLY feeding her her dog food, no treats except a daily frozen kong with plain yogurt and canned dog food mixed.

Bald spot went away, stopped giving yogurt with canned food (she was making a huge mess in her crate and was EATING the bedding the food got on). I started giving her pork chews as her snack.

Now, she is back to itching a TON and is shedding uncontrollably. Her tummy looks a red and irritated. I am going to stop the pork chews and only feed her her dog food with yogurt to see if that takes care of it. Should I also take her to the vet, or do you think this change for couple weeks will be OK?

Dog_Shrink

Personally this doesn't sound like mange to me. Generally when you have an onset of demodex the first pattern of balding is around the eyes, spreading upeards onto the face, down onto the chest and legs then to the back. This honestly sounds more like a food allergy. Excessive hair loss, red skin, scratchingIf your dog has beef issues (a fatty meat) then it could also be sensitive to pork as well (another fatty meat). I have known many dogs with beef allergies who also didn't tolerate pork well. What kibble do you feed her? And since this seemed to return witht he introduction of the pork treat is is a very logical conclusion that it is the treats.

Dreadog

She gets Avoderm large breed puppy. She seems to be doing well on it, so I will just try to eliminate the pork chews for couple weeks to see if the itching stops and the redness/shedding decrease. How long do you think we need to stop before we see an improvement, if it is the treats?

Dog_Shrink

usually you should start to see results with in the first 48 hrs and really good results with in the first week. You can also give her a benadryl tablet every 12 hrs to help control allergies. (That doseage is for a 50 lb dog). If the itching is eliminated with the benadryl and the cutting out any new treats/foods from her diet then that is a definate red flag towards allergies. You should check with your vet prior to giving any medications tho to verify the doseage for her weight and to make sure there isn't any contraindicatons with any current meds she might be on.

Labsnothers

I really think you need to talk to the vet. If it is mange, no food will cure it.

Dog_Shrink

I'd be willing to bet my cert that it isn't mange but it is always better to err on the side of caution