Itching Pug - HORRIBLE (losing fur and bleeding)

Kokona

My Nana had passed away this last summer, and my family has been taking care of her two dogs. One is a sweet little Boston, and the other is a nice plump, docile, but kind of dumb, pug.

Since about...5 months ago, the pug has been itching terribly. I mean, to the point where the fur on his backside is almost completely gone, and the skin underneath is all scratched and often bleeds. This poor dog is up sometimes all night crying from the pain of having to scratch constantly. The vets haven't been much help at all, and only provide medicines that cost too much and hardly work. I'm turning to this forum because we are afraid we might have to put our beloved pug down if he continues to suffer like this. It just seems so cruel, and we are extremely upset. Has anyone else ever experienced this problem with their pug, or other dogs? Is there anything that can help, maybe as a perminant cure?

merrow

iv said b4 on other post my lhasa balded his sides and bum last summer due to an alergy he got with his food he was feed on bakers complete,

right i would go with the food u r feeding a lot of dogs r alergict to grains and beets which r put in food as a cheap bulker, i would change the food to a better brand over here in the uk wev got burns and james well be loved these r 2 top food which havnt got any artifishal colourings and preservitivs in which also cause alergies it will take about a month or so for the afects of the bad food to wear off but it really helps so much after a month of feeding burns he had stoped itching and hair was growing back

right now the patches where he had biten and itched were also red and bloody i mixed a small splash of apple cider viniger with some water about 1 - 10 and i bathed the cuts in that winin a day it helped them heel so much faster i also add a tablespoons worth to drinking water as its grate for health

and i gave teddy a alergy pill half in the morning and half at night it was like the piriton pills just from boots and my boy is a 5kg lhasa and thats what the vet said but they were cheaper from boots i did this for a week just to help him straight away

well idont no what to say now really

i now feed raw and also havnt had him itch since last year


xxxx

cshellenberger

Has the doctor tested for allergies? I know it costs a little bit, but I'd have it done. I'd also consider changing doctors if the vet isn't helping.

There are several things that could cause this. Allergies, Mange, a skin infection or a combination of any of these. Has the doctor done a skin scraping? What food are you currently feeding? What shampoo?

Diet can have a lot to do with this. Most dog foods contain ingredients that are known allergens to dogs including corn, wheat, soy, and often, beef or lamb. I have a pug that has food allergies, so I feed Natural Balance Fish and Sweet potato. It generally takes about two weeks for the allergens to work out of the system and to see improvement.

You can try giving benadryl (1mg per lb) to see if it improves the symptoms. Though it may take a steroid such as prednisone to see real improvement.

Ginny01OT

You need to get that dog on a grain-free diet (Innova Evo, Nature's Variety Raw Instict, Solid Gold Barking at the Moon or Timberwolf Organics Wild and Natural) along with some tripe that contains Menhaden fish oil (Tripett) which you can get online at Petfooddirect.com or Sitstay.com. Hopefully that will help and if not you really must see an allergist.

squirt1968

If finances are a problem. Kirkland from Costco is a good one and cheaper than many of the other good foods. That baby needs a good Dr. too. Good luck

Snowshoe

Could it be mange?

Mange is really easy for dogs to catch, and spreads like wild fire.

Dogs can pick it up almost anywhere.

I'd take your dog to the vet.

chucky

my neighbour has a french bulldog with the same problem, she gives him some fish oil in his food, and also puts fish oil on the spots the dog scraching, it works, a 1 mount later the bulldog wasn't scraching at all, but there is bad side to it, the bulldog stunk like fish oil factory.

bearlasmom

i would give a mix of fish oil, cod liver oil and change his food to one without grain but i hate to say this, it does sound like mange. You said he has been doing it for 5 months and the vet only gives creams? have the done blood work or taken a sample of the skin and fur in the affected area?

Go to a pharmacy or naturopath shop and pick up : vitamin E (oil, cream or drops) golden seal balm and witch hazel. mix a bit together from all of the above. It will help stop the itching and promote healing whether it is an allergy or mange. if it is mange you have to disinfect your whole house and anything the pug has lain on. im thinking though that it very well could be an allergy though or the other dog would have it by now

cshellenberger

If it's Demodex Mange, it's NOT contagious. It does however require MONTHS of treatment with Ivermectin and you HAVE to stay with it until you have two clear skin scrapings. Here's a picture of a dog with severe Demodex



Unfortunately this little girl had to be put down due issues with her joints (you can see how malformed her legs were) requiring surgery, which couldn't be done due to the severe mange infection.

Kokona

I don't think it's mange, though it could be. We found a good vet who took a skin scraping. The previous vet only gave us steroids to treat him. This time around, we got a special shampoo wash. Things can get really exspensive, so I want to thank to person who said something about costco =)

I'd also like to thank everyone else, you've all been so kind and helpful! I'll be sure to update you on my little buddy's condition when we finally do figure out that's causing his suffering =(

cshellenberger

The picture I posted was a VERY severe case. I hope you find hte problem soon and get the poor little boy well soon.