Does my puppy really have mange?

I have a 4 month old puppy and a few weeks ago I took my puppy to the vet for itchy skin and I was given an antibiotic to clear up some red bumps in his ears. My vet said that he is too young to have allergies because puppy's typically do not develop allergies in their first year of life.



Well about two weeks later I took my puppy to the vet for more booster shots and his still itchy skin and this time the vet said that because the antibiotic did not clear up the itching it was possibly mange causing the itching and she just gave him a shot and said to come back in a week or so if the itching did not stop for another shot.



My puppy has not had any hair loss, but is VERY itchy on his stomach and legs. He has even caused a couple of abrasions due to his constant itching.



I want to trust my vet, but I am nervous about this diagnosis because none of the other symptoms fit. And she did not do any kind of skin scraping to check for mites that accompanies mange.Does my puppy really have mange?
I hope that your puppy was not given his booster shots when at the time he had problems.



I have taken aboard what the vet has said about allergies, however I am wondering if you are using a biological washing powder on his bedding. I know of a person who had a very new puppy and she reacted to this.



Also is it remotely possible that you have shampooed your puppy, he could be re-acting to this. Even if the shampoo was safe, there is a possibility that this was not rinsed off properly and this would cause an horrendous itch.



You must also look at the diet, in this I am not taking about allergies, he may have a digestive problem. It has been discovered that some dogs cannot digest grain. Grain creates acidity withing the blood and this causes itchiness. If you change his food, do it gradually by adding a small % of the new in with the old. Increase the % gradually and do this over about seven day.

Did you know that puppies should not have dairy food, are you perhaps giving him cows milk. If you give a puppy milk you must get this from the vets or a pet shop as this is closer to his mothers milk.



My final suggestion is that he may be reacting badly to his vaccinations/shots. Did he itch before his original vaccination? If you think that this is the cause you could in future give him homoeopathic nozodes to prevent parvo etc., Email me if you would like any info on this.Does my puppy really have mange?
I would take your puppy to another vet. You can't diagnose mange without skin scrapings. At this point your vet is playing a guessing game which is costing you money and your puppy discomfort.



One note, Corn in dog foods is usually a culprit in skin irritations, Check the food you are feeding your puppy and try to avoid foods with corn meal.
Scabies (the itchy mange) can be hard to find on a skin scrape but sometimes you get lucky. Demodex (which is occasionally itchy) is very easy to see. You need to talk to your vet about doing a skin scraping so that you get a proper diagnosis. I wonder what was in the shot? You need to ask your vet more questions.
Of course it could be allergies or mange....but she should have done skin scrapings to figure out exactly what it is before treating it.



I would find another vet.



In the meantime, I would put him on an unusual protein food (duck, fish, lamb....) with no corn, soy, or wheat, and see if that helps.



Also consider what he might have come into contact with, that could cause itching
There are several kinds of mange, each with a different type of mite--the microscopic creature responsbile for all the itching and misery--as the culprit.



check this article I read.



http://lnk.nu/dogtime.com/xhs.html
Of course it's possible. Scrapings will remove all doubt.



There are TWO types of mange,btw.

%26amp; mites don't ';accompany'; mange..they *ARE* mange!
If you are not agreeing with your vet's diagnosis...go get a second opinion from a different vet.
They NEED to do a skin scraping to check for the mites. Mange does sometimes occur in dogs less than year old and The mites are transferred from the mother to the puppy during nursing because the immune system of the puppy is typically not mature enough to resist the mites.



We had it with our Cavalier King Charles. He had hair loss all around his eye. They gave him Promeris, which is a topical parasiticide most commonly used to control fleas and ticks in dogs.$$$ It was given like you do flea stuff...a tube squeezed between the shoulder blades, but is done every 2 weeks x3 (or more) not monthly.



Also, we were given a medicated shampoo, which had to be done once a week.



This combo worked great and his hair has grown back around the eyes, with no mites found on recheck.



I also started him on immune system vitamins....don't know if it'll help boost his immune system, but I don't want to take chances with his breed.



Good luck....you need ANOTHER VET or insist on a skin scraping next time your there.
The pattern of itching that you are describing does sound as though it could be sarcoptic mange. In the early stages, you would notice it on the underside of the body. The dog scratches at himself almost uncontrollably and scratches his hair out, cuts himself, and can develop secondary skin infections.



Vets will often do a scraping to test for this sort of mange, but it's not conclusive in half of cases and presents a scarring risk. More commonly, vets do what your vet is doing--treat for sarcoptic mange and see if the treatment helps. If the treatment helps, then the diagnosis is confirmed. It's the ONLY way to confirm the diagnosis in fully half of cases. Giving an ivermectin injection is a very common treatment, although normally you would have a series of those injections.



My dog had several inconclusive scrapings (leaving a lovely scar on her ear!) , but because the symptoms fit with sarcoptic mange, the vet treated her for it.



She had sarcoptic mange at 6 mos, and she was treated successfully with a series of ivermectin injections. I was also told to use Benadryl with her to ease the itching. My vet had said that he normally wouldn't have recommended that in a dog who was being housebroken (I had just gotten her) because of the extra water intake the Benadryl would cause and the possibility of housebreaking mistakes, but we didn't have a problem as I just took her out more frequently. He recommended it in her case because she was also underweight and would stop eating to scratch, although she was clearly half-starved! It was so awful to watch her running towards her food bowl and then collapse in a fit of scratching before she got to it!



Here's a good link on sarcoptic mange: http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_sar

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