[Nestor]

Olivia, who is now 11 weeks old, seems to have a thinning patch on the crown of her head. (Not unlike her owner, coincidently )

We took her to the vet, who figured it might be fleas, and gave her a dose of Advantage.

The breeder says it's probably mange and that she'll grow out of it.

It's been a week and the thin patch seems to have grown down the back of her head.

Any ideas???

p.s. I forgot to mention that I noticed a really tiny spot on her head when we were purchasing her at the breeder, but I didn't think it was serious and neglected to ask.

 

[murraysmom]

The breeder says it's probably mange and that she'll grow out of it.[/b]

That's a surprising statement- if it's mange she certainly won't outgrow it- it needs to be treated.

Maybe it's a flea allergy,which was your vet's first guess, but maybe it's not.The fact that it's getting larger would worry me.

It could be ring worm or mange or a variety of things- with the affected area getting larger, it would make sense for the vet to take a scraping and investigate further.

 

[Nestor]

I forgot to mention that the vet took a scrape and didn't find anything under the scope.

 

[Betsy Iole]

Some lines of purebred dogs have a lowered resistance to demodectic mange, manifested by puppies developing mange at an early age.

Mange

Demodectic Mange

Demodectic mange is caused by Demodex canis, a tiny mite that cannot be seen without the aid of a microscope. This mange strikes puppies from three to 12 months old.

The demodex mite is commonly present in the pores of puppy skin and usually does not cause symptoms, and it not at all certain what causes them to activate. The mites can produce a substance that lowers the dog's resistance to them and make use of an opportunity to multiply.

It's also possible that some lines of purebred dogs carry lowered resistance to the mites, and that stress can trigger an active infestation. In any case, demodectic mange symptoms include thinning of the hair around the eyes and mouth and on the front legs that evolves into patches of hair loss approximately one inch in diameter. This mange may correct itself within three months or may require treatment.

However, demodectic mange can also begin as a localized infestation and develop into a generalized case with multiple hair-loss sites on the dog's head, legs, and body. This is a far more serious condition and requires veterinary attention. The dog's skin is sore, crusty, and oozing; the hair follicles are clogged with mites and debris. Treatment is extended and requires bathing in medicated shampoo and application of an insecticide to kill the mites.[/b]

Demodectic Mange

CAN THE PUP BE BRED LATER?

Sometimes the puppy with localized demodicosis was obtained for breeding purposes. The current recommendation is not to treat these puppies so that we can determine if the condition will stay localized and resolve or if it will generalize. If it stays localized and eventually resolves without treatment, the animal is still a candidate for breeding. If the condition generalizes to cover the entire body, the animal should be sterilized. If the condition receives treatment and resolves, we will never know how the disease would have gone in its natural state and will not know whether the pup is carrying the genetic predisposition for demodectic mange. In this case, it is best to be conservative and not take the chance of passing on genetic predisposition for this disease.

Localized demodicosis is almost exclusively a "puppyhood" disease. When a puppy develops localized demodicosis the chance of the condition resolving is 90% unless there is a family history of demodicosis in related dogs. In this case, chance of spontaneous resolution drops to 50%.

Occasionally an adult dog develops localized demodicosis. We currently do not have good understanding of the prognosis or significance of this condition in an adult dog.[/b]

 

[Nestor]

Thanks for the info.

I haven't seen it go beyond the top of the head. Hopefully, it doesn't spread. As I mentioned, the vet couldn't find any mites in the scrape.

It's not completely bald, either, the spots don't look sore, and Olivia doesn't flinch when prodded there.

I won't be breeding her, so I'm reluctant to let symptoms "run its course".

 

[murraysmom]

"This mange may correct itself within three months or may require treatment."

Thanks for the information Betsy- I honestly didn't know that this form of mange could resolve on its own- a beagle pup I fostered years ago had this and the vet didn't even mention that possibility.

Nestor, I'll be interested to hear what happens.

 

[Missjoy]

Maggie had the same thing that developed about a month after we adopted her, so she would have been about 5-6 months. We thought at first it may have been from the leash rubbing her head when we walked her. It's gone now and I'm trying to think of when it corrected itself. She got antibiotics for her belly looking red after being spayed at the same time she was treated for ringworm, so I'm not sure which one of those cleared it up.

 

[Mommyto4bassets]

My 2 year old basset Sadie has a severe allergy to fleas and her hair falls out just the way you are describing. We have to make sure that she doesn't go without her frontline treatment, b.c even if there is a window of just a few days where she is exposed she gets bald patches everywhere! We also give her a nutrional supplement to help stimulate the hair to grow back evenly and pretty. She thinks it is a treat and loves it! It is pretty inexpensive as well! Brewer's Yeast

 

[Elmer-n-Button]

Button had a bald spot on the top of his head, one on his chest, and right on the bend of his elbow-bone when we first got him. The vet said it was a fungus and gave me a bottle of Miconosol to dab on it 3 times daily. Over time the hair grew back and they dissapeared. Elmer never "caught" it from him or anything. He has not had any trouble since.