Thinning Fur On Puppy's Head

[koalathebear]

Hoover the Kelpie is now 15 weeks old. He's now eating well with a good appetite (no longer fussy about kibble) and seems very healthy and happy. He also enjoys his lamb flaps.

One thing that worries me is that he's got thinning fur on his head. It's been like that for a while, doesn't seem to be getting any worse and there's no scratching or itchiness from what I can tell. He doesn't have fleas. His fur is fine everywhere else.

You can see the thinning fur on his temple in this photograph:

With the flash on, it's even clearer and the poor puppy looks like he's going bald!

Not so obvious in this light

We're taking him to the vet tomorrow but I was just wondering if anyone had any ideas? I know it could possibly be alopecia but how fast is the progression? The thin patch on his head seems to have been like that for quite some time.

Edited October 28, 2010 by koalathebear

[persephone]

Could well be demodex mange ... all pups have some mites, but sometimes if their immune system drops below par ..the mites multiply and cause a problem.

may not be that ... but that's my first thought .

don't put anything on it..and ask the vet to do a skin scraping He's a handsome boy!

[sas]

Puppy rubbing his head on the carpet?

My dogs hair thins in the exact same place due to that.

Could be Mange as well.

[poodlefan]

Does Elbie play mouthing games with him?

It might be mange or wear. Hopefully the vet will shed some light on it.

[koalathebear]

Thanks all! The vet put some oil on poor Hoover's head and did a skin scraping. He didn't seem to mind, even though she had to scrape to the point where his head was bleeding. She went off to check it out under the microscope and it's demodex mites. Apparently nothing alarming. She let my OH look at them under the microscope and then said she'd keep the slide for "the girls" (student interns?) to study.

She's given us a small bottle of anti-mite solution to dab on his head twice a day. She's also given us some antibiotics for him to take just in case it's affected his immune system. She said it isn't contagious (for us), won't spread to his bedding, and Elbie should be fine. It would take prolonged direct skin contact for Elbie to catch it, etc etc. And wikipedia says most dogs are immune to that number of mites anyway. Every dog has them but their immune systems usually keep it under control etc.

We also asked about microchipping and the original plan was to do it during the de-sexing because it's a big needle but because Hoover so placid, we had him microchipped today. OH got a firm grip on him in case he wriggled, and she injected the microchip. Not only did he not wriggle, he didn't even yelp or seem to care at all. The vet said that he was tough and she wished they were all like that. He didn't even bleed or anything. Must be the tough farm upbringing

His head should be better in a few weeks. The vet said that was good that we hadn't waited until his next appointment to ask about the fur thinness. The timing of his next vaccination means they can do a follow-up check at the same time.

[persephone]

Glad he is such a good boy, as well as being handsome! Hopefully the mites will now leave the scene !

[WreckitWhippet]

The only time AB's are required for mange, is if it's a generalised outbreak that has resulted in a lot of scratching and secondary infection.

You will probably find that he will have another outbreak after he's vaccinated.