George my Doggie Posted May 3, 2005 Share Posted May 3, 2005 (edited) My six month old border collie cross blue heeler has two balding patches on his face. There is still a little bit of fur there, but noticeably less than on the rest of his face. One bald patch is under his left eyes and he had another above his right. A couple of people have told me it could be mange, but are there any other skin problems it could be? Edited May 5, 2005 by George my Doggie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jordelette Posted May 3, 2005 Share Posted May 3, 2005 Demodex is often shown with bare patches around the eyes & feet . Take your dog to the vet for a skin scraping Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pug rescue victoria Posted May 3, 2005 Share Posted May 3, 2005 Could also be ringworm. Take him to the vet and get them to see what it is. If it is ringworm, it is contagious to humans and other animals. good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axel Posted May 4, 2005 Share Posted May 4, 2005 it is common of dogs at about 6-16 months age to show signs of demodex, all dogs have it and it will sometimes show at this age or when immune system is weak. The signs are loss of hair and skin redness.... you can get a demodex wash to put on the area, be careful of the wash, dont use it too much, once a week is sufficient, as it has been known to burn the dogs skin. another thing that will clear mange is ivemec which is an ingredient in revolution, advocate and most spot on treatments.. i would go to the vets and get a scraping done to rule out any other nasties though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spice Posted May 4, 2005 Share Posted May 4, 2005 welcome to the world of mange Its a bummer, my gsd had the exactly the same symptoms & yep it was mange Now after about 2 mths of treatment I think we have won the battle & hes over it Definately a vet vist,good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonny Posted May 4, 2005 Share Posted May 4, 2005 Don't worry it is very common. Go to the vets and get it checked. Treatment for mange can take a little while but your boy will be ok and the hair will grow back. Treatment can take 2-4 months and is very cheap nowadays Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spice Posted May 4, 2005 Share Posted May 4, 2005 Gosh my vet has only offered me ivomec ( mind you I didnt really ask about anything else) & its not cheap.With every vist theres a consult & the scrapings are $15 each + the cost of ivomec,its become an expensive episode???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axel Posted May 4, 2005 Share Posted May 4, 2005 Axel had it, demodex is not contaigious (?SP), it didnt take long to overcome, and one application of advocate drops cleared it up.. hair is almost all back now... it wasnt an expensive experience at all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KitKat Posted May 4, 2005 Share Posted May 4, 2005 Yeah my Bronx is just starting to have his fur grow back over the couple of patches now....i just used vasoline when the area started to look a bit dry and have been using advocate.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ninaandted Posted May 5, 2005 Share Posted May 5, 2005 Another possibility are "button tumors" - if the bald spot also has a lump underneath. They are benign tumors that usually heal up within a week or so. there is no treatment offered but you do need to keep them clean and can use antiseptic on them as they can get infected. if they don't heal within the fortnight then the vet needs to do a biopsy. Nina had two of these and her hair is only just growing back now. if there is no lump it will be something else more than likely. they are apparently common in puppies from six months up to about eighteen months of age. I hadn't ever heard of them, but that doesn't count for much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George my Doggie Posted May 5, 2005 Author Share Posted May 5, 2005 (edited) I don't think it's ringworm, otherwise I would have it all over my face and hands! I saw a vet show on tv a while back and there was this little girl with a guinea pig that had ringworm, and she still cuddled it up to her face and she had ringworm all over her face! That's probably what I'd look like if that's what it was. I've never heard of demodex...untill now that is...Oh well, we shall see, we shall see... There was no lump. at least not one that I could feel when I parted the fur to look at his skin. I guess that would narrow it to demodex or mange. I took him to the vet today for desexing, chipping and to have a look at the stuff on his face. The vet said it did look a bit mangey, and they're going to do a skin scraping to see if there are any mites. He also said I have two options for treatment if it is mange. A twice weekly dipping with a medicated shampoo(or something) or weekly injections that cost about $14 dollars each for 6-8 weeks. I think I'm going to go with the injections if it is mange, because George is terrified of water. He hates it with a passion. He doesn't mind the vet though, except when I have to leave him there. I was talking to the vet nurse around lunchtime when they had a break before surgery and she said he was barking alot, so they had to put a citronela collar on him. Poor George. He has separation anxiety. Edited May 5, 2005 by George my Doggie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KitKat Posted May 5, 2005 Share Posted May 5, 2005 (edited) If it is localised demodec then it will cure itself as it is a self limiting problem....it's only when it is generalised demodex (usually more then 5 spots) that you need to look at other avenues. Also Advocate are advertising that their once monthly topical application will take care of demodex mite...and so far from what i have seen with my dog this is correct. EFS Edited May 5, 2005 by KitKat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George my Doggie Posted May 5, 2005 Author Share Posted May 5, 2005 So...demodex is also a kind of mite like mange...but different... I want my dog back...I want him back now, but I have to wait another hour. I miss playing fetch with him :fetch: and his barking :woof: The house is so quiet without him... I hope he's alright and didn't vomit while he was under anesthetic I want my puppy back! I guess George isn't the only one with separation anxiety... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George my Doggie Posted May 5, 2005 Author Share Posted May 5, 2005 George is back!!! He's still a bit dopey from the anesthetic and two testicles lighter, but he is okay. The stuff on his face was indeed mange, and he has to go back every week for 6-8 weeks to get his injections for it. That means he won't be able to come with me to help with the puppy classes on Saturday...Poor Georgey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KitKat Posted May 5, 2005 Share Posted May 5, 2005 I had the option of drenching my dog in stuff...or giving him injections....but i didn't want to do that to him the more i looked into it the less i liked the idea. I went to a different vet and they let me in on the secret of the localised demodex being self limiting...you can do anything or nothing to it and it will heal over in a few weeks...the same time line as with injections etc. But you do have to make sure it isn't generalised demodex before looking at that way... Glad to hear George is back and all is good with him Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George my Doggie Posted May 5, 2005 Author Share Posted May 5, 2005 ^.^ All is good with George...But he keeps licking his stitches... I'm going to have to go back tomorrow and get them to give me a bucket (ie, an elizabethan collar) to put on his head. The vet did ask how long he'd had it and if it seemed to be getting better, but it was just spreading. It started as just one bald patch, then another appeared. My vet is always very honest with me, because they know me very well. They also know that if they charge me for a medicine that made no difference to my dog's recovery and I find out I'll take George to the other vet in the industrial estate -shakes fist at suffolk vet- So yes...rambling again...I'll shut up now. George should have his usual super-shiny wonderful coat back in a couple of months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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