could this be mange?

[kobe'sdad]

Hi everyone. we just got our new boxer pup a couple weeks ago. he came home with a stomach parasite which we took care of and kennel cough which was also taken care of. but NOW.....we see a small patch on his head that originally looked like a tooth mark from a bit of rough play with our sheltie......but now, it's growing.....it's about the size of the end of a pencil eraser. it's scabby too. i should also add that at his 6 week check up when he was still with the breeder, the vet put that he had a loss of hair on his head. when we questioned the breeder she said that the mom had played with him and he got a scrape. when we picked him up at nearly 8 weeks of age his head looked perfectly fine. but now we wonder. and if it IS mange....is this a horrible thing that will cost lots of money and pain for our dog? or will it be something where all we'll need to do is apply some cream to the spot? he doesn't have any other places on his body and he's quite healthy now.....gaining weight and playing etc.
thanks in advance for any input.

 

[gmacleod]

Well, if you suspect mange, you need to take him to a vet to do a skin scrape. That should determine whether it is indeed mange, and if so, whether it is sarcoptic or demodectic mange.

Demodex is the more common. It is not contagious (the sarcoptic variety is) but is caused by a weakened/compromised immune system unable to cope with the demodectic mites that are naturally present on his skin. So the key to beating demodex is boosting the immune system.

In 90% of cases, demodectic mange will only ever be localised - meaning a few spots and the puppy will mostly cure itself. For the remaining 10%, generalised mange will develop - and that can be extremely nasty. The suppressed/weak immune system seems to be hereditary, and any animal that develops generalised demodex must never be bred.

If you do a search here using the terms "demodex", "demodectic", and "mange" you'll find a great many previous threads that can give you much more information.

 

[KarenCK]

I would take him to the vet and get a skin scraping to see if it is mange. Our Doberman had it as a puppy and it started on his head. We did take him to the vet but they said it wasn't mange. It spread all over his body and he was miserable and almost bald and finally in desperation, I went to another vet and they diagnosed as demodex mange. They showed me what it looked like under the microscope. It's so easy to see and I was soooo angry at the other vet. It took many dips and several courses of antibiotics before he finally started to look and feel better. So the moral to this story is to catch it early before it becomes a big deal. Apparently, it is something they always have but now that he is fully grown we haven't had any problems. Good luck.

 

[nstarmer]

I just posted on another thread relative to mange, so I'll see what info I get here as well.....
Demsey tested positive to demodex when he about 2-3 months old. My vet gave me tub of Goodwinol Ointment and directed me to apply it once a day for ten days. Now, he only had a spot a little bigger than a quarter, but it was demodex so he wanted it treated. After 5 days I stopped using it because the spot was filling in with new hair. It came again a month or two later, I used it again, and again the spot cleared in a few days. He is now a year old and it was never a problem again. I was unfamiliar with it all, but it seems some of our friends are suffering terribly. Anyone else been given Goodwinol for treatment??