Mange, allergies, or something else??

[HurricaneBox]

First off, I'm sorry I have been off the boards for so long. We moved and haven't had internet at home for quite some time... but we finally got it back!

Second let me say I am taking Hurricane to see the vet asap, the soonest I can get him there is Tuesday so I am just looking for ideas in the meantime.

He presented a few weeks ago with itchy ears and a little bit of dark colored discharge/wax, which I thought was either a return of allergies which he has had in the past or possibly ear mites. I still had some of the meds the vet gave us before left over, so I treated with that for a week with no improvement. I bought some ear mite wash and treated with that for 2 weeks, with no improvement. It was never really bad, so I thought maybe he just had dirty ears, even though he never has before, so I decided to leave him alone and just monitor. They haven't gotten any better or any worse. We did find a few fleas on him a couple of weeks ago, and so got him back on flea/tick preventative. He has still been itchy since then, so about 4 days ago I gave him a bath with an oatmeal/anti itch shampoo.

Fast forward to today. I was petting him and noticed a couple of small bumps under his fur that he acted like itched or hurt when I touched. On further inspection, they were three (small) open sores on his lower back a few inches forward of his tail! He REALLY didn't want me touching them, but I inspected and discovered red bumps from the base of his tail to about 3/4 of the way up his back, that seem to itch and at the same time be tender to him. They are just on the top of his back in a strip about 2.5 inches wide, they do not extend down his sides or legs.

What could this be? I have never seen mange before, so I have no idea if this is mange and if so where he could have gotten it. He is only ever outside to use the bathroom and when we go on walks, but we walk on the street and he doesn't come into contact with other animals. We do have feral cats in our neighborhood, so I guess they have been around in our yard. I am not sure if it is that, or allergies (environmental since we moved states, or a reaction to the flea preventative maybe??). The only other new thing (other than new house, new neighborhood, etc) is that I have started to give him Bach's Rescue Remedy, and he has never had that before.

Any ideas/suggestions? I am planning on stopping the Bach's for now, and maybe giving Benadryl? What is the dose level for continuous antihistamine? I usually give him 2, but just a one time dose. I know their metabolisms are much fast than ours.... how often and how much do I need to give in order to keep it in his system?

Thanks in advance for any advice you have....

 

[HurricaneBox]

Oh, and the other thing I forgot to mention... I did switch his food from Wellness Core to Evo Red Meat back in March. The local pet food store didn't carry Wellness and Evo had high marks and was grain free, and he liked it. That long ago it wouldn't be a food allergy, would it?

 

[Gatorblu]

I'm so sorry Hurricane is having problems. It could be so many things. It could be the change in foods, it could be enviromental, it could even be the stress of the move or change in climates. Or a combination of any or all of the above. When did the sores show up? Was it after the shampoo? If he has been grain free for a while and you used a shampoo with grain (oats) it could have caused an adverse reaction.

If it is food related, it can take a while for the "toxin" that caused the allergy to build up. If you were using the Original Core Wellness, that is made with chicken and turkey and you have now switched to red meat. Is Hurricane chewing at his paws? A lot of the time paw chewing accompanies food allergies as well as ear infections. I would probably look for a food that has chicken and turkey and try to stay away from the red meat. Evo does make a turkey and chicken flavor.

Until you can get to the vet to rule out other things, I would wipe him down with a damp cloth everytime you come in just in case it is enviromental. I would also wash any bedding. I would also clean his ears daily. I would keep a sample of what ever it is that you are getting out, just in case it does start to clear up before you get to the vet and they can see what it is. Ear infections can be caused by yeast or bacteria. If you used something that was prescribed for one and it is actually the other it could make the situation worse.

As for benedryl, 1 tablet for 25lbs of dog. I would start with one tab 2x day and see if that helps. If it helps some but not enough you could do two tablets twice a day provided Hurricane is over 50 lbs, but this may cause drowsiness.

Another thing, is Hurricane getting the same amount if excercise since the move? Sometimes anxiety can present in some strange ways.

I hope you get some answers soon. In the meantime we are sending positive healthy ((vibes)) Hurricane's way!

 

[HurricaneBox]

To answer your questions:

-I noticed the bumps today, and upon closer inspection noticed that some of the larger ones were open sores. UPDATE: they are now all the way up his back and onto his neck, but absolutely none on his chest/belly/legs/tail/face/throat. JUST his back and the back of his neck, where the fur is the thickest and a couple have shown up slightly further down onto his sides and withers/shoulder area. Since they seem to be moving fast, I am assuming they are some sort of reaction, but to what??

-The shampoo is the same one I have always used for him... and he has always been on a grain free diet. I doubt that is the cause but I guess anything is possible.

-He has not bothered his paws at all. They are not red or inflamed, and neither are his ears. As a matter of fact, these bumps don't seem to bother him at all, unless they are touched. He doesn't scratch or act like they hurt or itch unless he is petted, then he goes crazy. Oh, and I shaved a patch of fur off of his back where they seemed the worst, so I could see better, and it looks terrible... but oddly, not red. The only bumps that are red are the ones that have opened into sores.... the rest are just his normal skin color, but large enough to see easily, and where the are under fur elsewhere they raise up the fur. Almost like what a tick looks like under fur, if you know what that looks like.

-I thought that a food allergy would show within 8 weeks of starting a new food? It has been more than 12 weeks since we switched, surely he would have had other symptoms by now? His stools are still nice and firm, his paws are not red, itchy or inflamed, nor does he have any other symptoms, just the rapidly spreading red lumps (from tiny pimple sized to the size of a pea) that open into sores at their largest size.

From the speed of progression, I am assuming he has gotten into something, but the fact that these bumps are only showing up where he has thicker fur confuses me, and the Benadryl has so far done nothing to help. I am definitely taking him in, but I am soooooo confused! I feel bad for him, and I can't even pet him or cuddle since that irritates this strange rash :( My poor boy!

 

[HurricaneBox]

Added a photo, as soon as it is approved you can see. Sorry for the poor quality, I took it on my cell phone

 

[gmacleod]

How long is it since you treated him for fleas? And are you sure they're all gone? The reason I ask is that what you describe does sound a bit like flea allergy dermititis (itching, lesions, hair loss) - which is caused by allergy to flea saliva. Fleas can be pretty difficult to get rid of, after all, and it can take a bit of time (especially if the treatment you use only kills the adults - or conversely, only stops them breeding).

Another possibility is an allergy or reaction to the flea treatment itself. That's not rare, so possibly something worth considering.

 

[HurricaneBox]

Well, he has been flea-free for 2 years. We moved to a new house the first week of April, and we bug-bombed and sprayed really well before we moved in. I saw two fleas about 3 1/2 weeks ago, and dosed him with Advantix (what we used on him as a pup) about 2 weeks ago, haven't seen any since. I did also wash the bedding and used the carpet powder at that time. All products I have used with him before with no reactions. I guess allergies can develop at any time though, so it is still a possibility certainly.

Today I noticed that when the lumps break open into sores it is no longer clear fluid, it is now cloudy and pus-like (gross, I know I am sorry) so I am thinking maybe some kind of skin infection?? I am taking him in first thing in the morning though so hopefully by lunch tomorrow we will have some answers and he will have some relief.... I can tell he is terribly uncomfortable, poor guy!

The photo of his back and the lumps/sores is in the brindle gallery.... if you want to have a look

 

[Gatorblu]

You might want to put some polysporin (neosporin) on the open sores to prevent any further infection. Poor Hurricane! Continued healthy ((vibes)) coming his way!

 

[Sansal]

Poor guy! Sending lots of (((((( healing vibes )))))) Hope you get answers tomorrow and he feels better soon.

 

[johann]

The picture (and description) sounds like what Johann's staph skin infections looked like. Kinda oozy and super pink skin, he had some hair loss with it as well.

It could have started as a reaction to fleas or new food...but definitely sounds infected now.

Our vet told us to give 25 mg per 25 lbs of body weight of diphenhydramine (Benedryl in the US) every 8 hours. The pills are usually 25 mg each.

I hope the vet has an idea of what's going on with him. Poor Hurricane, that looks sore!