thin spots in coat

[Harry'sMom]

We have a new 13 week old puppy, and the vet pointed out that his coat is sparse behind his ears and on the back of his thighs. She wasn't overly concerned as he isn't itchy, and will just watch to see if these areas fill in. I was wondering if these are normally thinner spots in puppies' coats.

 

[gmacleod]

I suspect your vet has the possible development of demodectic mange in mind. All dogs have the demodex mite, but in most cases this causes no problem. A few individuals will develop mange, which in 90% of cases is just localised spots/patches. Pups with weak or compromised immune systems can go on to develop generalised mange though, which is much more serious and difficult to treat. Anyway - none of that is intended to cause you any concern. Just my thinking on why your vet is likely to be commenting on thining patches of hair.

 

[manna81]

Dozer has demodectic mange

Hi my lil. man dozer has red mange (same thing) I recamend not using mitaban. Very strong. Take him to the vet and have them to a sink scrape that will let you know. My vet has an oral dose or a weekly shot.
I did some reseach on mitaban you should to just in case you vet wants to use it. I found that some pups can get really sick and some people have lost toy breeds from it.

 

[manna81]

one more thing

I did this to. Im new at this you need to go to the INTRODUCTION forums and fill one out. I did a health one first to I didnt know I was supposta fill out one of the things on the intro. page . Good Luck to ya and your pup!

 

[Scapone]

Mange

Hi,

My pup Rocky is now 7 months and we started to notice a couple of patches of fur missing. One on his back knee and one on his forehead and a small hardly noticeable one on his shoulder. We took him to the vet where they did a skin scrape. The vet suspects dermodentic mange even though the mange mite did not show up in the scrape test. She said it doesn't always show. She gave him an ointment to use on the spots but it did not seem to work. The cream didn't seem to be working so I called and asked if she could give him an oral med. She did. It seems to be working a little. However, I suspect that it is a food allergy. I noticed this ever since I switched his food over to Eukenuba. So I have put him on the Hill's Prescription diet ZD. It has absolutely no allergens in it. Couldn't hurt right? Does anyone know of any low allergen dog treats or biscuits I could try?

 

[gmacleod]

Mmmm. Hills Z/D may not have any common allergens (everything is a potential allergen), but it does have carcinogenic preservatives - BHA and Ethoxyquin. The main ingredient is potato starch...

There are many foods out there made for dogs with allergy problems, most of them much better quality than Hills. Wellness' Simple Solutions and Fromms come to mind as premium foods, but there are plenty of others.

I would note though, that Eukanuba is also a rather nasty dog food that contains a LOT of common allergens. The most common culprits are the difficult-to-digest grains such as corn and wheat, with things like beet pulp, brewers yeast, and artificial flavours following closely behind. Since Eukanuba contains *all* of these things, it really isn't a surprise that your pup may have been allergic to something - or several things - in that food. Rather than head straight for a food made for dogs who are highly allergic to many things, I'd first try a premium food that simply doesn't contain those cheap and nasty ingredients that commonly cause problems. There is some information on how to choose a good dog food at www.boxerworld.com/feeding

You should also note that demodectic mange is an immune system problem. All dogs have the demodex mite - but it is only those who have suppressed or compromised immune systems who develop mange. The best thing you can do for your dog if it is starting to develop mange is to boost his immune system. Feeding a premium quality food is a very good start

 

[Scapone]

Thin spots on coat

Thanks for your reply. I found it very helpful and will seek out some of these other dog foods. I thought I was buying the right thing because the vet sold it. We have a local health food store that carries dog food and treats and I know that they carry wellness and also Innova. What do you think of Innova? Plus I give Rocky a Vitamin everyday. Buy the way I have seen pics of your boxer on Boxer World and he/she is just beautiful. We noticed that your Boxer has the same marking on the back of the neck as ours. It sort of looks like a white arrow.

Take care and thanks again,
Susan

 

[gmacleod]

Innova? Well, from reading the ingredient list (and hearing many happy reports on here from people that use it), I think Innova is one of the best dry dog foods available

You can see their ingredient list here: http://www.naturapet.com/display.php?d=product-detail&pxsl=//product[@id='1']

As for whether it would suit your boy - well, quite possibly it would It is not an "allergy formula" but has none of the nasty grains like corn and rice, bad preservatives or any of the other most common allergens. The only thing that I would think is a possible problem is the turkey - but only if your pup happens to be sensitive to rich/fatty meats (most aren't, but some are).

Naturapet - the makers of Innova - also make California Natural which is another very good food. If the Innova doesn't happen to suit your pup, the Cal. Natural very well might. It is more of the one-protein-source and few grains type of food.

 

[Scapone]

Thanks again, I will let you know how I make out with the new food.