I started brushing my dog today and i noticed these reddish bumps on her back and side of her belly, with yellowish crusts on top.. I'm really freaking out right now.. She is loosing alot of hair and i could even pull the hair off with my fingers.. Is this mange, can i treat it myself??? Please help, im really sad because i switched her over to natural balance sweet potato and fish about 2 month ago because i wanted her coat to look real good and now this!!!!helpppppp
Can this be mange?? Help me diagnose..
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From your description, my first thought definitely would not be mange. The problem with assessing/treating a condition like this without the benefit of a vet is that unlike (most) humans, animals lick/chew/scratch insults to their skin/coat. The yellowish crusts sound bacterial - in a human, we would start with something on the order of impetigo and work on from there depending on the health of the person. Having said that, an allergic reaction could trigger something that might end up looking like your description as well. Dogs do pick up dermatic viruses (hygiene and other pet contact caution). Staph has already been mentioned and is always a possibility once there is breakdown of skin for any reason. The hair loss is a little concerning. If your dog is not agitating the coat due to itch/discomfort, the hair loss as a result of the condition would have to be brewing for a little while. I would not panic but I would want a vet to see this asap. I agree also with doing an internet search and soaking up everything with an eye toward questions for the vet. I personally would not risk trying to treat this without the input of a vet. Best of luck to you both! Please let us know how things turn out.
thank you for your reply.. she does scratches and chews, but not constantly. Could this infection be due to me switching her over to natural balance like 2 month ago? I'm really stressed out about this and i want to take her to the vet right now but they are close. I might not go to work tomorrow and take her.
update.. i just fed her and got a closer look. she really does not have any bumps, just like 2 or maybe 3 little red spots that looks like she did those from scratching, the bumps i felt are tons of yellow crust attached to he hairs, could this be a parasite??
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I would just take her to the vet to be sure. I know Allie had some crusty looking red bumps on her belly when she was maybe 8 mo. old. She did have some crusty stuff attached to her belly hair. It was a staph infection. The vet gave her antibiotics and antibiotic cream for her belly. It was gone in less than a week. Do not worry. She will be ok. Just make sure to take her to the vet.
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I think it's staph but whatever it is it's probably going to require a trip to the vet's to get proper treatment, so you'll have to go anyway.
I doubt it is a food reaction since she's on a low allergen food although anything's possible. Besides staph, demodex (and associated inflamed skin), hot spots, and ringworm, are all possibilities. My guess is she's going to need antibiotics and perhaps a medicated shampoo like oxydex.
Let us know what happens!
I doubt it is a food reaction since she's on a low allergen food although anything's possible. Besides staph, demodex (and associated inflamed skin), hot spots, and ringworm, are all possibilities. My guess is she's going to need antibiotics and perhaps a medicated shampoo like oxydex.
Let us know what happens!
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It does not sound or look like mange, at least demodectic mange. Rafi had some bumps like that when we were at the cottage but I assumed they were insect bites. I put anti-itch stuff on them and some herbal creme and they are better now.
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Rafi has crusty stuff on his back from his mange but it looks completely different. His skin turned black and then he got scabbies from itching.
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Yes, I think that's more typical. And truthfully, the yellow stuff and hair loss I've seen in the systemic dogs could have been caused by the mange itself or could have been a secondary infection made possible by the mange problem. These have all been dogs in shelters in extremely poor condition which, clearly, the OP's dog is not.
Hey guys.. I took her to the vet yesterday, and they said its some kind of dermatitis probably cause by her shampoo. I did changed her shampoo but I only gave her a bath with that shampoo once like 2 month ago. Anyways, they game me a medicated shampoo and antibiotics for the derm and the itching as well. I have to give her a bath 2 times a week for 15 days and the antibiotics 1 every 12 hours for 20 days. Well see how it goes. Thanks for all replies.
Kreativ, Happy to hear you've got a handle on the problem. Hopefully the shampoo is the culprit. Just a thought - I'm sure your vet asked you about any new exposures - don't forget carpet/floor cleaning or deodorizing products, really anything she might especially lie down on, blankets, bed linens. It does sound like a more localized contact dermatitis-type deal rather than a systemic allergic reaction such as a food allergy. With a little luck and your obvious good care, she'll probably clear it up pdq!
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How could a shampoo used two months ago cause an allergic reaction now? That makes no sense at all. Rafi had bumps just like that and I'm sure it was from bug bites. I put hypericum/calendula cream at night on them and they healed up. They're completely gone now.
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Back to why maybe shampoo -- if perchance it wasn't rinsed completely out, it could still be causing problems. And the prolonged contact would be more apt to cause problems.
Hope this solves the problem.
Hope this solves the problem.
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