Does my dog have the mange???

i took my dog to the vet. he looked over her real quick and said she has hot spots. he gave her a couple shots, and put her on predizone. she also has a spray to kill infection. shes not getting better!! i really think she has the mange. her hair on her back is falling out like crazy. i dont know what to do right now. ive spent so much money on vet bills. is there any experienced bulldog owners that have delt with this problem?

Does my dog have the mange???

If your vet did not do a skin scraping, this really should be done. A simple test you can perform that is about 95% accurate is the pedal-pinna reflex test. You do this by taking your dog's ear in your hand and scratch the inside of the ear flap. If your dog's hind leg on that side makes a scratching type motion, it is very likely that the cause of the skin condition is mange. Most dogs will not make this scratching motion in response to stimulating the ear.

If she does have mange, the prednisone is most likely making the condition worse. Prednisone does help relieve the inflammation; however, it also suppresses the immune system and gives the mites an opportunity to flourish. You don't mention what the shots were. Perhaps they were ivermectin which would be beneficial in fighting the mites that cause mange. Definitely find out what the shots were. There is a lot of support for the use of ivermectin (the medication in Heartgard) to cure mange. There are also dips such as lyme sulfur to kill the mites.

It may be useful to get a second opinion.

Does my dog have the mange???

i am so sorry to here about that! does she have a ring around her eye? that has hair loss? she might if that is there!

Does my dog have the mange???

bulldogs can naturally have yucky skin, a good diet (high quality dog food like nutro), and regular grooming can help. a%26amp;d ointment is great for hot spots and other nasty skin problems, it fights infection and wont make your dog sick if he licks it. if it were mange there would be a chance you have it too, and a vet can notice it at a glance, so can a groomer. a long sit in a medicated bath can make a big difference, take him to the groomer and tell them your problem, they will use their good medicated and oatmean shampoos to help. also fish oil is great for yucky skin, a teaspoon in his dinner everyday will make a difference

hope i could help

Does my dog have the mange???

Bulldogs are known for having Demodectic Mange. It is a type of mite that all dogs have on their fur, but certain dogs have a genetic immunity problems that causes their body to not be able to fight off the mite. They usually start showing signs at 4 months to a year. It your dog has Demodectic Mange, it should not be used for breeding (and if you got the dog from a breeder with a health guarantee, you may want to contact them). Did your vet do a skin scraping? Demodex mites show up on a skin scraping. If the dog has it, the treatment is dips with a drug called Mytaban. They dog will need at least 6 dips (one a week) to treat the problem.

You dog may also have Sarcoptic Mange. It is a mite that also causes scabies in people. The are not genetically based, but they are a skin parasite like a flea. They do not usually show up on a skin scraping. The treatment is Revolution (a topical heartworm/flea medication), but I am not sure on the dosage.

It is also possible that she has ringworm, but not as likely. I would think that she has Demodectic Mange, Bulldogs are known for having mange problems. I would call the vet and tell them that you want a skin scraping done on the dog (especially if your dog is still a puppy).

She could also have food allergies, especially if her fur is falling out and there are little bumps that look like hives. This would be my guess if she is over a year old. Bulldogs are prone to allergies, and nutro just started adding soy (which is a common allergen) to their food. I would switch your dog to Natural Balance because it has no soy in it.

When you bathe her, you can try using cool water and a high quality oatmeal shampoo (I like Desert Sudz Hypoallergenic Oatmeal from ryanspet.com). I would lather her up in the shampoo and let it set for 10 minutes and then rinse thoroughly. Bullies of all types are know for having skin problems, it is just finding out which one. I hope this helps and that your Bullie gets better!

Also, if it was hot spots the predinsone should of cleared it up. Your vet is doing a normal treatment for hot spots, so if they were really hot spots they should be clearing up. Plus, the prednisone would make the mange worse, but it may help if the dog if she has allergies. I would try another vet (or complain to your current one). Sometimes veterinarians do not have much experience with the Bulldog breeds (my vet only has one English come in and then my Frenchies, and they are a very large clinic in the city that I live in. I had to pester him to do research on some of the common Bullie problems) so they do not know of their predisposition to many health problems.

Sorry for the book, but I hope that it was helpful.