Skin and Coat problems

[AlphaOfGino]

I started to notice Gino has a some small (dime to penny sized) bald spots on his spine area. At first I thought it was due to his harness because they looked to be around where his harness is.. so i figured whenever his harness was pulled for whatever reason it would snatch on his fur and pull them out. But I come to believe that's not the case any more.

Plus I notice he is shedding A LOT more and has dandruff now. Per a friend's recommendation, I started to use the FurMinator brush on him and I brush out a good amount of fur with it when I do brush him every couple of days. Even after brushing him he sheds a lot within that day. Is it normal that I can punch some fur, pull slightly, and be able to pull a pinchfull of fur out?

He only showers every two weeks with oatmeal based shampoo. He's on Fromms Beef and Veg.

Any ideas what his bald spots are from, or recommendations for the dandruff?

 

[DudleysMom]

Dudley was shedding like crazy and had a ton of dandruff. I started giving him wild salmon oil and it's sooooo much better. His dandruff is pretty much gone and he's not shedding much at all. Maybe it would help.

 

[Scueva]

Could be demodectic mange?

 

[ChanelnBrutus]

I would go have have a skin scrape done to rule out mites and mange! It could be allergy related! Brutus had that after his hives developed staph infection. We used Maloseb wash and it cleared up quick! The shampoo is the best thing ever for bullies!!! A skin scrape would be the first start and then take it from there!

I will tag other members to see if they can help! [MENTION=2894]2BullyMama[/MENTION] [MENTION=2]desertskybulldogs[/MENTION] [MENTION=2071]Davidh[/MENTION]

 

[bullmama]

Awe man poor baby!

It could be mites/ mange, allergies, ringworm, staph or fioliculitis. There us so many possibilities. The vet will scrape the skin if he thinks its necessary to rule out mange/mites. Does it itch?


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[Davidh]

The salmon oil should help with the dry skin, but the bald spots could be mange mites. I would let a vet take a look at him.

 

[2BullyMama]

Agree with all the others, have the vet take a look, many possiblities -- staph, mites, mange, etc

 

[AlphaOfGino]

Thank everyone for the responses..

I took him to the vet yesterday. THe vet did do a skin scrape and said negative for mites. He didn't give me a definite reason as to why he has bald spots and dandruff. He gave me a anti-septic shampoo to use every 3 days. States that the dandruff is very mild and that his shedding is normal for Gino being 6months and the season. Told me to monitor to see if theres improvement or not. He didn't want to send me home with antibiotic or medication at this point.


So i'll give the anti-septic wash a try and look into salmon oil. However, I noticed Gino didn't do well with Blue Buffalo's Salmon kibble (his chin became so red and raw), so I'm kind of hesitant to give him Salmon oil.

 

[AlphaOfGino]

as far as itching, he doesnt seem to be itch on his back. Maybe every other day he'll roll onto his back and bark but its very rare he does.

 

[mandymae7]

We received a diagnosis of Red Mange (Demodectic). However, I'm not convinced that's what it is. Of all the research I've done, no images or descriptions match the symptoms of our girl. Also, if all dogs have these mites, how can a skin scrape diagnose it? She has hair loss, but it appears to be only her undercoat as it is only underneath that's balding but there is quite a bit of hair still there. She LOVES to be outside and we're here in Florida so it's hot. All of our dogs live in the house, they go outside several times a day for play and potty time. The run outside is covered with a sun shade so she's not directly in the sun. She is a very happy and playful baby but has been stressed lately with a new litter and another new baby in the house. The skin is not reddened at all but looks like there are some 'pimples' or bites. No itching, no spots anywhere else. Usually it starts around their paws and eyes and it's not that way on her. It's on her back starting between her two front shoulders. The vet sold us Mitaban (at $50 for 2 dips worth) but I DO NOT want to use it because of its toxic effects and she's only 9 months old. So, we started with an organic apple cider vinegar poured over her and rubbed in, followed by a Neem Oil Shampoo and finished off with Neem Oil and Coconut Oil (topically). We have also used Nu-Stock but it stinks really bad - great results though!

We do breed dogs and I am just under the impression that our vet gave this diagnosis for us to have her fixed there (to make up for the $$ we didn't spend there for the c-section) and convince us not to breed her (he was irritated with us that we didn't bring our other female to him for her recent c-section)....#probablychangingvets

 

[mandymae7]

One of our boys looked like this and we put Nu-Stock on him and it went away. Also bathed with SelsunBlue but you can use Head & Shoulders as well.

 

[Jennifer Clark]

We received a diagnosis of Red Mange (Demodectic). However, I'm not convinced that's what it is. Of all the research I've done, no images or descriptions match the symptoms of our girl. Also, if all dogs have these mites, how can a skin scrape diagnose it? She has hair loss, but it appears to be only her undercoat as it is only underneath that's balding but there is quite a bit of hair still there. She LOVES to be outside and we're here in Florida so it's hot. All of our dogs live in the house, they go outside several times a day for play and potty time. The run outside is covered with a sun shade so she's not directly in the sun. She is a very happy and playful baby but has been stressed lately with a new litter and another new baby in the house. The skin is not reddened at all but looks like there are some 'pimples' or bites. No itching, no spots anywhere else. Usually it starts around their paws and eyes and it's not that way on her. It's on her back starting between her two front shoulders. The vet sold us Mitaban (at $50 for 2 dips worth) but I DO NOT want to use it because of its toxic effects and she's only 9 months old. So, we started with an organic apple cider vinegar poured over her and rubbed in, followed by a Neem Oil Shampoo and finished off with Neem Oil and Coconut Oil (topically). We have also used Nu-Stock but it stinks really bad - great results though!

We do breed dogs and I am just under the impression that our vet gave this diagnosis for us to have her fixed there (to make up for the $$ we didn't spend there for the c-section) and convince us not to breed her (he was irritated with us that we didn't bring our other female to him for her recent c-section)....#probablychangingvets

Oh Wow! Sheldon had red mange and we use the dip just like the vet said only our vet told us to get one of those ten dollar sprayers at Lowes and use it to for the dip it makes the dip last longer but this last time we took him in for the hair loss on some places they did a scraping and it came back negative for mites and the vet said he doubted it was allergy related but I thought it was. I started giving him Salmon oil on his food and the hair regrew in his bald spots and now he has no bald spots. The mites have to do with their immune system. That is why they get them more as puppies because their immune systems aren't as strong as it is as adults as adults their immune systems get stronger and are able to fight off the mites better.

 

[mandymae7]

Yeah, I know she has been under some stress with the new ones in the house and everything. She had a small spot there a while back and we put the Nu-Stock on it and it went away. This time, though, it's a larger area. I got some EFA with Fish Oil (prescription) from the vet in hopes it will boost her immune system. I am just concerned about the effects of the dip because it is so toxic, just like using the Ivermectin in large doses to treat. I can't see putting that much of a strain on her body if we don't have to. Since it's not appearing as though it bothers her, we are going to continue treating homeopathically and see how it works out. If that fails and she doesn't get better we will assess our other options (like using the dip), but I just don't see it being necessary yet. I am hoping as she gets older her immune system will continue to get stronger and won't have a problem. If we have to fix her and not breed, I am okay with that - I definitely do not want to contribute to the problems considered 'genetic' in the breed or cause an issue for babies. Thanks for the reply!

 

[Jennifer Clark]

Yeah, I know she has been under some stress with the new ones in the house and everything. She had a small spot there a while back and we put the Nu-Stock on it and it went away. This time, though, it's a larger area. I got some EFA with Fish Oil (prescription) from the vet in hopes it will boost her immune system. I am just concerned about the effects of the dip because it is so toxic, just like using the Ivermectin in large doses to treat. I can't see putting that much of a strain on her body if we don't have to. Since it's not appearing as though it bothers her, we are going to continue treating homeopathically and see how it works out. If that fails and she doesn't get better we will assess our other options (like using the dip), but I just don't see it being necessary yet. I am hoping as she gets older her immune system will continue to get stronger and won't have a problem. If we have to fix her and not breed, I am okay with that - I definitely do not want to contribute to the problems considered 'genetic' in the breed or cause an issue for babies. Thanks for the reply!

I totally agree with the homeopathic method. I have read some where you can use tea tree oil shampoo as well and it helps with the mites. I hate chemical treatment as well. We did use the dip that was last year before I was a member here and found out all the bad stuff. Sheldon is definitely healthier for my membership here.

 

[mandymae7]

That's awesome! So glad he's better! I'm certainly glad I found this site as well! Trying to find a vet that specializes in EBs is nearly impossible in most areas. And, because a couple of ours are NKC and not AKC, the Bulldog clubs are not accepting :-( Pretty sad if you ask me.