# Fur loss around eyes



## Kenzie Riann (Mar 25, 2013)

*Fur loss around eyes: Possible mange?*

I noticed some fur loss around Grayson's eye, and it does seem to be spreading slowly. The rest of his body looks fine, it's just around his eyes, and I'm super worried that it may be mange. He's going in for a vet appointment, but I was wondering what you guys might think? If it is mange, this is the first time I've dealt with it, and not sure how to handle it, really. 

Also, how does a dog get mange in the first place, and what's the best way to prevent it, if possible?

Here's a picture:

You can see it around both eyes, but it's most noticeable around his left eye.


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

No idea if it is mange since hair loss can have a variety of reasons. Could be seasonal allergies where he is rubbing his eye with his paws.

But, in general-- all dogs have the mites on them. When their immune system is poor, like for puppies or ill dogs, the mites multiply and cause the hair loss, itchy skin and such that is "mange" (demodetic mange). Untreated for an extensive amount of time, they lose all their hair and get raw, bleeding, and painful skin. Healthy dogs and humans aren't at risk from being in contact with a dog with demodex. Treatment is usually simple but can take awhile depending on the dog. Oral ivomectin, a good diet, topical treatment to sooth the skin and keep any itchy spots from getting infected (like a benzoil peroxide shampoo every few days) and something like benedryl as needed to stop itchy so the dog doesn't scratch themselves raw.


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## Kenzie Riann (Mar 25, 2013)

Thanks for the info.

He possibly might have allergies, and I know I've seen him rubbing his eyes a lot and sneezing. Hopefully it's allergies and not mange. :/


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## Kenzie Riann (Mar 25, 2013)

Apparently, my luck is fantastically crappy. Jeep broke down the day before our vet appointment.

It'll be two weeks before it's fixed, so we've rescheduled his vet appointment. In the meantime, is there anything, like a home remedy, to help treat it? We've got some children's benadryl and that's helped with the itching. I just feel so terrible, knowing he's uncomfortable and that there's something wrong with my baby. :/

This is how his left eye looks now.


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

I wouldn't want to use any topical home remedy around eyes. I think sticking with the benedryl (my vet says 1 mg per lb, up to 50 mg for a 50+ lbs dog which equals 2 adult regular benedryl every ~6 hours) is a good choice.

Washing the area gently with sterile saline (not like eye drops for red eye but plain saline) is a safe way to clean any environmental allergens away. 

If he is rubbing his eye, a cone might be a good idea to prevent him from scratching up his eye and getting a corneal abrasion or other injury.


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## Kenzie Riann (Mar 25, 2013)

Oh ho, I actually have some saline somewhere. 

Thanks for the help again!


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## Kenzie Riann (Mar 25, 2013)

So it has spread and gotten worse. Benadryl only helped a slight bit with the itching. His eyes have gotten worse, it's also on the corners of his mouth, and there's a spot on the back of one of his legs.

Got the jeep fixed ahead of schedule and we have a vet appointment scheduled first thing this friday. 

Now there's still one thing that bothers me. As Shell stated, all dog's carry the mites that cause mange, and it flares up in puppies or ill dogs. But Grayson hasn't been ill. He's been very healthy, and we've been on top of keeping him healthy. No fleas or ticks, nothing like that. Can changing food suddenly cause it? The only thing I can think of is that we had to change his food suddenly before this happened (we had one bag of food in the house and one in our storage unit and one of us forgot to close the airtight lid on the container it was kept in to keep bugs out, so it was COVERED in bugs when we needed the second bag), and he had some runny poo for a few days, but that was all. Can that be a possible cause?

Also, how much does the cost for the medication run, usually? (If it is mange) I'd like to budget and have some idea of what to expect when we go to the vet's.

Here's a current picture of his eyes:


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

Liquid ivermectin (used orally for mange treatment) is pretty cheap. Dunno what it cost through the vets, but it is sold at farm supply stores for cattle and horses.

While a poor diet can be a contributing factor, it seems unlikely to be the only one and for the hairlessness to spread in the limited area is something I haven't seen in the handful of mange dogs I've met or fostered (but then, that's only a sample of maybe 7 dogs)


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## Kenzie Riann (Mar 25, 2013)

So someplace like Tractor Supply would have some? We've got a few of those around here.


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## Kenzie Riann (Mar 25, 2013)

So, the Vet confirmed that it is mange. And here's another newb question. Once he's on ivermectin, how long does it usually take to see results? We got him started on it last Friday. I know it's probably too soon, but I'm just eager for him to get better. So far, it isn't looking quite as red and irritated as it was before. And I know it's going to take awhile for his fur to grow back.


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

For a mild case, I'd guess a few weeks to see improvement and a few months for the fur to grow back. Anything that helps the immune system will help, mainly good nutrition and very low stress. But every dog is different


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## Kenzie Riann (Mar 25, 2013)

Thank you, so much, for the help and answering my dumb questions, lol. You've been a great help, Shell.

Also, our first first night with absolutely no scratching and rubbing his face! Super happy!


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## Lhoust84 (May 8, 2020)

Did this resolve the issue?


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## RonE (Feb 3, 2007)

7-year-old thread. The origonal poster is long gone.


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