# Mange vs. Allergy. HELP!!!



## meganm (Oct 31, 2012)

I got my dog (blue heeler/lab/pit mix about 6/7 months) early September. After I brought him home I noticed SEVERE itching, hair loss, and of course the bumps. I originally thought MANGE, however, I noticed something odd. All of this is on his legs, feet, and general lower body while his back and general face area/neck are completely fine and even growing beautiful shiny fur. 
I brought him to the vet 2 days after we got him and was given 500 mg of cephalexin along with a steroid shot to help the itching. His poop at this time was pretty bad, it was basically just liquid. The shelter we adopted him from was feeding him science diet so they didnt think allergies at all. His itching got a little bit better, but no real improvement. 
So we moved vets. 
The next vet told us mange because puppies dont typically have allergies. By this point we had skin scraped my dog 6 times, all negative results. They prescribed another dose of Cephalexin 500 mg, 25 mg of hydroxyzine, dewormer liquid (white cream, not sure what its called), and lastly advantage multi. they told us to do all of these things 2 times a day and the mange would be gone. the advantage multi was once every 2 weeks and we've done that 4 times now. until about 2 weeks ago he was WONDERFUL!!! hair growing back, no itching, and even good looking poop. so we thought for sure it was mange.
HOWEVER, all of a sudden two weeks ago..it was like a light switch turned back on! he's still on the same meds, same everything, but something changed. he's been itching like the first time we got him again. cant sit still. 

is this mange or am i a complete idiot for not seeing the signs that this is in fact some type of allergy? I called the vet and he told me its hands down an allergy since it worked but all of a sudden stopped but i just dont think we can completely eliminate mange. is advantage multi really sufficient enough to kill mange? 

i was thinking about doing the allergy test but god almighty they are expensive! i also read that they can give you a false positive and therefore they can be helpless. this has got me so stressed out and i want to jump off of a building. 
anyone know whats going on?!


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## DJEtzel (Dec 28, 2009)

Sounds more like an allergy... especially if 6 skin scrapes came back negative. I've found that using advantage multi over a two month span did little to increase hair re-growth. Ivermectin is usually the way to go in bad cases of mange. Weather or environmental factors (laundry detergent, air freshener) could easily be causing the allergies to change or get worse.

My GSD exhibited allergies to chicken and grains before he was 6 months old. 

Do you supplement fish oil? Try fish oil and vit c to boost his immune system for a few weeks and see if there's a difference. Benedryl can help too; we dosed Frag for years with benedryl 3x a day... 1mg/lb is what I was told by my vet. We also fed a high-quality GRAIN FREE food, as most dogs are allergic to some grains at least. Taste of the Wild and Orijen are two really good foods. We also used Allerderm Spot-On for about a year and a half with him and it seemed to work wonders for his allergies, too. Buying a medicated shampoo or leave in conditioner like Resicort would not be a bad idea, either, and could help a lot.

Depending on how any of this works out, you may want to get his thyroid tested for abnormalities. I had a foster dog once with hypothyroidism and his skin was constantly losing fur, red, inflamed, itchy, dry, and scabby. 

Good luck. Try to stay away from the prednisone/steroids. My foster had been on it for about 4 years I think? and ended up in kidney failure; the vet attributed it to the steroids being harsh on the kidneys.


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## taquitos (Oct 18, 2012)

I work at a pet boutique that specializes in animal nutrition. We have a lot of people come in describing similar problems... and usually it is food related. What type of food is he on? Usually anything with grain can cause yeast overgrowth which causes itching, hair loss, black gunk and that gross yeasty dog smell. Also, chicken is a sensitivity you see often because most commercial pet foods are made of chicken. Red meat can also cause yeast overgrowth. I would say to try to switch him to a grain free, fish based food for now and see if he improves. For now, I would keep all areas clean with a bit of diluted alcohol.

Oh, and do not use any anti-itch shampoos containing oatmeal. It will cause more yeast overgrowth!


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## LuvMyAngels (May 24, 2009)

I guess Buster forgot to read the "puppies dont get allergies" book. He came home at 9 1/2 weeks already showing signs of allergies. Due to other health issues it took us several months to figure out thats what his itching was from. 

I bathe Bus with Mane N Tail Pro Tect - anti microbial horse shampoo, dilute with water and use as you would any shampoo. This helps keep the "natural" organisms on his skin in check so we dont see the bacterial or yeast infections that cause even more itching which damages the skin and leads to more infections....horrible cycle to be in! 

Without looking at diet, you're going to be in this cycle for the dogs life. Through food trials Ive discovered Buster is allergic or at least sensitive to corn, wheat, soy, chicken and lamb. This means he's on a grain and chicken free food (I use Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream). This means reading labels on EVERYTHING your dog puts in his mouth. Food, treats, even some chewie items and toys will have a flavoring added.

Also look at the dogs environment. Fabric/carpet sprays or powders? Febreeze fabric spray has corn based deodorizers. I mention this one specifically just because it triggers staph infections for Buster, threw out all the Febreeze and we havent seen another staph infection...over 2 years now. 

As mentioned above, be cautious with bath products (yours and his). Some allergens will cause issues with contact, not just ingestion. Corn (as mentioned above triggers staph infections) and wheat (triggered nasty itching and hives when included in a shampoo) are both ingestion and contact allergens for Buster. 

Anything that we can be allergic to, our dogs can too. Allergies vary from dog to dog, just as they vary from person to person, so a lot of figuring out just what is triggering the itching will be trial and error.


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## RedGermanPinscher (Jun 22, 2012)

If it just started over the past few weeks it could be being caused by the change of seasons.... He may be blowing his coat or could have a sensitivity to the changing of the elements.. try brushing regularly, adding Fish oil or Omega3&6 supplements to his diet and/or olive oil.. Also giving bi-weekly baths with a conditioning shampoo that contains Lavender, Coconut and/or tea tree oil (I recommend Earthbath) may help. You can also use Baby wipes (fragrance free) to wipe him down after he has been outside in between baths... Benedryl can be given. (Dosage of 10mg per 10 pounds 1-2× daily depending, on severity of itchies, is the standard recommendaton.) If this does not work it could also be that he has developed an allergy to his food and a change of diet may be in order ( Take a look at the ingredients in your current food and begin to eliminate variables)** or he may be sensitive to a cleaning agent you are using.**** 

**Ex: If food contains Corn, Wheat or Soy, find one that doesn't. If that doesn't work look at the protein source and If it is the same as current food then switch to another protein source void of the grains as well. So on and so forth.
**** For enviormental in home cleaners, try switching to dye and fragrance free agents or use all natural products like lemon juice, baking soda and vinegar for 
items he comes in contact with.?? That being said, my allergy boy ( Has both enviormental and food allergies) does best when on the above regiment and foods that are Chicken Grain and Potato free.


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

RedGermanPinscher said:


> .. Benedryl can be given. (Dosage of 10mg per pound 1-2× daily depending, on severity of itchies, is the standard recommendaton.)


My vet says *1 mg / lb * which is up to 2 regular 25 mg tablets of adult Benedryl for a 50 lbs and up dog 3 times per day (morning, after work, night). Or one Zyrtec tablet daily (check with your vet for dosage based on dog's weight, I was dealing with a 60 lbs dog)


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## RedGermanPinscher (Jun 22, 2012)

Shell said:


> My vet says *1 mg / lb * which is up to 2 regular 25 mg tablets of adult Benedryl for a 50 lbs and up dog 3 times per day (morning, after work, night). Or one Zyrtec tablet daily (check with your vet for dosage based on dog's weight, I was dealing with a 60 lbs dog)


Your absolutely right, that was suppose to read 10mgs per 10 pounds. (I'm use to dealing with large/giant breeds and have a tendency to forget smaller breeds exist, even though I have a 20 pounder currently snoring at my feet.) I was also posting from my phone which doesn't always go well. Thanks for catching the error.


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