bald patches on staffi pup

[pheebs]

my staffi pup, a white bitch, has bald patches all over her body including her legs. she also has scabby sores on her armpits. she doesnt seem to be troubled by these but they do seem to be getting worse. does anyone have any idea what may be causing this condition and how to treat it before i take her to the dreaded vets. thanks

[showcatbenga]

She could have;
An allergy to fleas. Exclude this by using a spot-on or spray flea treatment (A proper one, not a cheapo) & treating the house with a spray, washing the dog's bedding & thoroughly & vigorously vacuuming all your carpets & soft furnishings. This will save you time & money in the long run because it's the first thing the vet will want to treat her for too.
Mange - a parasite, humans catch this too.
Ringworm - a fungus, humans catch this too.
An allergy to almost anything in her enviroment i.e. her food, the washing detergent or fabric conditioner you use, grass, etc.
A hormone imbalance. Plus a load of other stuff I have no idea about! lol.
Just a caution because of the nice sunny weather & I'm sure you already know this - take care that her bald bits don't get sun burned.
I'm sorry to confirm that you'll just have to take her to the vet who can rule out some of the above! Good luck - x.

[pheebs]

thanks for your help. i have inspected her and dont think she has fleas but i know that cant be ruled out. i think a trip to the V.E.T is the only answer.

[lankeela]

Why do you consider a trip to the vets to be 'dreaded'? If your dog needs treatment of any kind then your vet is your best friend, and should be your first port of call. Yes they are expensive (one of mine got a cut on his leg last week, one jab, two lots of tablets �69) but I now have a dog who is back to normal and well on the way to recovery. I don't begrudge a penny of it, as he was obviously in some discomfort and if infection had set in it could have been a whole lot worse.

[pheebs]

Dreaded, because she doesnt like going there. no, i dont begrudge spending a penny on my dog so please keep your opinions to yourself. this site is for answers to questions that are posted.

[Noweia]

It could be Demodex, a type of mite. Most dogs have them but don't show any signs. Many young pups get bald patches due to the mites as their immune system develops but they usually resolve themselves. However if your pup has more than five patches or they're spreading and not getting any better, afraid it's a trip to the vets!

It could also be Scabies, another type of mite that people can get too. This condition is incredibly itchy so if your dog isn't bothered then it's less likely to be Scabies.

Last most common option - ringworm. This often doesn't bother the dog but it'll need treatment to get rid of it. People get this too - has anyone in contact with the dog developed any skin lesions recently?

It could be a couple of other things (e.g. flea allergy, as showcatbenga rightly says) but these are less likely to cause patchy lesions all over the body and legs. Afriad it's off to the vets!

Let us know how you get on.

[woofgang]

If she hates going there, why is that? There are LOADS of things you can do to make it easier for her to go to the vet, go and visit when you don't need anything done, get the receptionist staff to give her a treat and then leave, be really calm and bored with the whole thing yourself and so on. My vets are only too happy to help get pups (and older dogs) used to and happy to visit as it makes their job much easier.

This isn't a dig. Our last old dog really hated the vet...not the vet's fault, she was really ill and we had to rush her there collapsed a couple of times so I do understand what its like, its just better and easier all round if you can teach your dog to take a visit in its stride!

[pheebs]

Thanks for your answers. i have her booked in this week whether she likes it or not. will let you know the outcome.

[lankeela]

Just the sort of reply I was expecting. If she is at the stage where she has actually got scabby sores, then you should have had her at the vets long before this, instead of wasting time on computers.

[pheebs]

you be careful your halo doesnt slip love. for your information the vets was booked before i posted the question. i wanted to know if anybody knew what it was before i took her to the vets which she hates. like i said before, keep your opinions to yourself. it sounds like you dont have the answers to anything but come on to this site to be rude to other people. take it somewhere else.

[leelapops]

pheebs, I am not speaking on lankeela's behalf, as she is perfectly capable of that, but I really wanted to say that in the time I have been using AB, she has been extremely helpful and extremely knowledgable on doggy subjects-scarily so!

Everyone else has given far more comprehensive answers to your Q, but to give you an idea of what may happen, my boss's dog has similar all up his legs, and he has been given steroids and cream. My Border Collie is allergic to fleas, but it took us an age to find this out, after blood tests, skin scrapes etc. I hope your pup is insured, or that you are OK for money, because these diagnostics at our Vet cost in excess of �400-I was so grateful for Pet Insurance when we got the bill! We now flea him every 3 weeks, as opposed to 4.

I hope your pup-pup is OK, give her a tickle from me :)

[gelda]

Don't aggree with you there Pheebs, Lankeela gives a lot of good advice to people on here, we get a lot of people who come on here and ask questions about their animals health problems when they should be taking them to the vets. Lankeela is just concerned about the animals well being, she might be a bit blunt at times but always gives good advice.

[LoftyLottie]

I am sorry, but I am backing Lankeela up here. Your pup wouldn't suddenly get into this state, it sounds quite advanced. She should have gone to the vets much earlier. How comes a puppy hates the vet so much? Unusual in a puppy unless she has suffered previous traumas. Personally, I think you have been neglectful.

As has been said Lankeela knows her stuff and is well respected on this site.

[gelda]

Hear hear Lottie!

[pheebs]

the bald patches were there from a couple of months old. the vet had already seen them and wasnt concerned. the scabs have only just started. she has been to the vets on numerous occassions because i panic when she is even slightly sick. she is fed on chicken practically every day and eats better than me. no i dont think ive been neglegtful but obviously im no where near as perfect as you wonderful people.

[gelda]

Could be something to do with her diet then, to feed a dog chicken every day isn't good for her, she needs proper dog food to get all the nutrients she needs to help her grow properly.

[Noweia]

If the patches have been there for a while and the scabs are only recent, it could be a secondary infection on the damaged skin (pyoderma). What did the vet say?

[Im a BusyBee]

we had what sounds exactly the same problem with my daughters dear little staffi cross. She had many trips to vets, nothing seemed to help, and she spent a fortune on medication as prescibed by vet. We've cured it totally now by giving her a garlic capsule everyday, much better for her and will also stop her getting fleas and worms at the same time. Im a great believer in garlic ( i did post on her to let other people know at the time). And costs next to nothing too. By the way Holland and Barrett garlic capsules are much much stronger than supermarket brands.

[funnytroll]

maybe find a matching colour spray pain and get spraying?!

[Im a BusyBee]

i hadnt read through all the posts until id posted my reply - cant believe whats been said!! I really hope my reply is of help to you and that you feel you would like to give garlic a go - would be interested to hear if you do and how you get on with it.