Dog Skin Problem

[DavidOxon]

Afternoon all.

We seem to be being 'adopted' by a dog.

Lovely temprement, young bitch, owner never around.

Sadly only has one eye working after someone shot her with a catapult

She seems to have a bit of a skin/fur problem . . . maybe alopecia?

Can anyone recognise the problem from the pics

and maybe suggest treatment that doesn't require a vet

as she's not our dog! (antibiotic cream or something?)

Many thanks

David

[Nienke]

From the pic's my first thoughts are OR demodectic mange OR fungal infection.

Sorry, but to be sure you have to take her to the vet for a skin scraping.

If it is demodectic mange, then she requires ivermectin injection, one injection perweek for a period of 8 weeks. You can also try it topical, however, as there are several spots already chances are high it is generalized. This means that the mite is all over the body, even where there are no bolding spots yet. In that case, treating only the bolding spots will not do the trick.

Just treating while not knowing what the problem is, is not advisable.

Nienke

[BambinA]

look alike mange +/- ringworm

about the Tx ditto with Nienke (IVM every week)

for ringworm (from the pic is not clear) -you can use Nizoral Shampoo (every week) and Nizoral cream (at the alopecia lesion)

[bina]

thirded:

both fungus and mange possibly both since one leaves the body open to other stuff (the mange )

ivomac can be given orally; at the clinic we give it orally; its just easier; if u cant really grab her or handle her much, then u can squirt some into a smelly piece of fish or something that she will eat since it does have a vile taste and is a bit oily...

there are also antifungal pills ' ditto '

but anything anti fungal has to be used for a very long time and often (creams like three times a day or so); and if that is your other dog in the pic, then keep an eye open for spots of fungus on her also...

btw, improved diet etc will help against the ringworm (the fungus) and possibly help with the mange;

and probably also a de fleaing drips or collar could be helpful also...

since she is on your property it is an investment of bahts but helps prevent contagious stuff to your own personal house pets; probably a rabies shot could be a good idea also...

ivomac in thailand can be gotten w/o a vet as far as i remember from past threads , as can the worm pills; as for fungus pills, i dont know, but creams i'm sure can be gotten. as for rabies shot for her, u can give it to her once, it actually is viable for at least two years, its for your own peace of mind... and anti fleas collars, they are cheaper then the drops and last longer if u can secure it so it wont fall off her...

but of course a skin scraping would be most conclusive

bina

[Nienke]

Yes, ivermectin can be given orally and can be purchased without a vet. I did not mention this as you can very easily overdose, doing enormous harm to the liver and more. I've seen a dog that got an overdose; he couldn't stand on all fours anymore, was extremely lethargic, didn't eat, hardly wanted to drink, and looked compleltey drugged. This dog survived becasue when the owners brought the dog to me in that state we imnmediately went to the vet, hwere he needed to stay on drips etc whatever they gave him for several days. it was a very close call, the vet told me.

Also the broad spectrum anti fungal pills can do harm when given incorrectly, plus it is immune supressive when given too long.

Providing the dog with a high quality diet will, of course, benefit her enormously. You can also add a tablespoon of grated coconut or -milk to her food twice a day. When bought on the local market this is quite cheap.

Vaccinating while the dog's immune system is suppressed is absolutely not advisable. The chance on side-effects (behavioral changes, auto-immune diseases) increases considerably (just read the many reports on this).

Ringworm can easily be treated with a solution of 50% vinager-50% water, applied topically two to three times a day on all spots provided it is ringworm, that is.

Nienke

[bina]

hi nienke, actually the overdose level for 'ivo' has to be very very very high, its considered one of the best meds to give since it has a large margin for error; but yes i did once od a rabbit and that is the result, lethargy etc., went away by itself,so med. support needed. (vet says something like x 30 overdose rate, or something like that.)

oral anti fungals are not too healthy but since its not his dog, he just wants a quick fix solution, that may be best bet.

vaccinate once dog is better condition. its not his dog he just wants it in better shape since it visits him, and is a potential problem since from his pic he seems to have an other dog also....

bt i know in general u are less drug/vaccine inclined;

bina

[Nienke]

hi nienke, actually the overdose level for 'ivo' has to be very very very high, its considered one of the best meds to give since it has a large margin for error; but yes i did once od a rabbit and that is the result, lethargy etc., went away by itself,so med. support needed. (vet says something like x 30 overdose rate, or something like that.)

oral anti fungals are not too healthy but since its not his dog, he just wants a quick fix solution, that may be best bet.

vaccinate once dog is better condition. its not his dog he just wants it in better shape since it visits him, and is a potential problem since from his pic he seems to have an other dog also....

bt i know in general u are less drug/vaccine inclined;

bina

The dog I was talking about in the above post, almost died on 'only' a double dose.

There is no such thing as a quick fix in the first place. Demodectic mange and fungal infection have a chance when the immune system doesn't work optimal. So, when treating only these symptoms, but not taking into account the rest, the underlying problem will not be solved. As the underlying problem is not solved, the body will try to expel disease in the same or other ways again, and usually stronger than before.

I'm certainly not in favor of putting all sorts of drugs in animals or humans, there where it is not necessary, where it can be done in a different way, or in case of vaccines when the immune system is already suppressed.

I feel your remark is a little punch under the belt.

Nienke

[elfe]

i would also try witout drugs first. i have dogs here which came with similar and much worse skin trouble, as they were also thin and weak i did not give any medicine except some flea powder first. only a topical treatment applied once which is called 'pour on' and is a herbal drug and i had lots of success with BUT most important the diet! raw chicken and cooked fish every day and after three weeks dogs had full shiny hair!

[bina]

nienke didnt mean it like that, i just know u are anti vaccine for the most part....not against u at all...but u are a good dog owner/caretaker with experience and time and dedication. not everyone fits this.

just i felt the op is just wanting to deal quickly with the dog as its not his own and he isnt going to invest time or money for more then a one off thing. in this case, i suggested what i did.

i just know have worked for two months and deal daily with 'cat people' (the ones that take care of street animals, private people not organizations) and their modus operandi is usually a 'one off' approach. a quick fix to get rid of the worse of the problem since the animals are itinerant; not owned by any one. when caught, they are spayed, vaccinated, flea/ticked, wormed given a good dose of antibiotics and if the person can, are given additional care which is usually sporadic. in these cases, these people have all said they prefer pills that can cover as much as possible since the animals are not seen everyday.

definately not a punch!!! obviously quick fixes arent the best but sometimes that is what can be done.

sorry

bina