Can you help me with the problem I have with my dog George. He is an 8-and-a-half-year-old Airedale. About two months ago he started scratching his front legs and badly biting his paws. As he would not go into the car, I sought help from the internet. I purchased products called Stop It All and ear drops. As this did not clear the problem I had to get my passenger seat taken out so that I could get George to go in the car. I took him to the PDSA and asked the vet if it was fox mite which she said it wasn’t and cleared his anal glands instead and gave antibiotics. After one week he had bad diarrhea and I had to stop the antibiotics and take him back to the vet. His anal glands were emptied again and different antibiotics and steroids were prescribed. On the third visit his glands were okay but he was still scratching and biting. I asked if his ears could be checked as he was rubbing them a lot. On doing this the vet said that he was suffering from fox mite. She applied a pipette to the back of his neck and I am to take him back in four weeks if the matter has not cleared. The vet said he will have to be bathed, like a sheep dip. I am very worried about this. Is there any alternative? As he has suffered for the past two months I have been advised to give him Protexin to boost his immune system. Can you please give me any advice on this problem.
Mrs L Clowes
Any idea for Mrs Clowes? What a very understanding owner taking her car apart!
I am glad you took George to be examined by a vet, even if it meant removing the passenger seat from your car! Fox mite, or sarcoptic mange, can be hard to diagnose because it simply causes areas of skin irritation, classically on the ear flaps, elbows and hocks. These patches of skin are incredibly itchy – rubbing an affected ear flap will provoke kicking with a back foot in an attempt to reach the itchy skin!
A definitive diagnosis needs identification of the mite in a scraping taken from a suspect area of skin, but more often than not no mites are seen. A diagnosis is then reached through exclusion – eliminating bacterial infection with an appropriate antibiotic, and allergy through steroid treatment, leaving specific treatment for sarcoptic mange, which is what your vet has done.
If the itching all stops and the skin heals up after the spot-on, then sarcoptic mange is the diagnosis. A second treatment a month after the first is often recommended, depending on the spot-on preparation used. I know you say that your vet wants you to go back if it has not gone away, but if it does clear up I would ring to check that a follow-up spot-on treatment is not needed.
I really hope that the spot-on treatment has worked. If not, then a dog biting at his paws and rubbing at his ears does sound as if he is reacting to something, although signs of allergies generally become apparent from a young age. Have you used a carpet cleaning solution recently? Returning him to your vet for further examination would be sensible because it is distressing for him to be itchy, and for you to see him in discomfort – I do hope you have not replaced that passenger seat yet!
Alison Logan, Vet
Im no expert but it sounds very much like allergies to me .My dog Tia is going through some of the symptoms your dog has ,Chewing her feet perment bad ears scratching at her face .My last vet had her on atopicawhich suppresses the imune system at £35 for a weeks supply of tablets .Ive now changed my vet .My new vet has had blood tests done and she is allergic to dust mites ,storage mites and grass .So now we are haveing injections done ,She will be on these for her life time .Im insured so its not to much of a problem ,Hope this is of some help to you and good luck .Its so upsetting when they carnt tell you whats wrong
ReplyDeleteI also think it sounds like allergies, but if a vet has said it is fox mite, then he will know best having seen the dog.
ReplyDeleteMay I ask why you are worried about him being bathed? Surely if it sorts out his scratching, it would be good for him?
A vet who has examined your dog is in the best position to help. Don't be frightened to talk to/question your vet as much as you feel is necessary. It often isn't easy to determine the cause of a problem (this is not a reflection of the competence of the vet!), so the more clues you can provide the better.
ReplyDeleteWhen I suspected fox mange in my dog, the PDSA gave him some Stronghold spot-on, which not only cures mange, but kills fleas and ear mites too! Why not request this as anti-flea treatment, if you're registered with PDSA you can buy it over the counter from them.
ReplyDeletecan you use stronghold rather than frontline? i mean is it better as i live rurally. TM
ReplyDelete