Tsuki has Mange!?
Hi all!
I took Tsuki to the vet yesterday - I'm really glad I chose this particular vet. She took about an hour and a half with me discussing all my worries and really did a very thorough job with the examination.
The vet thinks Tsuki has mange! This was the first thing a friend of mine who owns a Cairn Terrier suggested when she was over the other day, so I had it in the back of my head. The vet believes this is the case because the hair loss was very sudden (about two weeks ago), and food allergies take much longer to settle in and also to go away. She also said that food allergies are the rarest allergies and that we should look for more obvious conditions first.
She did scrape tests in about four areas. She didn't find any mites, but this is apparently usually the case with mange, so about half the time the dog is treated to see how it responds before actual diagnosis. She also provided me with some antihistamines to give her twice daily. I haven't seen a huge change in her scratching with these antihistamines, so she still seems to be suffering - I hate seeing this! I still have yet to see her scratch outside our apartment, so Im definitely still going to steam the carpets. Also, she was "shaking off" a LOT this morning, at least 10-12 times in the hour before I left for work. I just want her better NOW!
I took Tsuki to the vet yesterday - I'm really glad I chose this particular vet. She took about an hour and a half with me discussing all my worries and really did a very thorough job with the examination.
The vet thinks Tsuki has mange! This was the first thing a friend of mine who owns a Cairn Terrier suggested when she was over the other day, so I had it in the back of my head. The vet believes this is the case because the hair loss was very sudden (about two weeks ago), and food allergies take much longer to settle in and also to go away. She also said that food allergies are the rarest allergies and that we should look for more obvious conditions first.
She did scrape tests in about four areas. She didn't find any mites, but this is apparently usually the case with mange, so about half the time the dog is treated to see how it responds before actual diagnosis. She also provided me with some antihistamines to give her twice daily. I haven't seen a huge change in her scratching with these antihistamines, so she still seems to be suffering - I hate seeing this! I still have yet to see her scratch outside our apartment, so Im definitely still going to steam the carpets. Also, she was "shaking off" a LOT this morning, at least 10-12 times in the hour before I left for work. I just want her better NOW!
Comments
Although that is the FIRST vet I have ever heard say that food allergies are UNcommon. Especially with primitive breeds who are VERY susceptible to allergies of foods not indigenous to their place of origin...
The one concern I DID have and forgot to mention is that she's sneezing too! Could that be mange-related?
And to be blunt, a good vet should be happy to have a dog owner that is concerned enough about her dogs wellbeing and took the initiative to do research. It seems very arrogant that she would not even listen to what you had to say. You were in no way stepping on her toes. Remember when you go to the vet, it is not about the vet, it is about Tsuki. It sound like your vet may have lost site of the fact that it is not about her but her patients.
I'm going to agree with jessica and brandon, all 3 of my shibas have some sort of food allergy. It might be even MORE common now than ever with Shibas because so many are poorly bred. That fact also opens up environmental allergy susceptibility - I fostered an older shiba that was very allergic to dust and had a bad reaction to air particles from an ammonia based cleaner. He seemed to sneeze forever...
I'm also agreeing that a vet should at least hear you out when you discuss YOUR dog. If you went in there and said "sorry vet you are wrong", I could understand the vet's shortness with you. We went through 3 vets before settling on the clinic we go to now for all our medical care.
On Tsuki's condition - mange (sadly) is not uncommon for rescue dogs. Especially if she had been in a shelter or a stray or in close proximity to other infected dogs. Did they say what type of mange it was? Sarcoptic mange indicates that you should not bring her within close proximity to other dogs as it is highly contagious. Demodectic mange has a lot to do with a compromised immune system, over stressed dogs or malnutrition. Demo mites are a natural occurrence on a dog until they have a compromised wellbeing, then the mites become an issue.
I am not a professional by any means for canine health, it just occurs so often in shelter life or rescued dogs. It could have very well been the condition of the foster home she was in last (unclean), on poor food or around other dogs with less than desirable immune systems and she became adversely affected.
I hope the treatment works for her! And perhaps you can seek out a holistic vet or a second vet for a second opinion if the treatment isn't working for her as prescribed by the first vet?
Good Luck!!!
ahhhh I REALLY REALLY HOPE its not allergies, the treatments seem non-existent or not very good for allergies. Cant WAIT to get my hands on the steam cleaner and take her to my mom's house which has hardwood.
I suppose it really couldnt hurt to switch her to a grain-free food like wellness. I just wonder if this is all too much for my little girl - horrible skin scraping and manhandling and now a second food change!
I think I may have made the vet sound as though she was arrogant, but she really wasn't - I really feel like she wants the best for Tsuki! I also think the next time I come in I will try to talk to the shiba breeder vet-tech that works there.
Also switching a dog from a poor quality food to a higher quality one is never going to be too much for a dog, it's always a good move. If anything you could try adding some probiotics to her food to help ease the transition. Regular acidophilus pills (cheap at Trader Joes) or specific dog probiotics from a company such as Animal Essentials would work.
we give our dogs probiotic unsweetened plain organic yogurt (small amounts, like 1/2 tsp daily) with their meals, especially when switching kibble proteins/formulas and then now with their real foods, we always mix them in. Like Brandon said, switching her to a high quality grain free kibble will ultimately boost her well being and get her headed in the right direction! Grain allergies are one less thing to worry about!
*I have found, too, that foods that preserve with Vitamin E (or mixed tocopherals) tend to be easier on my Tsuki who had an issue with Purina/Nutro chicken/beef formulas but handled Wellness Core (regular and ocean) just fine.
I also don't think it would hurt to give her fish oil (spray/capsules/liquid) either, it might strengthen and revive the her coat.
BTW what does ably mean? I wrote it and I have no idea what it means!
You are allowed... Elijah is stealing your spelling while you sleep.
But I'm sure post-partum idiocy works just as much.
The antihistamines prescribed by my vet dont have much of an effect on the itching. If what I read online is correct, the effect of the ivermectin shot for mange should have worked in a few days - its been nearly four days. My vet did not tell me which type she suspected.
The odd thing is that the itching comes in bursts. For instance, on Sunday, she sat under the couch for FOUR HOURS (haha, very low energy) without itching one - the couch is so low she can only barely lay under it. When she finally came out, I walked her to my friend's house which has low office-like carpet that has never been chemically cleaned (I used to live there so I know for sure) and she immediately started scratching. I have yet to see Tsuki itch outside.
It feels like we've been together forever but its literally been 8 days - I guess I've just spent so much time worrying! Maybe this is all the result of stress, poor hygiene, and bad diet and that she needs some recovery time. I was just checking out photos of other shibas and her coat is just in miserable shape! This couldnt have been my doing in just 8 days ):
If its any consolation, we've had our newest addition Hachi for about 3.5 months now and we're just starting to see her coat come back to life. It was hard and brittle and gray (she's a Black and tan too) when we got her. She's been on a grain free diet with probiotics and fish oil since day one, we even had her on some raw foods and her teeth are beautiful, she had the quickest spay surgery recovery (this past week) and her COAT! It is beautiful, its black and shiny and getting softer with every pet. She has blown out a lot of the gray, and it continues to come in clumps, but its getting there!
I guess you should be forewarned that once her skin and coat condition begin to improve, you will probably have a big shedder on your hands for a while!
Keep us updated!