1.6 pound 10 week chihuahua puppy

Question

bald spots forming   QUESTION: Two weeks ago I bought a tiny chihuahua puppy.  He smelled really bad and I do mean the worse ever.  I would be embarrassed to sell a puppy smelling so badly.  Anyways I brought him home and gave him a bath.  Saw one flea on him and used some hartz flea wipe and flea gone.  In a few days he started to get a bare patch small and then another one and another one which grew bigger.  Took him to the vet and he did a culture for ringworm and it came out negative.  He said I doubt if its mange.  He said take him to a dermatologist.  Well they charge $123 for consult and $400 - $500 for running tests.  Its too steep for me.  I really don't know what to do for him.  Its patchy looking with bald spots on his neck to his back.  Now what do i do?  Is there some things i can try to fix it? He is eating Merrick Puppy Plate (a high quality dog food)  And Mighty dog food.

ANSWER: Why the vet would say " I doubt if it's mange" and not do a skin scraping for it is beyond me. Now if he did one for ringworm and checked then, I can see that. But mange is very common in puppies and especially ones from questionable breeders.

Mighty dog is not a high quality food, it is a food full of fat. I would stop feeding him that right now. "Merrick Puppy Plate is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food nutrient profiles for all life stages."

The word formulated means that they created it to meet these needs, but have never trial fed this food so they don't really know that to be true. By stating it was formulated as such, it is meeting the law. But do you want to feed your dog a food that is unproven is my question?

When a puppy food states that it is formulated for all stages that is the second thing I would be concerned about. One size fits all does not.

I am not convinced that these spots are diet related but they could be. Most likely they are demodectic mange or some sore of dermatitis. I am guessing as I cannot diagnose this, but I would go back for another skin scraping and some treatment for mange mites. That is the most common thing this puppy would have. The spots look like mange and since the test for ringworm was negative this would be the next most logical thing.  

You don't need to go to a dermatologist to get a skin scraping. If your vet isn't able to get one done then call another vet and ask how much just for that.

Whatever you do, do it quickly as mange spreads fast and can become systemic. Please let me know what you find out.



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I have tried once only on Sunday giving him a bath in horse and dog shampoo called iodine shampoo (a breeder told me to try this she said it make take 2 to 3 baths to kill any mange on the puppy)After bathing I noticed him scratching around his head and neck.  Now I noticed he has stopped.  I will be giving him another bath this Thursday.  Its a mild soap so it can't hurt.  I too cannot understand why the vet did not test him for mange.  He just said I don't think its mange.  If it is mange what do you suggest would be the best thing to use on him to kill the mites.  Is Dermisil, goodwinol good to use or can you suggest anything better.  He is very small.  Will his hair grow back?  If I take him off the Mighty Dog food what else would you suggest to give him in can food since when I wet the merrick he was eating this with the Mighty dog food?  Thanks so much for your help.

ANSWER: Goodwinol is a treatment for demodectic mange but you really need to get a good skin scraping first before treating with that, especially since he is so small. These drugs are toxic so don't use them unless you know for sure what he has.

Get him some canned Science Diet Puppy Growth to go with the Merrick diet. Give him very small amounts of it. It is a complete and balanced diet so he will do well on it.

I would not use any kind of full body shampoo on this dog either- just spot treat him once you find out what he has. Iodine is toxic also. His hair should grow back if he has mange and you get rid of it. I have not seen a dog scar up with it unless it was really bad and the dog was bleeding.

Let me know how he does in a week and what you find out that he has.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I took him to the vet for a scraping which came out negative.  The vet said he has never seen such a young puppy ever having mange.  He gave me goodwinol and I used it for 10 days and I also bathed him one more time with the horse shampoo.  His hair grew back completely and he has no bald spots.  I also switched his entire diet to Science which he enjoys very much.  I highly recommend this food.

Answer
We have seen puppies as young as six weeks with it. The fact that the Goodwinol worked tells me that he did indeed have demodectic mange or it wouldn't have done anything.

I am glad you like the food. Please educate all your friends about it.:-) It will make it much easier for me and you will help untold numbers of pets live longer, healthier lives.