skin issues

Question
Hi Patti,
my name is Nicole and I own 9 chihuahua;s and a few of them have been scratching so bad that they have left red marks, and also have been pulling their hair out. one of them has sores on back from this. I'm really worried and would like to know what to do? is it dry skin like I think.
I wont have the money till february to take them to the vet. any help would be greatly apprectied as my dogs are my babies

Answer

Hi Nicole,

Having several dogs in the same home that all have the same itchy symptoms probably means some form of parasite, though I couldn't tell you what exactly that might be.

Even if you keep your dogs current on flea control, this could still be something like mange. There are three different forms of mange: Sarcoptic also called "Scabies",  Demodicosis, or red mange, and Cheyletiellosis. You need to know what form your dog has in order to give it the correct treatment. Even if you were to try an over the counter medicated shampoo, I don't know any that treat all three forms of mange. Your dogs may also have secondary skin infections from all the scratching, which will also require treatment. There really is no way for you to treat this problem without a veterinarian. Here is some more info on mange:
http://www.wikihow.com/Cure-Mange-in-Dogs

I know you said you won't have the funds to see a vet until February, but it sounds like your dogs are really suffering with this. Talk to your veterinarian about paying the bill off over an agreed upon period of time. Many vets are open to this, as long as it's discussed before treatment begins. Another option is to contact local shelters or the Humane Association to see if there is a reduced cost clinic in your area. Still another option is to apply for a special credit card you would use to pay for veterinary medical bills so you wouldn't need to put off treatment.
You can read more about these here:
http://www.carecredit.com/
http://www.healthcard.citicards.com

Maybe friends, family, neighbors or co-workers could chip in and help cover the cost of a vet bill. If you belong to a church or synagogue they might have funds available to help you pay for vet bills. If you're on social media, you might try a "go fund me" account. Maybe call a vets office to see what it might cost to treat multiple dogs for a skin condition such as mange, so you'd have an idea of how much you'd need to raise.

As bad as the situation is now, if you were to wait until February to have your dogs treated, it could be a lot more complex and time consuming to treat, and that means more expensive. Not to mention how much your dogs are suffering!  It's simpler and less expensive to treat a condition early!

I hope I've been a help. Best of luck,

Patti