bumps/rash

Question
Hello, I have a pit bitch that apprx.18mnths old and recently had a litter of ten which only 7 made it. they are by the way all healthy and happy. they were born on Jan. 6 2010. I also have the stud as well as a black lab bitch. just trying to give as much background as i can here? none of the other dogs puppies included have this issue. what she has is bumps that at first were isolated to back area along with minimal hair loss but some. i figured it had something to do with the post pregnancy but i am starting to be concerned. she feels warm at night(she sleeps with me/ all but pups do) they all are on occasion given bits of what we eat, just bits. my fiance is real good at making sure their all fed right exercised clean and on schedules. they all are exposed to fleas but she seams to get them each time they have. we don't have them at home. this rash did come on during that 3 weeks warm spell we had in Feb..? early blooms etc. i realize you will probably need some more info but if you can give me any ideas as to things I may look for in the mean time? I am country and have dogs and livestock all my life, pits and catahula's, chessy's and black lab's mostly myself and have always had more than 3. it looks like diet to me? please reply as soon as you can? than you

Answer

Hi Jeff,

You didn't say if your dog is scratching, or chewing at these bumps at all.

Flea bites are irritating enough, but many dogs actually develop an allergic reaction to the saliva of the fleas, and they become extremely itchy all over. Sometimes the allergy is so severe that a dog will chew at himself until he loses big patches of hair. You might not actually see the fleas, they live only part of their life cycle on a dog. To rule out fleas, examine your dog's skin by parting the hair. What you're looking for is "Flea "dirt". It looks like flecks of black pepper, or dirt on your dog's skin and in it's hair. It is actually the flea feces, composed mainly of the blood ingested by the flea from your dog. The blood is dried out, giving it a black, crackly appearance and texture. To test this, wet a cotton ball or paper towel and add some of the "black pepper" material. If it dissolves into a reddish-brown material, it is very likely flea dirt, and indication of a flea problem for your dog.

There are other causes for "bumps", which may (or may not) be accompanied by itching, but would also have hair loss. Some of these conditions include: contact dermatitis, an allergic reaction, Ringworm, and Sarcoptic mange, to name a few. Treatments will vary depending on what is the cause. You need to have your dog diagnosed by your vet before you can know how to treat your dog.

You vet may want to perform a skin scraping test. This is a simple procedure that involves scraping the very outer layer of skin cells from the surface of the dog's skin. The sample is then examined under a microscope and if parasites are present, the veterinarian will usually see signs of the parasites in the skin scraping sample. If your dog has scratched to the point where scabs, scrapes and sores are present, a medicated soothing shampoo or an oral antibiotic might be needed.

Even if you don't find fleas now, having several dogs and livestock puts you and your animals at risk for getting fleas. It's far easier to give your dogs a monthly flea preventative now, at the beginning of the season, that it would be to rid your home of fleas. The best flea control is always flea prevention!

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

Patti