Robin Is A Total Mess--Our Poor Baby

[Guest twhitehouse]

Rita, I'm just seeing all this. I'm so sorry! Poor Robin. I'm sure you will get it figured out soon.

 

If it's any help, Lexi had an awful case of ringworm...some really rare kind that you can only get from cows...it took the vet about 2 weeks to figure it out. It also took forever to clear up and we still battle with a few spots of it and she's on her 3rd medication for it. If it is something fungal that Robin has it should show under a black light test....have they done that for him along with the scrapings? I'm sure they have, but just an idea.

 

Hugs to you and Robin....get better soon handsome boy!

[CaliforniaGreys]

Just checking in to see how he's doing. Hoping you both had a restful night

[maryz]

Poor Robin (and you). I hope you get some answers soon so that both of you will feel better.

[Guest KennelMom]

I haven't read through the whole thread, but have you sent those pics to Pam to see if she's seen anything like that? The obvious skin conditions pop to mind first - mange, staph, ringworm...

 

Random thought - have you checked for tick disease or run a basic blood panel? Grandpa used to get similar scabs around his eyes and ears(and every orifice) that was an auto-immune response to ehrlichia flair ups. He didn't have scabs on his chest though, so that's a difference.

 

Hugs to handsome Robin

Edited August 31, 2010 by KennelMom

[Guest Fasave]

Natural Balance makes a limited ingredient Sweet Potato & Venison food. It's @ half that price (or @ the same price but for a @ 30 lb bag). Here the Petco's carry it. ..... When Zema was on her most restricted diet I made oven-baked potato chips for her -- slice raw potato very thin, put on cookie sheet in oven @ 350 until dry and crisp; they shrink a lot. Doesn't work with sweet potatoes -- too much sugar.

 

I second this recommendation. I've seen a lot of greyhounds do well on this food, especially when they are first adopted and adjusting to home life. The other nice thing about NB is that they make the same formula in canned, food rolls and treats so you have a lot to offer without worrying about ingredients. If this formula doesn't work, there are other LTD's recipes that NB offers.

Edited August 31, 2010 by Fasave

[fsugrad]

Everything I have read and a lot of the people on this board and some that I have spoken to--makes me think it's demodectic mange. It says online that demodectic mange concentrates mostly on the ears, eyes, mouth, and chest area....

I know that I had discussed sarcoptic mange with the vet but not demodectic mange. So I've left a msg for her to call me this morning. They did a scraping and are culturing--the vet said specifically to rule out ringworm--but if they're culturing shouldn't they be able to see other stuff, too? I just don't know much about this and my head is spinning with all the diff skin conditions that have been mentioned.

So I'm waiting for the vet to call me back this morning.

 

Robin slept well last night. He slept all night. And this morning when it was time for breakfast, he ran right over to his bowl and scarfed his venison and potato food down. Then I gave him his antibiotics and prednisone and he laid back down. He doesn't look any better this morning but at least he doesn't look any worse.

 

Thank you everyone for all of the concern, thoughts, and prayers. I'll continue to keep everyone posted.

[Guest K9Cookies]

Hang in there. You guys will figure this out and Robin will be back to his normal cowdoggie self very soon!

[Guest Vers]

Maybe I'm only thinking this looks like staph because that what Simba had, but the pattern of inflammation/scabbing and your photos really seem to fit that -- so similar to Simba's. If it is, I hope the cephalexin helps Robin. It took a week or ten days to see results, and we continued the cephalexin for 3 to 4 weeks total. Please feel better soon, handsome Robin!

[Guest iconsmum]

Demodex?? I'm just reading this now and it looks very much like my little retriever's face and body issue that was there a lot when she was younger. It would happen if she was at all stressed - she came from a breeder with a half bald face (eye patches especially) and in poor condition. In her case it all went away when I switched her to raw food and away from any preservatives, and eliminated chicken in all form, which was a different issue.

She still flares every now and then for no apparent reason so I finnally decided to try a consult with a homeopathic practitioner who does dogs and it's been very successful. I think you have to understand that prednisone doesn't cure, it just masks symptoms... when you taper her off, at a certain point the symptoms just come roaring back, so figuring out the dx is key. Good luck to you and your baby...I'm hunting a pic of my dog when she had demodex active and I'll post for you if I find one....

[greytpups]

Sending good thoughts that you'll get answers soon and Robin will soon be back to his ol cowdoggy self. Poor baby

[Guest kydie]

O.K. mange ran through my mind first,,, but any,,, and I mean any,,, vet should be able to know mange when they see it,,. for goodness sakes,,, please keep us posted on this poor pup

 

P.S. IMHO if your pup is diagnosed with mange,, after all his visits,, I would look for a new vet!

Edited August 31, 2010 by kydie

[Guest Tes623]

Hope Robin is feeling better this afternoon!

[fsugrad]

Well, it's definitely not demodectic mange. As much as I was hoping that maybe my vet missed something obvious, I just got off the phone with her and she says that's the first thing she checked for when we brought him in yesterday. You guys probably all know this but she says it's so easy to scrape and see the demodex mites under the microscope right away and she agrees that the location of his irritation (mainly ears/cheeks/face/chest/eyes) is typical of the demodex mites.

But it's not that.

She said she scraped for that right off the bat because as some of you posted, had he had demodectic mange the prednisone would actually make things worse. I can't wait to get home and see Robin this afternoon.

[Guest Olivia0208]

awww, so now what? I hope she's feeling better today. Please keep updating. fingers and toes crossed that once they find out it's an easy fix:rolleyes:

[fsugrad]

So now I guess we wait a week til the culture comes back and see if that tells us anything.

And in the meantime she says he should be itching less and less each day due to being on the prednisone, and this should hopefully help him heal since he won't be messing with himself/licking and rubbing so much. If he does not show signs of improvement, we always have the Univ of FL vet school in our town and maybe we could get a consult with a specialist there.

[Remolacha]

really hope the meds make Robin feel better while you figure this out!

[Guest FastDogsOwnMe]

Demodex USUALLY happens in small, dime sized bald non itching areas and can appear anywhere on the dog's body. It is rare in mature dogs, and it's not spread dog to dog.

 

That looks like Sarcoptic mange. Scabies is soooo easy to treat. One good dose of oral ivermectin should produce improvement within 12 hours, so it's easy to rule that out. Scrapings are not always conclusive. It does sound like it is not that... I just wish it was because it's so easy to treat. I feel so bad for you and your pup!

[Guest mbfilby]

That looks like Sarcoptic mange. Scabies is soooo easy to treat. One good dose of oral ivermectin should produce improvement within 12 hours, so it's easy to rule that out. Scrapings are not always conclusive. It does sound like it is not that... I just wish it was because it's so easy to treat. I feel so bad for you and your pup!

 

I've seen this up close on a few dogs and it looks exactly like that..

 

ETA

 

 

Sarcoptic mange

Sarcoptic mange, also known as scabies, is caused by a microscopic mite. The female mite causes the characteristic intense itching as they burrow under the skin to lay their eggs. The eggs hatch in a few days, develop into adults, and begin laying their own eggs in less than three weeks.

 

Dogs with scabies dig and bite at themselves with great ferocity. Their skin reacts with oozing sores, and secondary infection may set in, requiring treatment with an antibiotic in addition to treatment for the mites. Unfortunately, the sarcoptic mange mite can be difficult to find in skin scrapings, and unless the veterinarian parts the hair and carefully examines the bare skin for the characteristic pin-point bite marks, diagnosis is difficult. Furthermore, the presence of a secondary skin infection can hamper the search for the mite bite marks.

 

Telltale signs of sarcoptic mange are crusty ear tips, fierce itching, and hair loss, particularly on the ears, elbows, legs, and face in the early stages. Later on, the hair loss spreads throughout the body.

 

Sarcoptic mange is contagious to canines and humans. If the dogs share sleeping places or if the infected dog sleeps on beds or furniture, everyone will begin scratching. It is not unheard of for the family dog to infest the kids, the kids to infest their playmates, and the playmates to infest their pets and parents with scabies. Fortunately scabies in humans is self-limiting, that is the mite can burrow under the skin and cause itching, but cannot complete its life cycle on humans and dies within a few weeks.

 

Veterinarians now use Ivermectin in two doses, two weeks apart, to kill the mites. They may also prescribe steroids for short-term use to relieve the itching until the mites begin to die off and give the dog some relief. Itching usually begins to subside within a few days of the first dose of Ivermectin.

 

Canine skin damaged by sarcoptic mange and secondary skin infections can take weeks or months to recover, depending on the scope of the problems. Frequent medicated baths may be necessary to soothe irritated skin.

 

Mange damage can mimic that caused by other skin conditions, including autoimmune diseases, bacterial infections secondary to flea allergies, and contact dermatitis, making it impossible for the pet owner to diagnose with any success. If your dog suffers from irritated, itchy skin, make an appointment with the veterinarian. Early diagnosis of any of these problems will give you a head start on a cure and will be less uncomfortable for the dog and your wallet.

 

 

Norma Bennett Woolf

 

see the article HERE

Edited August 31, 2010 by mbfilby

[Guest SueG201]

i immed thought Sarcoptic Mange when I saw the pics, when i worked at an animal shelter we saw mange all the time, sometimes they were symptomatic and still tested negative , we dipped them weekly and gave them ivermectin, stress in adult dogs can bring out SM

 

Best of luck, It is so frustrating when you dont know what your baby has

[RaineysMom]

continuing to send prayers for your boy! :hope

[45MPHK9]

thinking about you guys today.

[joejoesmom]

And he will have to have topical heartworm meds during this time because the heartgard chewables he eats have flavoring in them too, which is a no-no for him during this time. I think she said he would have to switch to Revolution for the time being.

 

 

In case you don't want to do topical, there is a non-flavored heartguard tablet available. Not all vets carry it. It is about $10 to $13 each.

 

Jane

[joejoesmom]

Our son is on his way to the vet to pick Robin up. He's going to be on prednisone and an antibiotic (I think she said it was cephalexin but am not sure) for the next few weeks. And starting venison and potato food. The venison and potato food he's starting is royal canin but that is horrifically expensive...$53 for a 16 pound bag. I can't afford to feed him this on a day to day basis. I am wondering if any potato and venison food would work and if so, do you guys have recommendations on a less expensive brand? I sure hope he's feeling better. I'll take some pics of him when I get home so you can see what we're dealing with. The vet said the shot he received today and the meds he's started today will make him feel better so no shampooing or topical stuff is needed.

Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Venison and Potato would probably be an acceptable substitute. It is still expensive but not as expensive as the prescription. It doesn't appear to be as tasty however. You might have to add water and heat it up to entice Robin to eat it. You can also buy some royal canin or Natural balance canned food. Mix it with water into a gravy and put it on the dry Natural Balance.

 

Edited to add: My canine dermatologist said: "I would prefer Royal Canin Venison and Potato to Natural Balance because I know that the ingredients are very well controlled and will not have any variation. However I realize that the cost may be prohibitive. In this case, I recommend Natural Balance Venison and Potato and make sure the client understands that if this food does not clear up the problem it is not definitive. In other words, it could still be an allergy. If at all possible, use the Royal Canin for a minimum of two months. If this works, then switch to the Natural Balance. Also, in my opinion, the other Natural Balance Flavors are not acceptable to be used for allergy detection." -- Glad I saved the email.

Edited August 31, 2010 by joejoesmom

[Guest mbfilby]

Any update on Robin?

[Guest LindsaySF]

Could be a staph infection - they are really hard to get rid of. Riley had it for years, it would go away with abx and steroids, but then come back. If it is staph, get Chlorhexiderm shampoo and bathe him every other day for a week, then as needed. After getting this shampoo, I never had to put Riley on meds again and eventually it went away forever.

A staph infection is my guess as well, especially because of the scabbing. WAG just had a foster dog from FL with a staph infection. He was treated with cephalexin for 2 weeks down in FL and the scabs healed and some of his hair grew back, but once he got to CT it started spreading again and more pustules opened up. Two more weeks of cephalexin and frequent chlorhexidine baths and sprays, and he's all better. Our contact in FL said they have seen a lot of dogs with staph infections this year.

 

 

 

~Lindsay~