okay- recently our labrador retreiver mix started getting very patchy places on her skin. About a week and a half ago I noticed that she was losing hair around her rear and back legs. So I made an appointment with a vet (ours just retired so we had to find a new one) and took her in today (tues). The vet said at first she just thought it might be a skin allergy of some sort. Then she did a skin scraping and looked at it under the microscope. She came back in and said it was mange- not the contagious-ewww-balding-dirty mange, but a hereditary mange that is not contagious to humans or other dogs. We knew it couldn’t be “regular” mange because our other dog is fine and dandy. However, our dog is almost 2 years old; why would the problem just be showing up now? If she has mites in her hair follicles why would they just now be causing damage? How can mites be hereditary? and not contagious? Anyway- the vet said that I would have to bring her in at least 3 times to get dipped- maybe up to 5. It will cost $40 per dip and it’s not something we can do at home (so the vet says). My mother does not beleive the vet (although it seems she never beleives the diagnosis of anyone I go to- if she’s not there- whether it be the dentist, doctor, or mechanic), and I am very suspicious. Our dog has never had any hair/skin problems before- besides a dry coat- which is typical of labs. So- does anyone know anything about this? Has anyone ever heard of hereditary mange before? Or am I being completely taken advantage of? someone please help.
Thanks.
Probably not but if you go to snap.com & search for
hereditary mange, youll find tons of info. e.g.:
We have a two-month old black and white american cocker. Friends of ourselves have a pair of miniature pinschers. They say
their vet says they have some sort of hereditary mange. They are currently giving them medication. Would our cocker spaniel
be in danger of getting the mange while in contact with these pinschers? If so, should we avoid all contact between the animals?
Thank you very much for your time.
Sincerely,
Andrew Wallace
reply was:
If this is Demodectic (red) mange, you don’t have to
worry. It is NOT contagious. NM
Now you get to look for red mange.
thanks, Handy. I searched for mange at excite right after I posted, I was just hoping to get a reply from a vet. I suppose I should’ve just searched first, but my first thought was to come post to all the expert teeming millions here. thanks, though.
love,
tipi
Handy is on the right track…look up more info on demodex. Demodex does live in the skin of all dogs, and usually only becomes a problem when the dog is somehow compromised in another way. it is not contagious, but it can be a bitch to get rid of.
Well, I have a black lab mix and she sheds in the same areas you have indicated your dog is losing its hair. With our dog, however, it is a seasonal thing. It is not caused by skin allergies or by mange, it’s just a specific shedding pattern that occurs in hotter months. Does the hair become fuzzy before falling out or does it just come out? Are the areas bald or balding or does he/she just seem to lose alot of hair there? Does he/she pick or try to scratch the area? Was the vet absolutley sure that it was not a skin allergy? Does your dog bite between his/her toes?
If left untreated it could develop into skin lesions.
You might find your dog is very sensitive to flea bites too and this might trigger episodes of hair loss, it seems to happen in dogs with this type of mange.
A word of advice, it’s not a good idea to lets her have pups as these may well inherit mange - no point in perpetuating it.
JFTR, demodex is very easy to diagnose. It takes about two seconds. So, if the vet saw the mites on the scope, then that is what the dog has. Not to say there may be MORE than one skin problem going on, but it really does sound like demodex.
I once gave my rabbit some mites because I put some wood in his cage. So, make sure your canine isn’t around any wood sources unless they are treated.
UPDATE
well, when we called our old vet to get him to transfer the dogs’ shot records to our new vet, he asked for us to run the problem dog by for him to take a look at. he was going to be in the office for a couple of hours in the morning, so my mom drove the dog to see him. he did not do a skin scraping, but insisted that it wasnt mange because demodex would’ve shown up earlier than now (she is almost 2). He gave her a prescription pill to take every day and said she should improve in about a week. Now I am very confused… the new vet is “new” and we are still wary of her diagnosis, but she did do a skin scraping and check it under the microscope…on the other hand- our old vet is very experienced, and in my 19 years, I can’t ever recall him being wrong about our pets. But I don’t know what to do- take her to yet another vet, give her the pills and just pray she regrows her beautiful coat, or take her to the new vet to be dipped. Any advice???- doggy looks awful, and I really want her to get better asap. thanks.
love,
tipi
oh- I forgot to mention- doggy is fixed, so she will not be reproducing. 
so no need to worry about passing this along to any other pups.