Bald patch and chewing.

Just wondering if anyone else had experienced this with their Staffy? Skye's got a small, around the size of a 5p piece bald patch on her inside, front knee joint which isn't giving her any grief at all and hasn't got anything raised or red on it.

She's also been chewing her the base of her tail alot recently and I've literally just noticed another bald patch, yet this one is bleeding where she's been chewing it! I've put a small amount of Sudocreme on as temporary measure, as I can't afford to get her seen by a vet for another fortnight yet. Anyone have any ideas what this could be? I'm a little worried it may be the start of mange setting in!

Any advice would be appreciated please!

The one inside her knee could just be a callous if it isn't sore or irritating at all.

The one at the base of her tail could be one of several things...
1. Could be fleas - they congregate around the neck area & the base of the tail & a lot of dogs get an allergic reaction to the bites.
2. Could be a small scratch or scrape that's irritating
3. Could be demodex - the base of the tail & top of the head are very common areas.

If it's fleas, no problem; just get a puppy flea preparation & make sure you also treat the bedding & carpets. Sometimes some diluted tea tree oil sprayed around your furniture/carpets can work wonders.
If it's a cut or scratch then the sudocrem will give her some relief from the irritation & it'll heal over very quickly.
If it's demodex then it may clear up on it's own. The demodectic mite is present in all dogs, but in small amounts, from birth. They normally do no harm at all. Sometimes, for whatever reason, they multiply suddenly & can cause bald itchy patches. The only way to tell for sure is to ask your vet to do a skin scrape & get it analysed under a microscope. If it is demodex, it's very easily treated.

Thank you Caryll! It's not fleas, we had an almighty infestation around a month back! Which was fun (and cost a fortune!) lol but needless to say they're gone for now.

I've googled demodex and it does appear to be alot like what she's suffering from the poor little mite! No pun intended. I'll have to beg, borrow and steal and get her checked asap so she's not in too much discomfort for the time being!

Thanks again for the advice, you've eased my mind a little

A lot of people throw up their hands in horror at the mention of demodex! Yes, it's the mite that causes one of the manges, but it's so easy to treat. And as I said, sometimes it'll actually go all on its own.

My first had demodex quite badly. We kept treating it, and nothing worked She just appeared to grow out of it, but I still think a trip to the vets is in order. Or just ask to see a nurse, they can advise you and it should cost nothing. Worth a go Xx

Yeah I've just been geeking up on it, and apparently Bull Terriers are more susceptible to it too. I'll get her checked out to be on the safe side though, rather than wait and see as also suggested on that site! She's like my second child, and I certainly wouldn't leave my son to suffer with his skin lol

Oh yes, I forgot the vets had a free nurse on selected days! Thank you for reminding me Janey x

janey wrote:
My first had demodex quite badly. We kept treating it, and nothing worked She just appeared to grow out of it, but I still think a trip to the vets is in order. Or just ask to see a nurse, they can advise you and it should cost nothing. Worth a go Xx

Was it definitely diagnosed as demodex after a skin scrape? It's just that some vets diagnose it by the look of it, and don't do the scrape, or just do a surface scrape.

She had skin scrapes, and surface scrapes and a bit of skin cut for testing (forget what that was called) and all they came back with was 'traces' of mange(this went on for about 6 months). It cost a small forune, and she did just appear to grow out of it.

I'm a worrier though, and without the treatment would it have just improved.

HELLO YES MY STAFF ALSO HAD IT
I WENT TO THE VET
THEY GAVE ME A DRUG NAMED DEMODEX AND NOW'S EVERYTHING FINE
IT TOOK 3 WEEKS TO CURE HIM. YOU CAN COMPARE IT WITH FLEA'S
GREETZ MARIO001

Well we had her to the vets today and she said it was nothing to worry about, it's perfectly normal apparently as it's not red, inflamed or scaly! Just been told to keep an eye on it incase it gets any worse.

Eased my mind a little anyway! Thanks for everyone's input though

Peace of mind anyway, pleased to hear it xx