Puppy causing bald spots on legs

Hi everyone, my pup is biting at her legs and in the past two days I have noticed the fur is thinning/balding. I looked at the areas and there is no redness. It's not fleas either. We are calling the vet today but I was wondering if any one has experienced this.

About a week ago I did use the scented puppy spray on her. Could that be making her itch?

TIA

Re: Puppy causing bald spots on legs

Yes, we did. It could be food based or environmental based allergies. Does the puppy have dandruff too? Ours did.

Allergy testing is expensive so we tried a few other things instead. We switched foods to something fish-based and limited ingredient, to minimize the risk of common allergens. He did have rashes on his stomach and under his front legs so we got Gentocin, a spray for it, and after it went away, we wiped those areas with non alcohol baby wipes to keep them clean in between baths. Changed to a very mild, oatmeal based shampoo and only bathe him a couple of times a year. We also added fish oil capsules and vitamin E to his food.

After all that, he's been fine. He was scratching more lately but it appears he has fall allergies, because there's no other explanation and some days it's worse, some it's better.

Good luck at the vet, I hope it's an easy fix!

Re: Puppy causing bald spots on legs

My dog was being treated for allergies as she was really itchy and it started to go away, but in the last few weeks it has gotten worse again and the vet said it is definitely the season changing.

He actually suggested we don't give her a bath at all during this time either because it could dry out her skin, but I also use the super sensitive skin baby wipes when she has been out playing and needs to be cleaned up.

Good luck!

Re: Puppy causing bald spots on legs

Thank you ladies. We'll check out her food. It's just a pain because my two pups like to eat eat others food. You know, because the other one is getting something better

And no, luckly no dandruff.

Re: Puppy causing bald spots on legs - Updated

Well she had her vet visit today to get neutered and they did a skin scrape bc what we thought were allergies are mites I want to cry. I will NOT google bc I will be sick. The poor thing is losing hair on her legs. But she will start those meds tomorrow and she is now sleeping and is on her way to being healthy.

I am so sad that we had to wait that long to find what is wrong with her. We tried removing "external" factors i.e. air fresherners, foods, etc.

Re: Puppy causing bald spots on legs

If they said demodectic mange, it is REALLY common! I even read that most dogs actually have them passed to them from their mothers but usually live with them without problems.

Here, I found this:

"All dogs raised normally by their mothers possess this mite as mites are transferred from mother to pup via cuddling during the first few days of life. Most dogs live in harmony with their mites, never suffering any consequences from being parasitized. If, however, conditions change to upset the natural equilibrium (such as some kind of suppression of the dog's immune system), the Demodex mites may "gain the upper hand." The mites proliferate and can cause serious skin disease."

I know many people who have had this issue when adopting dogs and were able to treat it just fine!

At least once you know what it is, the vet can put you on a path of treatment. Don't beat yourself up too much about it.

Re: Puppy causing bald spots on legs

Thank you so much. You made me feel a lot better. It may also explain why it suddenly showed up.

Thaank you