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My dog has hair loss, bald spots, and skin infection. Is it mange?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Golden Retriever | Male | unneutered | 5 years and 5 months old | 77 lbs

The last 2 weeks we had a visit to the vet and scabies is suspected due to hair loss, bald spots and bacterial infections. I did a research and found out that there are 3 or 4 types of mange and can’t really identify which one he has. We live in Egypt and we don’t have access for allergy testing here.

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Destini R. Holloway, DVM

Answered By Destini R. Holloway, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on June 22nd, 2018

Poor guy.
There are really only 2 types of mites that we see in veterinary medicine- Scabies and Demodexx mites. Scabies (a type ofmite) is infectious to people so if you yourself are not itching then you can kind of rule that one out. The other mite, Demodexx isn't infectious to people or other pets, and nowadays it can be treated with oral flea preventatives such as Bravecto, Nexgard or Simparica + a medicated topical shampoo through your vet. I would recommend just starting Baileys' on one of these to cover any kind of mite issue. Then I would suggest getting Bailey on an oral antibiotic to clear up the skin infection that is present. The ears look to be infected as well. This will require a topical ear medication and cleaner from your vet to resolve.
Skin allergy testing is not commoonly used anymore due to the poor overall response to allergy immunotherapy shots. THe most common allergy medication used nowadays is Apoquel. I would ask your vet about this as well, especially if mites are not the underlying problem, which can be easily confirmed or denied with a simple skin scraping test done through your vet.
I hope that you can get Bailey's skin issue resolved soon. Best wishes and take care!
Vote Icon1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

  • Answered By Angel Alvarado, LVT

    Licensed Veterinary Technician

    Published on January 13th, 2017

    There is no OTC medication for mites in dogs. There are plenty of "natural" remedies, but their efficacy (and safety) can vary. It is never recommended to give or apply any medication without the advice of your veterinarian.
    Rule out other external parasites, such as fleas and bedbugs. Revolution can be used topically in dogs to treat sarcoptic mange which is caused by the scabies mite. This mite can be transmitted to humans. An exam and diagnostics would be needed to confirm infection otherwise you are simply guessing.
    Discuss payment plans or alternative financing such as Care Credit (www.carecredit.com) with your veterinarian.

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

  • Answered By Daniel Fonza, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on May 20th, 2018

    Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Depending on the cause of the hair problem, there are multiple medications / products you can use to treat skin conditions. If Oso has mites, and depending on what type, there are multiple options. For demodex, Bravecto or Nexgard (which are prescription products) can be used to treat the infection. I cannot direct you in the most appropriate direction since I do not know the exact cause of the skin problem. I would recommend having a veterinarian take a look at Oso so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. The vet can prescribe the most appropriate medication to treat the problem once diagnosed. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. Please take the time to mark this question as helpful or not as it helps us to improve on the quality of our answers to other pet owners. Thank you kindly!

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Smart Picks for Smart Questions

Health & Wellness
My dog has bald spots. Could it be mange or allergies? What can I do?
You are absolutely correct that mange or allergies are possible. The doctor may recommend a diagnostic called a skin scrape to check for mites. For now just protect the area from any itching. It doesn’t look really inflamed so I’m not sure there’s much you can do at this point. As a general recommendation, starting Lexi on an omega 3 fatty acid for dogs can help improve skin health and it certainly won’t hurt anything. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Health & Wellness
Why is my dog suddenly getting bald spots and red, irritated skin?
Those spots on Bailey could be several things including allergies to fleas, allergies to something in the environment, food allergy or endocrine disease. Skin mites and ringworm (which humans can get) will also look like this. Each one of these problems is detected and addressed differently and I recommend to discuss with your veterinarian which one to start hunting down first. The veterinarian can preform a few simple diagnostics to start figuring out the problem. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Vet Q & A
My dog is itching, losing hair, ear infection, new spot. Is it mange?
The spot on the cheek looks like a "hot spot". The rest looks like a flea allergy. Mange is not impossible in a dog her age but really unlikely unless she is immunocompromised. The hot spot on the cheek is basically a bacterial skin infection. She probably compromised the skin in that area due to scratching at the ears if she has an ear infection. You really need to get her to a vet to get everything she has going on under control. She needs an anti-inflammatory injection to the get the scratching under control, she needs to have oral antibiotics to clear up the hot spot, if there is an ear infection that needs to be treated and of course, the fleas need to get under control with a GOOD flea medication that she stays on continuously. A flea bath is very temporary and is not going to fix the problem. An ear infection will not clear up with over the counter ear cleaners - she needs an actual medication to clear it up. Please get her to your vet as soon as you can. Some things cannot be fixed with home treatment once they become too advanced. Best wishes.
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Vet Q & A
Is my Lab's hair loss, bald spots, and skin issues demodex or allergies?
It is very possible that Rylie has both demodex as well as underlying allergies. Demodex is a mite that we commonly see in young dogs, like Rylie. It is very easy to detect on skin scrape, so your vet should be able to readily tell you if she has it or not. Allergies can be a little more difficult to figure out, as they can be environmental, food related, or seasonal. If it is a diet related allergy, it could take 2 months of a new diet to see any improvement. Since she has a few pimples, I would be concerned that she may be developing a skin infection that requires antibiotics. I would take Rylie in to have an exam with your vet and a skin work up to see what the underlying cause of her hair loss is and what treatment she needs to be on.
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
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My dog has flaky skin and sheds. Is it allergies, fleas, or infection?
Hello, I am sorry to hear about Bentley. It is possible that Bentley is experiencing environmental allergies if he is itchy and having dry/flaky skin. Another sign of environmental allergies can be licking/ chewing on paws. If Bentley continues to itch and have skin problems medications can be added to help minimize his environmental allergies. Alternatively it is possible that Bailey is having skin problems for another reason. The areas that you describe are most commonly affected in pets that are dealing with a flea problem. If you notice any dark colored debris in those areas, this could potentially be the problem. Bentley could also have a skin infection or other problem. If he continues to itch and experience dandruff I would recommend having him evaluated by a veterinarian. They may perform skin tests such as a skin scrape or impression smear to look for infection and other abnormalities. Hope this helps, good luck!
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Health & Wellness
My dog has skin irritation. Is it mange, allergy, or infection?
This could indeed be mange, an allergy or a bacterial or fungal skin infection. Sarcoptic mange and a fungal infection are contagious to people so I strongly suggest you make an appointment with your vet for a skin exam. Your vet will do a skin scrape and look at it under the microscope, hopefully finding a mange mite. He may also take a brush sample to try and grow a fungus in a test tube. Please make an appointment today.
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Vet Q & A
My dog's ears smell, red skin patches, not fleas. Is it an infection?
It looks like Bailey has a skin infection and with how you are describing the smell from his ears he can also have an ear infection. The cause could be from many things like mites on the skin, allergies or even hypothyroidism. I would recommend taking Bailey to a veterinarian, treating the infection, have them perform a skin scraping and blood work to make sure we are testing for different things that can cause skin problems. Once the cause is determined it will be easier to treat or maintain. I hope Bailey starts to feel better soon and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!
Updated on September 23rd, 2025

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