Getting little bites when petting my dog

    • Silver

    Getting little bites when petting my dog

    HI everyone I am new to this site! We started having problems with our Black lab (6 months old) Cain for the past month or so. He started scratching really bad, had dandruff and had an bad odor coming from his ears so we took him to the vet. We thought maybe he had mites again, but the vet told us he had an ear infection and allergies. She said that he MIGHT be allergic to his food so put him on a special Fish and Potato diet. Well it has only been a few weeks and he is still itching and bad dandruff. I know that it takes about 6 weeks to see if it works, but the only concern that I have is everytime I pet Cain, My SKIN itches! What ever part of my body that touches him starts itching(face, legs, arms, hands). And what I have noticed is I have been getting little bumps on my hands. I don't know if I am allergic to him (I have no other symptoms) or if he has something else wrong with him. We haven't noticed any fleas or anything.
    • Gold Top Dog
    Sounds like sarcoptic mange to me . . . . . we went through it and the itching I felt was INTENSE!  Has the vet ever suggested a mange treatment?  I'd go back and ask them about it . . . be sure to mention that YOU itch too.

    Now that I think about it, you mention a lot of dandruff?  On the dogs skin, does it ever seem to move?  It may be walking dandruff . . . another skin mite.
    • Gold Top Dog
     Welcome to idog; I agree with Shonin; it sounds like mites. Be sure to have your vet do a skin scraping if he hasn't already. BTW, if mites don't show up on a skin scraping the dog could still have them. Also, food allergies are not very common. Vets like to try that route first because it's easiest; if the itching was caused by food allergies you should see some improvement after four weeks but honestly this sounds like mites.
    • Gold Top Dog
    `That definitely sounds like sarcops.  You said "mites again" -- a dog can get into sarcops over and over (particularly wildlife sarcops) -- and if it IS wildlife sarcops it's gonna target you because they're only looking for a blood feast or a 'better' host (if the dog isn't their primary host, say if it's deer sarcops or squirrel or fox sarcops, whichever).
     
    It takes either something like ivermectin or milbemycin to kill sarcops for sure (Revolution really doesn't have a good record with sarcops and it's systemic, which means I wouldn't use it because it lingers too long in the system).  There are dips (Lyme Dip is safer than Paramite Dip).
     
    But there are different kinds of 'mites'.  There are ear mites (again a blood-feasting parasite causing what looks like coffee-grounds in the ears) and most common in pups would be demodex mites.  Demodex is a completely different type of mite tho -- they are NOT blood feeders, but instead feast on skin oil.  The itching from demodex comes from a reaction in the skin pore (the dog can develop a sort of alllergic reaction to the mite's 'poop' in the skin pores) so not only is the body allowing the mites to proliferate but the body is reacting to it with itching and usually staph infection as well.
     
    But it is sarcops that will cause the itching in the humans.  Nasty little beasties.
     
    If you will email me I can send you more information.  I have a ton of mange experience -- I can tell you some pointers on not only how to get rid of them but things that will boost the dog's immune system to help better repel the mites.  (No, I don't 'sell' anything at all -- but it's just about immune boosting and pointers on the difference between the manges and how to cope).
     
    The vet can get you the ivermectin (not for herding dogs) or milbemycin, but often vets don't tell you much about how to get rid of the stuff indoors.  Can be a royal pain.
    • Gold Top Dog
    Everyone else has covered mange mites, but these "bites" may also be caused by seborhea.  Seborhea is an oily film on the skin of most allergy dogs.  It causes the foul odor that most allergy dogs have.  I break out with small bumps on my arms, and hands after I handle a dog with severe seborhea.  These bumps itch and are red & swollen immediately after handling these dogs.  Usually the bumps subside about 30 minutes after my exposure to these dogs ends.  If this is seborhea, there are shampoos that will break down the seborhea. (Sebolux by Virbac works well)  Talk to your vet and see what he/she thinks.  God luck.
    • Gold Top Dog
    That's funny...some of my friends complain of red bumps and itching when they pet Wyatt. It doesn't bother me though. He actually has taken revolution to treat mange because he has this dark rough patch on his foot that looks like a chesnut on a horse, that the vet said could possibly be mange. Wyatt has a very nice coat and very nice skin...
    • Bronze

    @BEVOLASVEGAS

    Everyone else has covered mange mites, but these "bites" may also be caused by seborhea. Seborhea is an oily film on the skin of most allergy dogs. It causes the foul odor that most allergy dogs have. I break out with small bumps on my arms, and hands after I handle a dog with severe seborhea. These bumps itch and are red & swollen immediately after handling these dogs. Usually the bumps subside about 30 minutes after my exposure to these dogs ends. If this is seborhea, there are shampoos that will break down the seborhea. (Sebolux by Virbac works well) Talk to your vet and see what he/she thinks. God luck.

    I have a Chinese Crested  PowderPuff 5yrs male. He has been with me about 7months. My hands itch when I pet him, either red patches or bumps. He was taken to the vet and they said fleas. I asked about my itchy hands and the pimple on his thigh...was told a pimple is a pimple and I was reacting to flea bites. Still don't believe it.  I had my boyfriend help me cut his hair so we could see if he had any more pimples. He has dandruff.!  The Benasoothe shampoo did not help the belly rubs..took the pink hue out of his skin[I thought they were supposed to have a pink hue]. Is there a shampoo I can buy for the dandruff?

    • Gold Top Dog

    I posted on your other thread -- sounds like sarcops to me honestly.  Your dog will need either something like baths in Lyme Dip for a few weeks (and you can use it on your skin too).

    Beware -- avoid things that are systemic (like Advantage-Multi or Revolution or BioSpot) -- they are dangerous to the dog.  A crested should be able to take liquid ivermectin which you can get from your vet.  Honestly  your vet should have caught this -- I'd change vets