Dr. Barchas,
One of my Pit Bull rescues has patchy bald spots on his face. The vet has tested several spots on two separate occasions and consistently show negative for mange. Any ideas what else could be causing this?
Thank you!
Paoline
Atlanta, GA
You don’t mention how old your dog is. If he is less than two years old, I am guessing that puppy mange is causing the bald spots.
Yes, I know, your dog twice tested negative for mange. But the test for puppy mange (which is caused by a mite called Demodex) occasionally yields false negatives. The test involves scraping the skin with a scalpel blade. This process harvests skin (and any parasites contained within the skin) from the affected area. The harvested sample is scanned under a microscope. If Demodex organisms are seen, the diagnosis is clear. If none are seen, then one of two things could be going on: either puppy mange isn’t causing the spots, or no Demodex organisms happened to be present in the area that was scraped.
Puppy mange most commonly causes patchy baldness without skin irritation (the spots generally aren’t red or itchy). The spots most commonly occur on the face. In my experience Pit Bulls are extremely susceptible to the syndrome.
If your dog’s spots aren’t bothering him and they aren’t coalescing to take over his face, I recommend that you try to wait it out. Almost every dog outgrows the problem by two years of age.
For more information on the syndrome, go to my website:
http://drbarchas.com/demodex
Photo: no sign of puppy mange on Tank.
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Hi! A friend of mine brought his recently adopted three-year-old Pitbull King over this weekend. My friend contends King is neutered, yet you can clearly see his testicles. Is it possible he IS neutered? I have two dogs (neutered of course!), if King is not fixed, could this cause problems between all the dogs if he continues to visit? This visit went very well. Thank you!
Melissa
Buffalo, NY
Neutered dogs do not have testicles. A couple of things could be going on with King.
Dogs that are neutered early in life (as I imagine yours were) have their testicles removed when they are very small. The scrotum does not develop in these dogs. However, dogs that are neutered later in life will have fully developed scrotums prior to the surgery. After surgery their scrotums will be intact but devoid of testicles. Connective tissue and tied off blood vessels in the scrotum can sometimes look like testicles from a distance.
It also is possible that King is not neutered. I have known many animals who were declared to be neutered before the testicles descended from the abdomen into the scrotum. Often the people adopting the animal assume, wrongly, that it is neutered because no testicles can be found on the pet at the time of assessment. Here is an example: the other day a client brought a “spayed female” cat to my office for a check up. A glance under the tail revealed that the cat was in fact an intact male!
Since it sounds like King was adopted after the surgery supposedly took place, a vet should take a look at King to assess the situation.
Statistically speaking, intact male are more likely to be involved in inter-dog aggression. However, that does not mean that all intact males have trouble getting along with other dogs–most have no such problems. Testicles certainly are not the only cause of dog fights. I know this because I spend so much time treating female dogs that have been in fights.
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My son recently got a lab/pit bull mix who is 4 months old. He just called me & said the dog’s jaw sometimes quivers when she yawns or she will whine and then the jaw will start to quiver.
What is going on?
Lori
Milford MI
Jaw quivering is a form of trembling. Usually it is harmless.
Jaw quivering is especially common in older dogs (and people). In these individuals it usually is progressive but it almost never compromises quality of life.
Four-month-old puppies generally do not suffer from progressive jaw trembling. The shaking is more likely a transient issue that occurs as the puppy’s nervous system matures.
Rarely, a quivering jaw may be a sign of poisoning or a serious neurological disorder. However, I’ll bet that your son’s puppy is simply going through a phase. I don’t think you should worry too much about this matter.
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Dr. Barchas,
You have questions. 