Went to the second vet that came to us highly recommended. Results:

Skin Scrape for mites was negative. Of course, not a reliable test when it
comes to negative results though.

UV flourescence was negative. Some story though.

Fungal culture is (not) growing as we speak.

The vet thinks, from the read I got, first suspect is allergies. He didn't
rule out mange or fungal infection though.

He recommended the one dip that I've heard can have bad side effects
(paramite or something?) and also the lyme/sulfur dip. I told him I'd
already ordered some of that so he gave me just enough L/S for one dip until
the big order gets here.

She seems better which makes me think it MAY be mange (since she was dipped
with Synerkyl on Saturday). But then again maybe with all the Benadryll and
perhaps a subsiding of the allergen THAT is why she's getting better.

In either case, I'm glad she'll be getting her first Lyme Sulfur dip
tomorrow, although my olfactory glands won't be. He also said that while
being anit-fungal and anti-mite, this dip is also antipyretic and will help
ease her itching.

Good vet. I got a good feeling from him and thanks to all of you knew the
right questions to ask.

"C.L." wrote in message
...
Fungal culture is (not) growing as we speak.

.......don't understand? Didn't do a culture? Takes 10 days to get results.

The vet thinks, from the read I got, first suspect is allergies. He
didn't
rule out mange or fungal infection though.

He recommended the one dip that I've heard can have bad side effects
(paramite or something?)
.......it's an organophosphate. Wouldn't do it myself unless they did
multiple scrapings and got a positive on sarcoptic mange.

and also the lyme/sulfur dip. I told him I'd
already ordered some of that so he gave me just enough L/S for one dip
until
the big order gets here.

.........did he tell you it stains everything it comes into contact with, to
wear gloves and to put mineral oil in the dog's eyes first so it won't burn
the eyes? It doesn't really burn the skin, but does dry it out a bit.
Eyes, however, are a whole different story. You might want to wear
protective eye wear yourself.

She seems better which makes me think it MAY be mange (since she was
dipped
with Synerkyl on Saturday). But then again maybe with all the Benadryll

.......Benedryl helps a lot. The less they scratch the less red and
irritated the skin is which means the less they scratch.

Good vet. I got a good feeling from him and thanks to all of you knew the
right questions to ask.

.........Glad you're happy. It's half the battle.

buglady
take out the dog before replying

"buglady" wrote in message
link.net...

Fungal culture is (not) growing as we speak.

......don't understand? Didn't do a culture? Takes 10 days to get
results.

I meant it's either growing or not growing depending on if she's got a
fungal infection or not.

........did he tell you it stains everything it comes into contact with,
to
wear gloves and to put mineral oil in the dog's eyes first so it won't
burn
the eyes? It doesn't really burn the skin, but does dry it out a bit.
Eyes, however, are a whole different story. You might want to wear
protective eye wear yourself.

We've got fake tears for her left over from the Synerkyl dip. I'll get some
gloves tomorrow. The stuff reminds me of HS2 from HS chemistry. . . yuck.

Would you believe! Learned this Monday evening... One of our students
who has a young Dobe with a skin problem that wasn't responding to
treatment (with steroids) got a referal to a dermatologist (in
Atlanta... 150+ miles one way). Derm-guy did a scraping, diagnosed
demodectic mange very easily. Treatment plan was changed... just last
week. The dog looks better already. The local vet hadn't scraped any
of the skin lesions "Because they weren't in the right places for
mange".....

Jo Wolf
Martinez, Georgia

Jo Wolf wrote:

Would you believe! Learned this Monday evening... One of our students
who has a young Dobe with a skin problem that wasn't responding to
treatment (with steroids) got a referal to a dermatologist (in
Atlanta... 150+ miles one way). Derm-guy did a scraping, diagnosed
demodectic mange very easily.

Argh! IIRC, steroids only make demodex worse! Yet another reason to not give
steriods unless you know what is wrong.

Beth, who is wishing she had some steriods for her back right about now.

Jo Wolf wrote:
Would you believe! Learned this Monday evening... One of our students
who has a young Dobe with a skin problem that wasn't responding to
treatment (with steroids) got a referal to a dermatologist (in
Atlanta... 150+ miles one way). Derm-guy did a scraping, diagnosed
demodectic mange very easily. Treatment plan was changed... just last
week. The dog looks better already. The local vet hadn't scraped any
of the skin lesions "Because they weren't in the right places for
mange".....

Unfortunately, that's not the first time I've heard that
particular story :-(. I've also been told of dogs who did
have scrapings done by a primary-care vet that were negative...
only to have another one done later by a dermatologist that
was positive. Apparently the practioner's skill level is
key in administering that particular test.

That's a very timely anecdote; thanks for posting it. And
I'm very glad to hear that your friend's dog is finally
getting better.

Dianne