Rott/b. collie mix baldness, rash, scaliness

Link is 14 months old, short/medium coat. the pound said he was a rottweiler and border collie cross.
At about 5 months he was diagnosed with demodex via skin scraping.
It was treated with Ivomec. and it went away.
Later he developed bald spots on his back and shoulders, which are scaley but not red... the scales fall off occasionally but come back...

he has splotchy hair loss below his cheeks and nearly complete hair loss on the front of his neck (where his collar would lay), where he has a white splotch.
the hair loss on his neck has gotten worse in the past couple of months. what started as a little speck has turned into a spot with about a two inch diameter. it is not particularly scaley, like the spots on his back.
In the past couple weeks I have noticed a red rash that flares up for a few days here and there. it is sometimes splotchy, sometimes its red lines that look like irritation from nail marks. i have never noticed the rash before now.

about a month ago i took him to a new vet (having moved). the vet prescribed prednisone, omega-3 capsules, and a regiment of medicated baths to get rid of scaliness and discourage itching. he also suggested switching his diet to duck/potato (i am using natural balance brand) to rule out allergies.

vet says don't want to test for allergies/do a bunch of tests so he'll just treat it generally, see if the food is the problem and what not... i'm looking for another opinion before i consider getting another vet's opinion.

Welcome to the Forum :) .

It could possibly be allergies. Many Rotties I know have a sensitivity to chicken. It wouldn't hurt to try a good holistic food without. We feed Canidae Lamb and Rice to our Penny and we're really quite pleased with it. Has the vet checked his stool for intestinal parasites? This too can cause hair loss, dull coat, and balding. Good luck and keep us posted.

I would like to know when did it start again ? Because with one of my dogs (Bailey) he has food and seasonnal allergies that starts in April. So no mater what food I give him , he still needs to be on Vanectyl from April to October/November. As Luckypenny mentioned , could be parasite too , she's been there.

frenchy,

About three months after the demodex treatment, in january, he began to lose hair on his back and shoulders. the spots have gotten bigger with time. the neck started later, but has become the most affected (but never scaley) spot.

penny,
thanks for the tip about chicken. i used to feed him a chicken kibble, switched to nutro lamb and rice (for about three months) when the balding started. vet suggested i switch to the duck/potato about a month ago because it also changed the type of carbohydrate they get. but i agree with the skepticism about allergies.. or at least the likelihood of it being food related.

Nutro also has a lot of grains and corn if I'm not mistaken. These are other ingredients many dogs can not tolerate in their diets.

There's also nothing stopping you from seeking the opinion of another vet. There have been several occasions when one of our's couldn't figure out what was wrong when another picked up on it instantly. We actually have 3 we like, and depending on the circumstances, we choose to see the one we feel would be most appropriate to help us.

Hope you find out soon what's ailing your dog soon :fingerscr .

the vet prescribed prednisone, omega-3 capsules, and a regiment of medicated baths to get rid of scaliness and discourage itching.

My Dal X Lab :rip: had flea allergy dermatitis & I used omega-3 and Program for the little buggers with much success - has he been checked for FAD?
Often they can have demodex & FAD @ the same time - symptoms similiar 1 may be overlooked when treating the other

Also what medicated bath are you using & how often are you bathing?
The Allergroom Hypo-Allergenic Emollient Shampoo for Dogs & Cats works really well, with every shampoo make sure you rinse completely.

Bathing :dog: or :cat: more than once a week also can adversely affect the natural oils of the skin (unless specifically directed by vet of course) which will make the skin dry & itchy

:fingerscr good luck, hope it helps & :pray: can we have a pic?

he is using virbac, sebolux... something like that. and also a non-soap conditioning rinse.
vet says it is to remove the scales allowing the skin to breath and hopefully become healthy again. i do it once per week as directed and some of the hair seems to be growing back.
he hasn't been tested for anything concerning his skin. i plan to finish his course of prednisone, introduce raw veg into his diet, while keeping him on a hypo allergenic kibble and treat with omega 3/6.
He just got over a serious rash tho. A blood red rash that covered his neck, chest and back and spots on his belly. Vet told me to give benadryl and wait it out. It seems to have helped.

Here's a collection of Link photos. From puppy to present: http://earlham.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2003115&l=ec861&id=64900127

Sebolux is great, it's stronger than Allergroom Hypo-Allergenic Emollient both are by Virbac. I used Sebolux after first rescuing Cally but when his skin itchies cleared up & he went on Program year round I switched to the Hypo-Allergenic.
Sorry I'm out of suggestions, others are more familiar that I with food allergies and rashes, Cally's skin never got that bad.
Hope you find a solution and keep us posted. :goodvibes:

I'm in :love: with your dog, can I have him??? hee hee just kidding :crazy: . Love the pics :lovestruck: