I think she has mainge

She scratching and she has lost of hair bites at her skin. Will just a warm oat meal bath help her?

[Kimberly Coyner, D.V.M., DACVD]

I recommend taking your puppy back to the veterinarian, since it has been several months since the last exam and since this new itching problem has developed. The most common reason for itchy skin and hairloss in a young pitbull would be demodectic mange or a bacterial skin infection, often secondary to an underlying cause such as scabies mites, food allergy, or pollen/dust allergies. Demodex mites are microscopic parasites which are usually easy to find on skin scrapes, and if these mites are found by your veterinarian, then there are several treatment options, both topical and oral, that they will discuss with you. Since scabies mites are difficult to find, even if scrapings are negative I usually still trial treat for scabies with Revolution every 2 weeks for 3 treatments.  I treat bacterial skin infection with antibiotics for 3 weeks and mild antibacterial shampoos. An oatmeal shampoo may also be helpful. The itch can be treated symptomatically with antihistamines prescribed by your veterinarian. If no demodex mites are found on scrapings, but your puppy's itch persists or recurs despite Revolution, antibiotics and antihistamines, then I would suggest talking to your veterinarian about a prescription hypoallergenic diet. There is no accurate skin or blood test for food allergy; the test and the treatment are the strict hypoallergenic diet trial for 6-8 weeks with no other treats or foods. Lastly, if your puppy's symptoms persist despite all of the above, then talk to your veterinarian about referral to a veterinary dermatologist (www.acvd.org) for possible allergy skin testing and desensitization injections for pollen/dust allergies. Hope that helps!
__________________
Kimberly Coyner, DVM
Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Dermatology
Dermatology Clinic for Animals of Las Vegas
Las Vegas, NV
www.dermvetvegas.com