Mange, hair loss can be serious medical problem

At first, the symptoms didn't seem terrible serious: some spotty hair loss, itchy skin, and pus-filled pimples along Blacky's chin, belly, legs, and armpits.

The caretaker, wasn't really concerned, Khun Nee, owner of the 1-year-old mixed breed. But by the time she got a correct diagnosis of mange, the pimples and hair loss had spread all over Blacky's body, she had lost her appetite, and she was weak, feverish, and lethargic. "She'd lie on the couch and shake and was cold all the time," Khun Nee recalls. "I thought she was going to die!" But after a round of antibiotics and dipping in an anti-parasitic solution, Blacky made a complete recovery.

Mange, a skin disease in Thailand mainly caused by mites, usually shows up as itchy skin with patchy hair loss around the head or front legs and in severe cases, the body. Many dogs, develop a small area of hair loss near the corner of one or both eyes. And after skin scrapings confirms the presence of mites, a topical anti-parasitic ointment will cure your dog. If your dog has a more widespread condition or inflamed skin, you veterinarian may recommend treating with a benzoyl peroxide shampoo or gel, anti-parasitic drugs, with antibiotics.

Bacterial skin diseases often result from underlying problems, like mange or allergies: The dog scratches off his hair, chews or licks itchy areas, then damages the skin, causing bacteria to form. Watch for patchy hair loss, rather than the thinning seen with endocrine diseases. The treatment depends on the underlying cause but often includes a three- to six- week course of antibiotics.