Expert: Dr. Louis N. Gotthelf - 12/5/2011

Question
We are looking at a puppy from a litter (6 total pups) that is now 6 weeks old. All but one of the puppies has skin irritations on the face, top of head and paws. The puppy we have on hold has hair loss on the two front paws (top of paws and around a toe) and three large pimple looking things (size of a dime or less) on the face under the chin, between the eyes and lower right jaw. The breeder thinks it's dermititis and will be taking the puppies to the vet tomorrow to confirm and start them on an antibiotic treatment. What causes this? Should we be concerned? We are supposed to be taking the puppy home in two weeks and have an older dog. Will it be contagious to our other dog? If it is dermititis, how long does it take for an antibiotic treatment to resolve it? Will there by any scars in the areas of hair loss? Thank you for your time and expertise!

Answer
I would be very concerned about demodex mange as the cause of the dermatitis in the areas you indicated.  They may also have sarcoptic mange, which is highly contagious to other pets and to you. If all of the pups have it, I would recommend that you stay away from getting a pup from this litter.