The American Beagler Forum

I have a gyp dog that has had these same sores on her head for the last month I have tried to treat them but i'm not sure what they are??? It seems like she gets these sores everywhere that I pull ticks off of her but mostly right on the top of her head I have a vet appointment but I wanted to know what you all thought it could be?????

The sores are perfect circles around where the ticks have been pulled off.....

When you say sores, what exactly do they look like? Are the scabs, opening & oozing, missing hair, red spots, what????

It could be a fungus, but without knowing a little more, it's hard to say.

They are scabs but they are in a perfect circle almost on her head there is like three right on the top of her head she also gets them in her ears when i pull ticks out of her ears...

How large are they and what did they look like before they scabbed over? I believe you could be dealing with a little fungus or bacterial infection from the tick bite itself or your dog could be "sensitive" to the bite of a tick. Ticks suck blood (as you know), but in order to suck the blood, they inject a small amount of saliva into the opening they make into the skin that keeps the blood from clotting.
Many dogs have a similar "allergy" to flea bites, but have a more severe reaction. Some times to the point of chewing off all the hair at the base of the tail and giving themselves a staff infection of the skin from the self-mutalation of scratching and chewing.
It COULD be possible that your dog has an "allergy" to the saliva of the tick. It may also be possible that the ticks that have biten, have Lymes. This can cause a "sore" at the site of the bite. You may want to have your dog tested for it, if for nothing but to rule it out. Lymes is a nasty disease in both dogs and people, but the earlier it is caught , the better the prognosis.

The sores like I told ya are like circles and there not that big but you can notice them if you look down at her head.... I am in North Carolina right now but I go to school in WV so I will get her to the Vet when I get back friday. Where about are ya in NC???

My dogs have had those too.

The scabs are residue from fleas!

I gave the dogs a bath in flea shampoo, and the next day sprinkled 7-dust on their backs. Haven't had trouble in the last 5 years.

Good luck,
Lone Pine Beagles

LPB you said the scabs are from fleas, I was wondering did all of your dogs get that because the other dogs in our pens have not had that problem and Nicks dog has had this problem for maybe a month or more. Do you think that is just a problem that she has. I think it has something to do with her blood and skin it's like it is missing something to that fights off what ticks do (i don't even know if there is such a thing). But to better describe this you know when you pick a tick or two from a dog and it scabs. It's just like that but it gets bigger, it doesn't make any sense to me because it doesn't seem to bother her and it doesn't seem to heal very good at and when it does it's slow.
Nathan

The scabs my dogs had were always on the head. You could pick them off, and they would leave a perfect circle. Then a few days later....i would notice the scabs back again.
Someone told me it was from fleas. Now that i have taken the extra flea precautions i haven't had the scabs on their heads.

Let us know what you find out?
Lone Pine Beagles

Sounds like Ringworm to me. Rub a little Ivomec in the raw sore, or go buy a little strong Iodine.

My thought was ringworm too. Usually show up in a perfect circle. Very contagious. Human can get it too. Let us know what the vet says. Would be curious to find out.
Good luck

Now, when i've seen "ring worm" it doesn't seem to scab over?
It's usually more of an open wound about the size of a nickle.
Alot of times it can be found on the dogs feet or legs.

this is a good discussion because dogs can get alot of "crud".


Lone Pine Beagles

As far as ring worm goes my vet showed me this take the dog in a totally dark room and shine a black light on the spot you must get it real close and if it shines green it is ring worm

Lone Pine,are you talking about the same 7-dust people put on flowers?If so how much do you put on the dog?does it hurt em'?what all does it protect them from?how long does it last?

Yes, same dust.

Sprinkle some on their back and rub it in. I also sprinkled some i their dog bedding.

Now, i'm trying seven-spray. Should work about the same.

Wash your hands after rubbing it into the dogs coat.

Lone Pine Beagles