Infected Dog, possibly mange or other? kind of long please read.?

My uncle has seen a dog that has been tied up and very neglected (which I call abuse). He wants to take the dog to a good home (the owner is willing to give him up) but the dog seems to have a skin condition. He has patches of fur missing on his legs and he is very very they would call it peel-y (or sore, sensitive, exposed, peeling or whatever) The dog has been chained to a pipe in the basement and the harness is far far too tight (my grandmother can't even fit one finger between the dog and the harness and it seems to be cutting in to him) We want to help him but my uncle has his own dog and no one will take a sick dog. I f you have any idea about what it might be that he has it could help (we are going to consult a vet but we would like to have some idea as to what the dog might have before we do so (vets are very expensive and we don't want to infect any other dogs in the waiting room). Thnx! He really is a great dog.

Infected Dog, possibly mange or other? kind of long please read.?
The skin condition could be mange or an allergic reaction to the harness. It could also just be a skin condition that is easily cured with one round of antibiotics. Treating mange can be a bit costly. There is one type of mange that is given to the dog 72 hours after birth from its mother. It can NOT be cured, only suppressed, but it isn't contagious to other dogs. There is another type of mange that is easily cured but IS contagious to other dogs. Watch for open sores and infection. The dog probably just needs a good bath, some love, a round of antibiotics, and a collar that doesn't fit so tight. I would keep the dog separate for now and don't put anything on the patches of skin that is missing hair. I'm sure whatever the dog has is not contagious to humans. Try giving him a bath and letting him air dry really well. The spots will feel better to him if they dry very well. Moisture might make more infection. Good Luck and yall are good people for taking in a dog.

daphne