If you've seen a vet for the prednisone, I think they would notice if the dogs have mange, esp if the dogs are having skin irritation problems.

Years ago, I worked for a vet and we did treat a dog for mange, it was similar to using a flea dip, we poured a solution over the dog & kept bathing him with it for maybe 10-15 min. It was strong stuff, I HAD to wear heavy rubber gloves & apron. It took several treatments to cure. I doubt you could get in over the counter, & if you treated the dogs & they didn't have mange, it could be very hard on their already irritated skin.

What does your vet say? Why are they on prednisone? If it's an unknown allergy, or the breed is prone to allergy problems, you may have to let them tough it out. At this time of year, you may want to limit time outdoors and wipe paws to decrease the amount of pollen they're exposed to, if that is a trigger. I would call the vet, explain your financial predicament and ask if they will sell you medicated shampoo, there are some good ones available that can ease the itchiness. Good luck with your Bichons, they are such cute dogs.

Here is a link that might be useful: mange article

Why didn't your vet do a skin scrape(?) to see if there is mange? It's really a simple procedure and shouldn't be expensive. Mange is pretty easy to detect, if I remember correctly.

My previous male dog had ongoing skin issues .. and as he got older we were dealing with dermidex mange, if that's the right spelling. If I remember correctly, I regularly gave him baths with a human dandruff shampoo.

Ask your vet to do a skin scrape, they can take it right to their microscope and see if it's mange. And ask about shampoo's.

I agree with pamghatten. You should have the vet do a skin scrape. That and the medicine really isn't that expensive. One of my dogs had mange when she was a puppy. My vet gave me ivermectin drops that I put on little bites of bread with peanut butter on it to mask the taste. (Ivermectin is what heartworm medicine is made of.) I had to do that for six or nine months. Of course I had to give the other two dogs a bite of peanut butter bread too just to be fair. :)

My vet said mange can be common on young dogs with immature immune systems. He said many dogs have the demodex mites, but some dogs have more trouble fighting them off than others. She's fine now, but her coat is thinner than it would have been if she hadn't had skin problems as a pup

There are different types of mange mites with demodex and sarcoptes being the two most common. Demodex is not contagious to other animals or people because it is an immune system problem with the dog - all dogs have low numbers of demodex but if their immune system is "off" the population of the mites is not kept in check. There are much safer treatments available now vs the dips but there are no OTC products for this mite. This is usually seen in younger dogs ( less than 1 yr old) . It would be very unusual for both your adult Bichons to have demodex mites.

Sarcoptes mites are contagious to people and dogs. This mite is not a normal inhabitant of their skin and infection can happen at any age. Dogs with this mite are extremely itchy - like a 10/10 - there is often have a typical distribution of lesions but a skin scraping should be done. These mites are much more difficult to get on a scraping then demodex so a negative scrape does not necessarily rule it out and if there is a high enough suspicion then treatment should be done.

If your dogs are not responding to prednisone the dose may need to be adjusted in both strength and length of time. Bichons are quite prone to allergies so this is a strong possibility.

Itchy dogs are rarely solved with OTC products and can be a challenge even for the vet.

Having said all this I hope they are on Advantage or something from your vet for fleas - and that means ALL pets in the house including cats even if they don't go outdoors.