Demodectic Mange

[Hud]

Hi all,

This is my first post on this forum, so first of all, hello to all!

I am the proud owner of a 5 mth old JUG (Jack Russel x Pug) and have been watching these forums ever since his arrival. I have found them all to be an amazing source of information.

It's unfortunate that my first post would be under such bad terms - my puppy has developed a localised case of Demodectic Mange. I've been reading as much as I can on these evil little mites but still have a few questions I would love to get the answers from and was hoping you guys could help me out.

He developed it about a week and a half ago just above his left eye. After watching it for a few days I decided to take him to the vet. I then discovered that he had mites. The vet put him on Ivermectin which I have been giving to him daily in the oral form.

Initially the mites seemed to keep spreading, but now the spreading has started to stop. The infected area is mainly pimply dry skin. It has been hard to tell over the past week if there has been much improvement.

So I was wondering if those that have had the same issues could shed some light on roughly how long the healing process will take? When should I start to see the pimples disappear? And if there is dry skin around this area (which he seems to bump everynow and then causing them to bleed a little) should I be doing something to treat the dry skin? Also is there anything else you would suggest using - Advocate etc.?

The Vet wants me to return in 3 weeks, but I'd love to have an idea from those that have treated it as to where it is in it's lifecycle - so to speak.

Thanks for taking your time to read this topic and thanks in advance for the feedback.

Regards,

Hud

[WreckitWhippet]

We leave mange alone. We look after the dogs from the inside out, feeding them all raw diet, with some additional vitamins and aloe juice. We let the mange run it's natural course.

Yep, they can end up looking rather bald but I wouldn't give my dogs ivermectin if my vet paid me. We are lucky and have a vet who thinks the same as we do and is prepared to sit and wait it out.

[Chuxstr]

Hi there,

Have had a lot of experience with Demodex, being a vet nurse.

The first thing to understand is that Demodex mite's can be found present in prefactly healthy skin. It only becomes a issue when the immune system isn't at it's optimum eg in a puppy. The immune system kill's the mites as they breed and stop's them getting to an undesirable level under the skin.

(pointless bit of info - 1 in 5 people have Demodex normally living in there eye brows)

Ivomec is very safe when used correctly. In-fact derivatives of Ivomec are used vastly throughout the pet industry in many medications including horse wormers, heartworm preventives, flea treatments and even as a fish wormer.

Your Vet will possibly prescribe Ivomec oral for sheep and this should work well as a treatment (although it may take a couple of months). Will it run it's course??? Most likely, but this will take longer.

The main thing to remember is that in any situation regarding your animals health, your vet is in the best position to advise you on what to do. They have seen your pet and know it's history. Build a relationship with your chosen vet.

Now for the feeding. It is very important to feed your puppy the correct and BALANCED diet. The only way to do this is to feed a super premium pet food designed for puppys (eg. Advance, Eukanuba, Pro Plan, Royal Canin, Hills Science, Eagle Pack). If an owner chooses to make there own diet based on meat and supplements or anything else (eg carrots, wheatbix) then you can bet your bottom dollar it will NOT be correctly balanced.

Good Luck

[*Lolapalooza*]

My friends dog (SBT) had demodex and the vet said it cant hurt to wash the pimply bits in Malaseb to stop them getting infected but not really necessary. Not sure what other think about this?

She was given Cydetin orally and all cleared up in about 6 weeks. Just routine Advocate now each month.

Hope Im one of the 4 out of 5 without mites in my brows :p

[Odin-Genie]

The only way to do this is to feed a super premium pet food designed for puppys (eg. Advance, Eukanuba, Pro Plan, Royal Canin, Hills Science, Eagle Pack). If an owner chooses to make there own diet based on meat and supplements or anything else (eg carrots, wheatbix) then you can bet your bottom dollar it will NOT be correctly balanced.

This is not a diet discussion, but I am sure I would not classify Eukanuba or Hills Science as super premium diets. Also, a lot of people can feed home prepared balanced diets, and a lot on this forum do, though I am not one of them.

To the OP, my dog had DM as a puppy. Just one bald spot on the forehead. The vet advised to leave it alone and see how it progresses. He said he wasn't happy advising strong treatment if it wasn't required. Within a month it disappeared by itself. Since then I haven't had any issues.

[Miranda]

Now for the feeding. It is very important to feed your puppy the correct and BALANCED diet. The only way to do this is to feed a super premium pet food designed for puppys (eg. Advance, Eukanuba, Pro Plan, Royal Canin, Hills Science, Eagle Pack). If an owner chooses to make there own diet based on meat and supplements or anything else (eg carrots, wheatbix) then you can bet your bottom dollar it will NOT be correctly balanced.

I disagree with you, there are plenty of people on this forum who feed diets based on meat and bones and their dogs and puppies are perfectly healthy. Feeding a commercial diet is certainly not the only way to feed, dogs have a carnivore's digestive system and a lot of dry foods contain far too many cereals and fillers which is why some dogs produce high volumes of faecal matter when eating them, they just cannot digest the excess carbohydrates. Also if you're going to feed a commercial food some puppies may do better on the adult version of the food as the puppy varieties can be too rich in protein and nutrients and cause rapid growth.

I feed a combination of super premium dry food, meat, offal, raw eggs, fish, yoghurt, bones and leftovers. Dogs are scavengers and don't need every meal to be balanced, as long as they receive all necessary vitamins and minerals over a week or so they'll be fine. I have nothing against those that choose to feed a commercial diet as long as their dog does well on it, but to suggest that commercial dog foods are the ONLY way to feed your dog a correct and balanced diet just isn't true.

My apologies to the OP for going OT.

[R00]

Now for the feeding. It is very important to feed your puppy the correct and BALANCED diet. The only way to do this is to feed a super premium pet food designed for puppys (eg. Advance, Eukanuba, Pro Plan, Royal Canin, Hills Science, Eagle Pack). If an owner chooses to make there own diet based on meat and supplements or anything else (eg carrots, wheatbix) then you can bet your bottom dollar it will NOT be correctly balanced.

Good Luck

OT again but I would love to see the actual research (not opinion) in to what constitutes a balanced diet for dogs. (this is not a jab at Chuxstr) but there is enough debate on a what a balanced diet is for humans and I am guessing the amount of research done with dogs would be a tiny fraction of that done for humans.

Also anyone is not a little wary of commerical driven research needs to get their heads out of the clouds.

At the end of the day, if your dog is looking healthy then you are probably feeding the correct food.

[R00]

Now for the feeding. It is very important to feed your puppy the correct and BALANCED diet. The only way to do this is to feed a super premium pet food designed for puppys (eg. Advance, Eukanuba, Pro Plan, Royal Canin, Hills Science, Eagle Pack). If an owner chooses to make there own diet based on meat and supplements or anything else (eg carrots, wheatbix) then you can bet your bottom dollar it will NOT be correctly balanced.

I disagree with you, there are plenty of people on this forum who feed diets based on meat and bones and their dogs and puppies are perfectly healthy. Feeding a commercial diet is certainly not the only way to feed, dogs have a carnivore's digestive system and a lot of dry foods contain far too many cereals and fillers which is why some dogs produce high volumes of faecal matter when eating them, they just cannot digest the excess carbohydrates. Also if you're going to feed a commercial food some puppies may do better on the adult version of the food as the puppy varieties can be too rich in protein and nutrients and cause rapid growth.

I feed a combination of super premium dry food, meat, offal, raw eggs, fish, yoghurt, bones and leftovers. Dogs are scavengers and don't need every meal to be balanced, as long as they receive all necessary vitamins and minerals over a week or so they'll be fine. I have nothing against those that choose to feed a commercial diet as long as their dog does well on it, but to suggest that commercial dog foods are the ONLY way to feed your dog a correct and balanced diet just isn't true.

My apologies to the OP for going OT.

Great post :p

[Quickasyoucan]

Now for the feeding. It is very important to feed your puppy the correct and BALANCED diet. The only way to do this is to feed a super premium pet food designed for puppys (eg. Advance, Eukanuba, Pro Plan, Royal Canin, Hills Science, Eagle Pack). If an owner chooses to make there own diet based on meat and supplements or anything else (eg carrots, wheatbix) then you can bet your bottom dollar it will NOT be correctly balanced.

I disagree with you, there are plenty of people on this forum who feed diets based on meat and bones and their dogs and puppies are perfectly healthy. Feeding a commercial diet is certainly not the only way to feed, dogs have a carnivore's digestive system and a lot of dry foods contain far too many cereals and fillers which is why some dogs produce high volumes of faecal matter when eating them, they just cannot digest the excess carbohydrates. Also if you're going to feed a commercial food some puppies may do better on the adult version of the food as the puppy varieties can be too rich in protein and nutrients and cause rapid growth.

I feed a combination of super premium dry food, meat, offal, raw eggs, fish, yoghurt, bones and leftovers. Dogs are scavengers and don't need every meal to be balanced, as long as they receive all necessary vitamins and minerals over a week or so they'll be fine. I have nothing against those that choose to feed a commercial diet as long as their dog does well on it, but to suggest that commercial dog foods are the ONLY way to feed your dog a correct and balanced diet just isn't true.

My apologies to the OP for going OT.

Great post :p

Always wondered what was wrong with my eyebrows

Actually I don't think I have a balanced diet at all, dog eats better thant I do.

Have to agree with the post above too

[WreckitWhippet]

:p why go for the "quick fix " and pump your dog full of chemicals that it doesn't need, when you can assist your dog to improve it's immune system and the majority of them will get over it on their own ?

It may take longer, but doing it naturally you have improved our dogs overall health.

If you are going to talk "super premiun " dry food, then you really need to know what is in it.

[auto]

listerine (mouth wash) but it has to be the yellow one.just dab on the effected areas 2-3 times aday.

[WreckitWhippet]

listerine (mouth wash) but it has to be the yellow one.just dab on the effected areas 2-3 times aday.

why that one ? just out of curiosity, what does that particular one have in it ?

[R00]

Back in the early 1900s, the makers of Listerine actually advertised that their product could fight dandruff.

It hasn't been advertised as a dandruff cure in years, but there are still people who swear by the stuff.

The original formula (yellow) is the one that supposedly works best as a dandruff cure. Not sure how it works on Mange though.

[R00]

http://www.earthclinic.com/Pets/dog_mange_cure.html

it is published in the internet so must be true

[R00]

Listerine has a blend of essential oils in an alcohol base. That combination could have an antifungal effect.

It contains eucalyptus and menthol, both soothing agents.

fresh from the internet

[auto]

PPs I do not know, but i see roo has answered for me,thanks roo

[Cordelia]

Now for the feeding. It is very important to feed your puppy the correct and BALANCED diet. The only way to do this is to feed a super premium pet food designed for puppys (eg. Advance, Eukanuba, Pro Plan, Royal Canin, Hills Science, Eagle Pack). If an owner chooses to make there own diet based on meat and supplements or anything else (eg carrots, wheatbix) then you can bet your bottom dollar it will NOT be correctly balanced.

Anyone NOT wanting to feed their pets chemicals would do well to stay awat from most commercial dog foods. Perhaps study natural/raw feeding BEFORE leaping in with propoganda fed to many vet staff by the commercial food companies.

Demodectic mange is often based in an immune deficiency or hormonal imbalance... treating from the inside - out is the most sensible way to do it. And any vet worth their salt would be telling their clients AND staff that.

Stuffing a dog full of chemical foods and ivermectin shouldn't be the first reaction.

Edited April 16, 2009 by Cordelia

[dancinbcs]

I have successfully treated demodectic mange in the past with Ectodex rinses. It was about 20 years ago but from memory I think the dogs had to be wet all over with the rinse once every 1 or 2 weeks for a total of three rinses. It can only be used on dogs over 3 months and there are lots of precautions to take as it can be toxic but it kills the mites in a matter of weeks and they never return.

The more modern threatment seems to be with ivermectin or Interceptor but these treatments are internal and dosed daily sometimes for months. Personally, as much as I had using any toxic product I think I would rather the faster acting rinse that is at least external.

As for the diet debate, I have seen far more health problems in dogs fed on so called super premium commercial foods than I have ever seen in those fed on properly researched BARF type diets. I changed mine to BARF when successfully treating a dog with cancer about 10 years ago and would never go back to commercial dog food. My dogs have never been healthier and hardly ever see the vet except for vaccinations.

[R00]

PPs I do not know, but i see roo has answered for me,thanks roo

I have no idea how it works either but was curious hence the copy and paste google findings.

[raz]

When my pug had it i refused to use the rinse or the oral so just went with a tick collar and tried to get her food right. It was all clear within 2 months.

Edited April 16, 2009 by raz