Mange

[bully36]

Has anyone ever had or know of a dog with either of these types of mange?

I am trying to find out the success rate of fixing it and the likely hood of it reoccurring.

Also treatments that have been used with success.

Thanks

[Shepherd Lover]

Over the years I have had a case each of both of these mites and yes, they can be cured.

Sarcoptic can be controlled with Revolution (sometimes takes a few months). Once controlled it won't recur unless your dog comes into contact with a carrier (ie. another dog or fox).

Demodex can be a little difficult due to the immune response problem of the dog but yes it can be cured also (or at least put into remission). Demodex can recur in the same dog if the immune response is low but this is also usually unlikely.

[spice]

We are treating our dog at the moment for demodetic mange & our vet has him on a oral solution called ivomec .Im not sure if its wotking as it doesnt seem to of gotten better.He has a small patch on his leg & I noticed thining hair on his muzzle( thats what brought it to our attention),now this hasnt changed,but it hasnt gotten worse.I have noticed other areas on his leg,but these could have been there before & now Ive just spotted it

The vet took a scraping of his leg,which was a little difficult,hence no scrapping of his face & he only had a coulpe of mites.( I got to see them under the microscope) So I was assuming that we would get it under wraps quickley,but as its an immu... prob it looks like it may take a little longer.He has a review next week & I will have to see what the vet says,but Im preparing myself for a long hall in treating it

[KitKat]

Spice - your Zac has got the itchies? aaww give him huggles from me.

[jordelette]

Ivomec in injection form seems to work well . I had one of my dogs treated this way many, many years ago& we are still using it today at our surgery . When something works well you stick to it

[Clyde]

Mites are a bacterial infection and will need to treat with antibiotics - cephalexin is best, but clavulox still okay .

An antibacterial shampoo twice a week is necessary using Pyohex (which has residual and degreasing action.)

Plus a body rinse at least weekly of Amitraz...leaving it to dry on the skin.

Dermatologists recommend oral Ivermectin , as this is off label (ie. not registered)you can buy this cheaper through pet supplies rather than the vet - either cattle or sheep ivermectin...and this works out cheaper by the dose. The dog in question will start at a fairly high dose.

The dog should have a rescraping every fortnight to check for live mites. Will probably take at least 12 months for this particular Staffy. 2 negative scrapings at least one month apart before discontinuing treatment. The dog will not be totally in the clear until about 12 months of negative scrapings without any relapses in between.

Anything stressful for the dog will set her back.

Basically it is very expensive to treat....or at least it will be for this poor girl due to the generalisation of the demodex.

[Mags]

Dru - mites are not a bacterial infection though a secondary bacterial infection can establish with mites. Mites are a parasite - an arachnid like ticks.

[Rappie]

In addition to Mags comment - the dosage of ivermectin actually starts out low and works up to a therapeutic dose in order to identify any dogs that may be susceptible to its toxic effects at low doses. Also, a negative scrape is the complete abscence of mites, it doesn't include dead mites.

I wouldn't touch Amitraz with a 10 foot pole unless it was the only thing left that was likely to make any kind of difference. It might be the only registered treatment, but its a foul one.

[persephone]

Mites are a bacterial infection and will need to treat with antibiotics

Dru, I think when dogs scratch/break the skin, then bacteria get in.. ;) Mites come with the dog(and us)..usually co-habit , but when immune systems are low, they multiply & cause trouble.

someone can correct me, but I think IVERMECTIN is NOT indicated for use in some dogs-Koolies for one.Metabolism of it is slow, and it can accumulate in the liver, & cause problems!!..That's what we were told by our vet YEARS ago..& have never used it, or HEARTGUARD..for similar reasons

sarcoptic mange is seen in our dogs, who hunt foxes..usually fixed up with a couple of good ol' malawash or diazinon based washes.Way back when..we used to put sump oil & sulphur on the bare patches It worked, but must've felt dreadful..it looked horrible, too

[Clyde]

Dru - mites are not a bacterial infection though a secondary bacterial infection can establish with mites. Mites are a parasite - an arachnid like ticks.

Oops, thanks Mags for pulling me up on that...I knew it, but didn't write it properly. Copied most of the above info from my dermatology vet notes (and not very well, lol).

Rappie, I realise that the dog is 'weaned' on to the ivermec, but was just giving Bully an idea as I am sure the vet will talk her through those particulars. Just letting her know that she will be looking at the cost of ivermec. as may be using a fair bit.

I agree about the Amitraz, but it worked for me and I was careful. I didn't use it for prolonged periods or go out of my way to sniff it, lol.

[Rappie]

Ivermectin has a wide saftey margin but some individual dogs - particularly those of Collie breeds seem to be more susceptible to the CNS effects of the drug. In Collies, the sensitivity is thought to be related to a mutation of a multidrug resistance gene. Similar neurotoxicity has been described in Australian Shephards, Old English Sheepdogs and Shetland Sheepdogs.

Most of these animals can tolerate the dosage used in products like Heartgard - the mutation occurs in individuals, but on the whole caution should be used in these breeds - hence the need to start the dose low.

It's not so much a problem with the time taken to metabolise the drug, as the concentration of the drug that is allowed access to the central nervous system. In the "normal" dog very little of the drug will enter the CSF - but the Collie breeds appear to have a more permeable barrier between the brain and the blood supply and so signs of neurotoxicity are seen - salivating, tremors, ataxia and so on.

[persephone]

Thanks rappie!!

I always tell owners just to CHECK first...here "in the bush"..often dogs are just given a dose of whatever..& I figure it's better to be safe than sorry.

[spice]

Hey kitkat

No zac isnt itchy,you wouldnt even know that anything was wrong apart from a little patch on his leg & a little thining on his muzzle

Dam mites they are a pain,ugly little things too

I hope he gets over it at some stage,just going to have to wait

nasty mites!!!!!!!

spice

[Zensu]

I haven't had a case of Demodetic mange in ages, but it was quite a problem when I was breeding Min Pins many years ago. It seemed to arrive around weaning time, obviously due to the drop in immune system and stress factors ( I think). We found that most puppies seems to get over this problem themselves just as quickly as any treatment that was given, unless a bacterial infection became a secondary problem. I may have the spelling wrong, as it was a long time ago, but I am sure the product used was called "Proban".

I also remember my mother using an old remedy for this. She would cover the puppy in Coconut Oil. I have no idea how it worked, or what it did. but it certainly worked well. No nasty poisons in it, tasted OK if the puppy was so inclined.. and certainly did no harm.

Julia

[bully36]

Thank you everyone for your advice and help. I learnt a few things from you all.

The dog in question is a little staffy at the pound. I am going to adopt her and hopefully get her better.

Here she is

[Roberta]

Hi Julia,

I am sorry to disturb you,but i just found out that my cute puppy was found with this demodectic mange parasite and i was searching the internet for some answers.Seems that the breeder has the mother infested and i already filled up a complaiment against them,they sold over 12 puppies infested.its ridiculous!!

Anyway can u please be more specific about your grandma's remedy for this parasite, the coconut oil use?? I am a vegetarian and i use the cocnut oil myself as a beauty and food supply,i know is the best and the purest on the market right now,but can u please tell me how should i use it on Rocco?I need to heated a little bit and to wrap Rocco in a towel?

Thank you in advance!

Roberta-MD-USA

[Eden]

A friend has a japanese chin who had demodectic mange and the vet wanted her to have the oral form of ivermectin and she wasn't too keen on administering that to her beloved Kira so she was at her wit's end not knowing what to do and I suggested that she try to work on strengthening the immune system by giving her some pentavite drops and 2 months down the track there is no evidence that Kira has ever had such an affliction. Also, some puppies tend to go thru this state and then when they get to the age of 6 months seem to overcome this problem with no cure whatsoever providing that it's only a mild form of demodectic mange. Some bitches tend to have this problem everytime they go on heat so it may be a good idea to desex them besides which they shouldn't be bred with anyway. How old is your dog?

[Roberta]

Hi Eden,thank you for your response....My Rocco just turned 4 months,i pray to God that he's going to get rid of this parasite by the time he's 6 months.Right now doesn't seem to good,he developed another red point on his right leg in 2 spots...next week he will have the second dip and he's already under antibiotics,but i am open to try anything that worked on other puppies ,even better if its natural,that's why i asked about the coconut oil.

Thank you!