staffy2 Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 Hi all Newbie here, I have a stafford dam she is 6 months old I got her at 8 weeks around 10 weeks I notice thining of hair around the jaw and on top of her head so I took her to the vet where we started her on advocate and malaseb baths weekly there were no results so the vet thought it best to start her on ivomec this seemed to be working quite good until 4 days ago she seemed to be scabing, crusty and red around the jaw again so I guess Im not to sure what is going on I have seem the vet and she gave another round of antibiotics I think the ivomec is not doing so good now and just hoping to hear from people who have gone through this she is such a beauitful girl and just want this over and done with for her. Her diet is raw meat ie lamb shanks beef livers and lamb livers meaty bone, dryfood vegies and I also add some flax seed to her food twice a week. She is not the first stafford I have owned but the first I have dealt with this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megan_ Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 Has the vet taken a skin scraping? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
staffy2 Posted March 31, 2013 Author Share Posted March 31, 2013 Yeah she did a skin scraping when she first saw her but she also told me this will be a long treatment process I just cant see this as something that is going to end for her Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ams Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 Some young dogs will have recurring demodex issues but they "may" resolve themselves as the dog gets older. Then again it may not and it may require constant vigilance and long term treatment. Ivomec used off label, malaseb baths and antibiotics when there is a skin infection have always worked for my shar pei. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burkes Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 Some young dogs will have recurring demodex issues but they "may" resolve themselves as the dog gets older. Then again it may not and it may require constant vigilance and long term treatment. Ivomec used off label, malaseb baths and antibiotics when there is a skin infection have always worked for my shar pei. My last two foster pups have had demodex and like Ams, the Ivomec and malaseb baths have worked for both of them. With the last one I fed Vets All Natural Sensitive Skin with raw meat and omega oil and I also massaged coconut oil into the patchy parts of skin. NO idea if it helped but he did recover a lot quicker than the first one. Has the vet been doing regular skin scrapings? Mine have always been checked every 4 weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
staffy2 Posted March 31, 2013 Author Share Posted March 31, 2013 (edited) The dry food I give her is Purina supercoat sensitive Edited March 31, 2013 by staffy2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
staffy2 Posted March 31, 2013 Author Share Posted March 31, 2013 The more reading I have done say thhat demodex has to do with a weaken immune system so has anyone tried a colostrum powder as I have thought this might help improve her immune system thoughts please Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra777 Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 Deinfitely immune related - so the things you need to consider are: - Family history. What does the breeder say? Owner/breeder of the sire? - What vaccinations has the pup had, did you notice any change in the skin condition related to these? - It's my personal opinion that colostrum powder from cow or goat milk is fine for baby cows or goats. My understanding is that the gut of most mammal doesn't absorb colostrum for more than a few days after birth - however this could be old information since I know it's something that's become quite popular in the last few years and perhaps better research has been done. Permanently curing demodex which has been on going since 10 weeks of age is going to be a mission - but it depends on the severity. At any point have you simply stopped all chemical treatment and what affect has this had? In many cases the problem corrects itself without any interference at all, but if stopping treatment makes the dog's condition severely worse then obviously not something most people are willing to do. The balding and the infection are two separate things and you can treat the infection (obviously something you need to do) without continuing to treat the demodex How bad is the balding, how bad has it been in the past? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
staffy2 Posted March 31, 2013 Author Share Posted March 31, 2013 Deinfitely immune related - so the things you need to consider are: - Family history. What does the breeder say? Owner/breeder of the sire? - What vaccinations has the pup had, did you notice any change in the skin condition related to these? - It's my personal opinion that colostrum powder from cow or goat milk is fine for baby cows or goats. My understanding is that the gut of most mammal doesn't absorb colostrum for more than a few days after birth - however this could be old information since I know it's something that's become quite popular in the last few years and perhaps better research has been done. Permanently curing demodex which has been on going since 10 weeks of age is going to be a mission - but it depends on the severity. At any point have you simply stopped all chemical treatment and what affect has this had? In many cases the problem corrects itself without any interference at all, but if stopping treatment makes the dog's condition severely worse then obviously not something most people are willing to do. The balding and the infection are two separate things and you can treat the infection (obviously something you need to do) without continuing to treat the demodex How bad is the balding, how bad has it been in the past? She has stopped losing hair but it was 4 days ago that I noticed red crusty patches around her jaw. As for contact with the breeder I got her from a pet shop the owner of thhe pet shop has since spoken with the breeder and he says he has never heard of demodex yet my vet is treating 4 dogs out of the same litter ofv6 puppies. I also rescued a 3 month old stafford my vet has seen her since I brought her home and we started her on advocate since the vet tells me since living with a dog with mites the younger one might get them because of close contact bout dogs have Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra777 Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 Change your vet. Demodex is present in virtually ALL dogs but only a few will react to them. In virtually all cases the pup receives the mite from it's dam in the first few days of life, the mites are normal part of the skin flora & fauna of dogs - no different to the mites we have living on our skin & the mites which live on all land mammals. First queston would be are the new red crusty patches around her jaw actually demodex or some other allergic reaction? What may she have come in contact with which is new which she could be reacting to. Has this bitch had a season yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
staffy2 Posted March 31, 2013 Author Share Posted March 31, 2013 Change your vet. Demodex is present in virtually ALL dogs but only a few will react to them. In virtually all cases the pup receives the mite from it's dam in the first few days of life, the mites are normal part of the skin flora & fauna of dogs - no different to the mites we have living on our skin & the mites which live on all land mammals. First queston would be are the new red crusty patches around her jaw actually demodex or some other allergic reaction? What may she have come in contact with which is new which she could be reacting to. Has this bitch had a season yet? She is in season at the moment the only thing that is new is our new puppie she has been biting my older one quite abit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
staffy2 Posted March 31, 2013 Author Share Posted March 31, 2013 Change your vet. Demodex is present in virtually ALL dogs but only a few will react to them. In virtually all cases the pup receives the mite from it's dam in the first few days of life, the mites are normal part of the skin flora & fauna of dogs - no different to the mites we have living on our skin & the mites which live on all land mammals. First queston would be are the new red crusty patches around her jaw actually demodex or some other allergic reaction? What may she have come in contact with which is new which she could be reacting to. Has this bitch had a season yet? She is in season at the moment the only thing that is new is our new puppie she has been biting my older one quite abit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 perhaps the scabby bits are from puppy bites then??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
staffy2 Posted March 31, 2013 Author Share Posted March 31, 2013 (edited) perhaps the scabby bits are from puppy bites then??? I had thought the same but it is like before she started to lose her hair from mites the first time round Edited March 31, 2013 by staffy2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra777 Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 (edited) I would tend to think they're bites not demodex until proven otherwise. Her first season could well be another trigger, so you may get a relapse due to hormones. Once she's spayed you'll have a much leveler playing field as far as hormones and other triggers to try and get on top of the problem, so I'd be inclined to do that sooner rather than later after this heat is finished. Just re-read the original post. This pup has been on ivomec constantly since the malesab & advocate "failed to work"????? Just how long has she been treated with ivomec for? Edited March 31, 2013 by Sandra777 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
staffy2 Posted March 31, 2013 Author Share Posted March 31, 2013 I would tend to think they're bites not demodex until proven otherwise. Her first season could well be another trigger, so you may get a relapse due to hormones. Once she's spayed you'll have a much leveler playing field as far as hormones and other triggers to try and get on top of the problem, so I'd be inclined to do that sooner rather than later after this heat is finished. Just re-read the original post. This pup has been on ivomec constantly since the malesab & advocate "failed to work"????? Just how long has she been treated with ivomec for? She has been on the ivomec for 11 weeks now I knew that coming into season would trigger of the mites with her hormone levels changing but the vet has advised against spaying until the mites are gone due to running the risk of the mites infestings the wound or internal organs which she tells me can be fatal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra777 Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 Dr. David Senter of Englewood, Colorado, a Board Certified Specialist in Veterinary Dermatology ... "Most dermatologists will elect not to treat a dog with generalized demodicosis unless it has been spayed or neutered. The reason for this is simply due to the high likelihood of the affected dog's offspring to develop demodicosis. There is absolutely no benefit to NOT spaying or neutering a dog undergoing treatment. On the other hand, reproductive hormones in female dogs in heat (estrus) or in pregnant dogs can cause worsening of the mites or make it more difficult to control them. However, the presence of male reproductive hormones (un-neutered males) makes no known difference in the ability to control the Demodex mites. On a different note: I do not treat dogs with localized demodicosis (less than six affected spots) because more than 90% of them will resolve on their own. By treating them, you will never know if the patient would have become a generalized case or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
staffy2 Posted April 1, 2013 Author Share Posted April 1, 2013 Dr. David Senter of Englewood, Colorado, a Board Certified Specialist in Veterinary Dermatology ... "Most dermatologists will elect not to treat a dog with generalized demodicosis unless it has been spayed or neutered. The reason for this is simply due to the high likelihood of the affected dog's offspring to develop demodicosis. There is absolutely no benefit to NOT spaying or neutering a dog undergoing treatment. On the other hand, reproductive hormones in female dogs in heat (estrus) or in pregnant dogs can cause worsening of the mites or make it more difficult to control them. However, the presence of male reproductive hormones (un-neutered males) makes no known difference in the ability to control the Demodex mites. On a different note: I do not treat dogs with localized demodicosis (less than six affected spots) because more than 90% of them will resolve on their own. By treating them, you will never know if the patient would have become a generalized case or not. I have no desire what so ever to breed from her (Pepper) we got her as a family pet I would like her to be spayed now but the vet has advised against doing it now. Weather her demodex was generalized or not it was to start of with she lost hair in patches on all her legs on top of her head as well as all her hair on her chest plate as for now she is full of hair once again she does have a few little spots with no hair on her back legs but she has came along way since we first started treatment and she is filling out quite nice I guess I'm just stressing but I only stress because we love her so much, we have come so far and I just dont want a set back for her. As for Roxi ( the one we rescued) she was quite shy to start of with but it is the 2nd week we have had her with us and she is full of life now I have noticed a few spots on top of her head but she was started on advocate last week and I have bathe her with malaseb also, both my girls are due for baths today Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
staffy2 Posted April 1, 2013 Author Share Posted April 1, 2013 This is the reason Roxi has started treatment Q: Is Demodex transmissible to my healthy dog from a dog that is infested? A: Healthy dogs are quite resistant to infestations and, as mentioned, may already have a number of mites residing harmlessly in the skin. It is best, though, to not allow your dog to have direct physical contact with a dog that has an active case of Demodex ... just to be safe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oakway Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 May have missed it, but what colour is your Staffy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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