Dotty has Puppy Mange

[Amstaffer]

I had my suspicions when I saw a couple of spots start to lose hair and it was confirmed by the vet yesterday

The Vet said she must of had it since she was in the litter but it is just flaring up now.

I think I caught earlier enough and I hope it won't be a real problem for her to get over.

I started the Amitraz bath treatment this morning and I am going to another vet (my regular vet) on Friday to see if their is any thing else I can do.

I have been doing some reading and it sounds like it is linked to a problem with the immune system?

Is this caused by a stressful start to her life or a genetic weakness? Do you guys know any other other stuff I can do to help her besides what the vet gives me? Boost immune system or make the mites uncomfortable and her more comfortable.

What is the recovery period for her going to look like? Worst before better....some improvement right away...

Just kinda stressed right now, this is all new to me.

 

[puppydog]

Awww! No advice but hugs to Dotty.

 

[Amstaffer]

Awww! No advice but hugs to Dotty.

Luckily I seem much more worried about it than she does. She only scratches a little in the morning.

 

[lizzybeth727]

I have been doing some reading and it sounds like it is linked to a problem with the immune system?

Is this caused by a stressful start to her life or a genetic weakness? Do you guys know any other other stuff I can do to help her besides what the vet gives me? Boost immune system or make the mites uncomfortable and her more comfortable.

The thing about mange is that mange mites are found on all dogs and even most humans. The immune system of animals with mange mites usually fight them off so that they never cause a problem. But in animals with compromised or weaker immune systems, their bodies can't fight off the mites and they end up with "mange."

The treatment for mange is to try to kill all the mites, but IMO it's almost impossible to kill them all.... the best you can do is to kill enough so that the animal's body can manage to fight off the rest.

In the meantime, I'd suggest working on building up her immune system. Start with her diet: a good raw diet would be AWESOME but if you can't feed that then definately go with the highest quality food you can get. Probiotics also build up the immune system, you can get suppliments from the vet or pet stores (though of course the ones at the vet are usually better). I'd also suggest multivitamins (for dogs). Fish oil suppliments would help condition her skin.

The good thing is, this type of mange is not contagious.

 

[Georgygirl]

Lucy is actually getting over a pretty bad case of this. I couldn't use any of the really aggressive treatments because she is so small. So I added powdered colostrum to her food to help boost her immune system. She also took probiotic gel. My vet gave me Pyoben shampoo which I used once a week.

Before: (actually about 3 wks ago)

After:

Good luck with her treatments!

 

[Amstaffer]

great info guys thanks..I am glad to see Lucy do much better.

Dotty is currently eating Stella and Chewy's Raw Diet mixed with Puppy Orijen. I just picked up some Herbsmith Immune booster and I am going to get some good probiotics going to.

 

[Amstaffer]

I added powdered colostrum to her food to help boost her immune system. She also took probiotic gel. My vet gave me Pyoben shampoo which I used once a week.

QUOTE]

Where did you get the colostrum? and what is the name of the probiotic gel you got?

Thanks

 

[Southpaw]

Juno has demodectic mange as well and we haven't done squat about it. Hers is very localized though, only one patch on her thigh, I suppose if it were a more generalized case I'd be more tempted to take action.
She actually really shouldn't be uncomfortable at all unless there is also a secondary skin infection going on. Demodex themselves aren't bothersome mites, they're not itchy like sarcoptes.

Demodex are hard to treat. It could take months to clear up. I think ivermectin is becoming one of the more popular forms of treatment (as opposed to dips), and another newer one that my vet told me about is Promeris, which is either a flea/tick preventative or heartworm preventative, I can't remember which... but apparently it is also labeled as a treatment for demodex.

It is a common puppy thing so I wouldn't freak out about it. Life is kind of stressful for a pup, leaving their mom and littermates, being put into a completely unknown environment... only makes sense that their immune system would be a little compromised from it, which is when the population of these guys becomes a little out of control. So it doesn't necessarily mean she will always have an issue with her immune system.

 

[Georgygirl]

It is Symbiotics Colostrum Plus which is a supplement for people also so you can find it online or at a health supplement store and I use Probiocin gel.

If its just localized spots of demodex you could also try Goodwinol Ointment. I've heard good things about it.

Ultimately though, since she's a puppy she may simply grow out of it. Her immune system could stabilize and she can fight it off herself. I think that was part of Lucy's recovery especially since I couldn't use any of the usual treatment for demodex like mitaban dips or ivermectin.

 

[OutlineACDs]

Juno has demodectic mange as well and we haven't done squat about it. Hers is very localized though, only one patch on her thigh, I suppose if it were a more generalized case I'd be more tempted to take action.
She actually really shouldn't be uncomfortable at all unless there is also a secondary skin infection going on. Demodex themselves aren't bothersome mites, they're not itchy like sarcoptes.

Demodex are hard to treat. It could take months to clear up. I think ivermectin is becoming one of the more popular forms of treatment (as opposed to dips), and another newer one that my vet told me about is Promeris, which is either a flea/tick preventative or heartworm preventative, I can't remember which... but apparently it is also labeled as a treatment for demodex.

It is a common puppy thing so I wouldn't freak out about it. Life is kind of stressful for a pup, leaving their mom and littermates, being put into a completely unknown environment... only makes sense that their immune system would be a little compromised from it, which is when the population of these guys becomes a little out of control. So it doesn't necessarily mean she will always have an issue with her immune system.

Excellent advice here. I wouldn't pump your puppy full of anything or do any dips just yet. Give her a couple of months to settle in. She's a rescue isn't she? Puppies have so much growing and developing to do that any added stress can be enough to knock their immune system for a loop.

 

[Saeleofu]

If you catch it early it's not tood bad to get rid of. If left untreated, severe cases can actually be fatal.

I wouldn't use the dips, though. At work we generally treat with oral ivermectin and it does a good job.

The Chi puppy I was fostering had demodex, but we caught it early and treated with ivermectin and he did great He was pretty itchy for a while, but not too terrible.

 

[Amstaffer]

Localized vs Generalized....Well I have done some reading and some place say more than for spots = Generalized. She has two spots the size of nickels, two spots smaller than dimes and one "spot" that is actually a small thinning area.

I don't see any red irritation, swelling, bumps or other stuff just the missing hair.

She is a rescue (unofficial), a lady who "bought" her from a co-worker, then after several weeks (because of "domestic" issues) got rid of her litter mate and was on her way to the pound with then "Casey" now Dotty. A friend of mine who talked to the lady called me and I couldn't stand to see that little girl go to the high kill pound of Milwaukee WI......so yes she is a rescue .

The lady told me that her litter mate who was also in her house was a larger male pup who beat up on Dotty and made things stressful for her.

Georgygirl...thanks for the tips on the supplements, I'll look into them.

 

[Amstaffer]

Update

I took Dotty to my regular Vet on Friday and she recommended Promeris. I have also started her on Probiocin gel and I ordered some of the Symbiotics Colostrum Plus. My vet said that she isn't sure how much they will help but she said they sure would hurt.

 

[Saeleofu]

Promeris is approved for demodex treatment, plus you get flea control as a bonus lol. The only thing is it smells NASTY, just to forewarn you

 

[Amstaffer]

Promeris is approved for demodex treatment, plus you get flea control as a bonus lol. The only thing is it smells NASTY, just to forewarn you

Still waiting for it to get delivered....when you say it stinks, you mean at first when you put it on or do you mean for several days after you apply it?

 

[Saeleofu]

I have not had to be with a dog that had it applied, so I don't know firsthand how long it lasts. But I have heard as long as you "air out" the dog and apply the treatment outside, it's tolerable after a couple hours

 

[Amstaffer]

I have not had to be with a dog that had it applied, so I don't know firsthand how long it lasts. But I have heard as long as you "air out" the dog and apply the treatment outside, it's tolerable after a couple hours

I got the delivery and applied it last night before our big walk.....wow it does smell. It was windy and I could still smell her 30 feet away. It air out though, like you said. It was bad by bed time, I thought I might have to sleep in the basement with her

 

[moxiecollies]

I had a collie puppy with mange. Collies and many other breeds are extremely sensitive to Ivermectin and other drugs. So, I let his immune system fight it on it's own but I also did a couple of things to help. First, I switched to a wheat, soy, corn free food (I feed Diamond brand). Mites really thrive off of the sugars wheat etc. produced in the body. The 2nd thing I did is apply lemon juice to the affected area about every 3rd day. Lemon juice is a non toxic way to change the ph level of the skin. The mites can not thrive on a changed ph and will die off. It worked dandy I'm sure all of the probiotics are a bonus too!

 

[Amstaffer]

I had a collie puppy with mange. Collies and many other breeds are extremely sensitive to Ivermectin and other drugs. So, I let his immune system fight it on it's own but I also did a couple of things to help. First, I switched to a wheat, soy, corn free food (I feed Diamond brand). Mites really thrive off of the sugars wheat etc. produced in the body. The 2nd thing I did is apply lemon juice to the affected area about every 3rd day. Lemon juice is a non toxic way to change the ph level of the skin. The mites can not thrive on a changed ph and will die off. It worked dandy I'm sure all of the probiotics are a bonus too!

Good advice thanks. I just had her to the Vet last Saturday and after three skin scraps they were only able to find 2 mites and they were both dead. If she has the same test results in 3 weeks the vet says i can consider her "Cured" even though it might resurface in times of stress or other times of compromised immunity.

 

[Renee750il]

Thanks for the good news I'm sure Dotty's glad too!