A million questions about demodex

[DeucesMomma]

I know there are a ton of posts out there about Demodectic mange but a lot of the information is conflicting and some of it is outdated so I wanted to start fresh with a few questions to see if anyone can help me. Deuce is 7 1/2 months old and was diagnosed with demodectic mange a couple weeks ago after we had a scrape done on a small (1 inch x 1 inch) bald patch on his shoulder. The vet gave us Amitraz and told us to dilute with water and dab on with a cotton ball every 2-3 days and it should clear it right up. I've given him about 5 treatments and the spot has gotten larger and another spot has become much more pronounced as well (it's about the size of a dime). I've read about the importance of boosting his immune system but I'm a little wary of vitamin supplements. Are they really safe? If so, what do I give and how much? Next, 2 different vets have told us the food we're giving him is just fine (Purine Pro Plan large breed puppy formula) but is there something better he could be on as far as boosting his immune system? Next, I have read that having him neutered could help the mange b/c the hormones suppress the immune system and I have also read that neutering can worsen the mange b/c of the stress of the surgery. He is going to be neutered eventually but should I wait until his mange clears up or do it now? Next, he has terrible acne all over his penis and groin area. The vet said it was just a reaction to something and not to worry. It has since gotten worse and he is constantly licking and nibbling at it so I think it's a little uncomfortable for him. Is this related to the mites in any way? Is there a safe way to clear this up or is it his puppy hormones? Finally, did my vet jump the gun on giving the Amitraz for such a mild localized case? I want to get rid of it as quickly as possible but I also just want to do what is healthiest for Deuce. Any insight anyone can provide would be appreciated.

 

[Jan]

If you do a search on immune system you will find lots of ways to boost the immune system. Do it now, don't wait until it gets worse. I definiately wouldn't neuter until you get rid of the demodex. Neutering can be stressfull and it will make the demodex worse. Proplan is really not very good food. There is a lot better food out there. Do a search in the Food forum. You will find lots of suggestion., Personally I think raw is best, but that is a personal choice.

Good luck!

 

[Cami]

I went through demodex with Cami. In our situation we had to get her over it ASAP so that we could have her spayed as she was 6 months old and I wanted to do it before her first heat.

Vitamins are safe if used correctly and usually needed when demodex ocours. In a "healthy" dog with a good immune system the mites won't be a factor, but the demodex takes prey on the unhealthy immune systems.

Even though your vet said that the food you are feeding is ok to feed there are many more healthier alternatives that would be beneficial to your pup. First of all Boxers are medium sized breeds, not large sized breeds (per the AKC). There is no reason to feed large breed food to a Boxer.

At this point your pup needs all of the help that it can get from you to aid in boosting his immune system and one of the easiet ways is by feeding something that contains little or no fillers and is packed full of better ingredients. There are multiple posts reguarding which foods you might chose from here at BW.

There are many other threads here reguarding what supplements to use, and how to go about administering them. I spent countless hours doing research here and elsewhere about trying to help my girl with her demodex.

I can only tell you what we did and that it worked. Her demodex was cleared up and all the hair grown back just inside of 3 months.

We feed Eagle Pack holistic select kibble and Wellness canned. No people "junk" food only veggies and fruits, yogurt and peanut butter as treats. 125mg Vitamin C 2 times per day, (wafer type). 1/8 TSP Apple Cidar Vinager daily, 1/4 TSP Flax Oil daily, dallop of yogurt 2 times a day, Missing Link food supplement daily (per manufactures instructions).....

28,000 IU Vitamin E oil (at local pharmacy) rubbed onto the spots 2 times per day. Benedryl 1mg per pound for itching if needed up to 3 times per day.

The acne needs to be kept clean and dry. Peroxide wiped on the areas a few times a day will help to dry it out. If they persist or get worse you can try an over the counter acne ointment but we have used neosporin and it worked fine.

Don't neuter until after the demodex is cleared up and a skin scraping shows no mites. It can make the demodex worse and also hinder the recovery time of the surgery as the body has too much to concentrate on in it's already immune suppressed state. And don't forget,

Lot's of love.

Good-Luck
Susi & Cami

 

[BeckyNC]

I gave Tae Missing Link as a supplement when she had Demodex over the summer. It's cheap when purchased from Drs. Foster & Smith, from what I have noted.

My vet watched Tae's Demodex until she got 7 separate spots. At that point, we started her on ivermectin and she was on it for about 2 months. I hoped to avoid the medications, but my vet wanted to avoid generalized mange. I did, too. As Cami said, the whole ordeal was short. I first noticed "something fishy" in early June and was done with treatment by early Sept.

Check out the Feeding forum for discussion regarding some higher quality kibbles.

 

[lillys7]

We just found out Guinness hads it too... along with an ear infection!!! The vet gave us Goodwinol ointment and had said it will get worse before it gets better... as the mites die the hair falls out I guess... He also said it is not uncommon for a puppy, hopefully this'll take care of it!!! Hope your little guy is OK!!

 

[bommy]

welcome to the demodex seesaw!

Hi well we have had demodex in our family (Major) since july & in September he was twice as bad & we did a major lifestyle overhaul for all our pets...now today all the pets are looking healthier coat wise & major at his last visit only had one mite from 3 different scrappings & in sept he had hundreds so we put it down to the following:

a) we changed his diet (all our pets diets actually) & threw away (donated to charity) a months supply of kibble & went to a pure BARF diet
b) put him on foods & vitamins based on boosting Tcells & the thymus, we used a vitamin called transfer factor plus (you can get it in the United States specifically for pets, but I used the human form here in Oz)
c) hit him hard with treatments using a drug (injection) relatively new here in Australia called dectomact(sp) injections & a demodex wash both used in conjunction on a weekly basis
d)made his life as stress free as possible.

Our vet also told us DONOT neuter until he is well & truely over the demadex as it done while it is current it will worsen his immune system

we have had success so far with this, Major stays on the weekly injections for another month & then over the next 6-12 mths will be weaned off going fortnightly, then mthly then 2 mthly...one thing I never realised until Major had ended up with the 2nd outbreak in september was that mange can come back to your baby until they outgrow it & sometimes they wont outgrow it so it will be ongoing.

Goodluck

 

[DeucesMomma]

Thank you guys for all of the input. It's good to know that we are not alone in the battle. We just switched his food to Nutro Natural Choice and have already noticed a difference in his energy level (though I didn't think that possible) so hopefully that will come through in battling the mange as well. I'll take your advice and hold off on neutering until he has recovered from the mange. I'm still not completely clear on why they get worse after treatment before they get better but that seems to be very common so I won't worry too much right away.

Thanks again!

 

[lillys7]

It gets worse becasue as the mites die the hair in those follicles falls out... we have to wait to neuter too...and we were supposed to got o florida for christams for a week...BUT the last time we went for just a few days he wouldn't eat...soooo...we'll see what happens!