Demodectic Mange

[dragonfly13]

Hi Teagan has just been diagnosed with Demodectic Mange and I was given mitaban to use for dips. Also on the same vet visit she was given 2 vaccines!
She started with one spot on her neck and it hadn't grown much. I just figured she was scratching a bug bite and irritating it. Then she develped another spot on her hip so I decided it was time to get her to the vet. Needless to say I used the medication given to me by my vet and now it seems to be getting worse. Her existing spot looks horrible and and she has another one on her hip. I would appreciate any help with this because I feel like I am making her worse by doing what the vet says. I know she is now not acting herself and she was playful and happy before, even with the mange. Thanks in advance for any recommendations.

 

[sgbtab]

so sorry to hear about teagan. but let me tell you a little about d-mange to help with your choices.
1) d-mange is a imune problem and what you need to do is build up her imune system.
2) all dogs have the mites on there body when there imune system is well they can keep them in check.
3) don't use mitaban as this is posion and will not help with building up the imune system.
4)giving vacines when her imune system is not up to par is also not good as she can not fight off the stress of the live vaccines.
5) do not get her spayed when she has d-mange. you need to keep her as stress free as possible.
6) d-mange takes around 3 months to clear up. you can boost her imune system with omega3 oil and maybe some missing link.even if you were to use the dips it will still take as long.
7) she should never be bred. not that you are going to do that. you would need to tell the breeder that your pup has d-mange so they can stop breeding her parents.
8) this is not a life threating disorder and she should be back to normal soon. yes it is scarry to see patches of hair gone but with a healthy diet she can overcome the problem. here are a couple of links to help

http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_demodectic_mange.html
http://www.naturalcanine.com/html/about_mange.html
http://www.akitarescue.com/demodectic_mange-a_natural_treatment.htm

 

[boxer]

Mmmm. Mitaban is an incredibly harsh way to treat mange - and really should only be used as an absolute last resort for generalised mange, never ever for localised mange (ie. 90% of cases). A lot of vets refuse to use it, and it has been withdrawn from the market before - thing is, it poisons the dog, not just the mites and it's a case of seeing which one succumbs first.

Demodectic mange is an immune system problem. ALL dogs have demodectic mites, all of the time. They normally live in harmony with the dog - but in some cases, when the immune system is compromised/suppressed/defective, then the mites can multiply out of control - and you've got mange. This is one reason it commonly affects puppies - their immune systems are only just developing.

In 90% of cases, the dog will actually self-cure. That is, the immune system will develop and the mange be brought under control naturally. It is only 10% of dogs who have truely defective/compromised immune systems and can go one to develop generalised mange. Even then, 30% of those dogs will self-cure. It really is only a small percentage who cannot overcome the condition themselves are require aggressive treatment such as mitaban dips. The problem though, is that it's a case of seeing who succumbs to the poison first - the dog or the mites.


Your dog has only localised mange - a couple of spots. There is no way in the world that I'd be giving her mitaban for that. Seriously, dogs have been killed by that stuff - and there are far gentler ways to deal with it. Because demodex is an immune system problem, the key to treating it is boosting the dog's immune system as far as possible. That's the other problem with mitaban - it's poison, so even if your dog outlasts the mites, you've hammered it's immune system so much that it is vulnerable to recurrances.

Better treatments, in order of preference and escalation are:

(1) Boosting the immune system as far as possible and just letting the dog recover on it's own. That is done through high quality diet and supplements, and eliminating any stresses - such as vaccinations or surgeries. Goodwinol ointment can also be helpful, applied topically to the mange spots.

(2) Oral Ivermectin. Far, far less toxic than mitaban and with a very good success rate. Use in combination with boosting the immune system as above.

(3) The absolute last resort - and ONLY for generalised mange cases (ie. in desperation): mitaban.

There are hundreds of threads about demodectic mange on these forums that you'd find with a search. There are a great many threads on the dangers of mitaban too. Do make use of the search feature here - there's some very good information and others' experiences to be had. Here are a couple of threads - there are many, many more:
http://www.boxerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=77753
http://www.boxerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=78074
http://www.boxerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=79756
http://www.boxerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=79261
http://www.boxerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=70586
http://www.boxerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=66582

 

[Lucymom]

Lucy has had mange for about 2 months now. She had the generalized form and the vet dipped her in Mitaban once. She had a very severe reaction to it and we never went back to that vet. Since then a new vet has her on ivermectin, slowly increasing the dosage and it has done wonders. Because it was generalized the treatment will be different than your dog's, but I wanted to let you know there are other ways to treat it than the mitaban. I feel that Lucy's diet has been a key factor in her recovery. We feed her a high quality kibble, missing link and lots of veggies and yogurt. She eats better than we do!!

I wanted to say too, that when Lucy was diagnosed we felt horrible for her. Our old vet made it sound like it was going to be such a tramatic experience for all of us. Now that we're at the end of it I realize it hasn't been that bad for her. It's not life threatening and her personality didn't change at all. The only time her personality suffered was after the dip. And, she has become accustomed to taking her medicine! So, don't get too worried, time is the main thing you need and your dog will be fine.

 

[dragonfly13]

Thank you

Thanks for all the helpful information. I am taking the meds back to the vet and also letting them know how I feel about them giving her vaccines knowing her immune system wasn't up to par. I am not very happy with my vet at the moment and will be finding another one, preferably one that practices natural medicines. I am getting supplements and changing her diet to help boost her immune system. I feel she would have recovered on her own had I just left it alone. I had put cortisone on it when it was small and found out that this causes the immune system to be lowered. I feel horrible for her and I am excited that I can make it easier on her by just boosting her own immune system!! Thanks again for all the help!

 

[boxer]

If you're looking for a holistic practitioner, this thread has a good referral/locator link: http://boxerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=73480

 

[Brody@cali]

I had to have Brody dipped because of his mange. He didnt have any bad reaction. I would do it all over again for him just to help him get better. I also have been giving him oral meds. He is now mange free.

I did the same thing. OH he will get better. NO it got worst to a point to where he was itchy and his bumps would bleed. It was only in a week from good to bad. When we toke him to the vet he was so mad we waited. Not only with dipping and meds. We gave him veggies, egg, and protein. Im glad we got it all clear. Let me know how it goes for you.