Demodex Mite found really worried

[jboboxer]

Roxy had bumps when we got her and the breeder gave us some antibiotics, well the bumps went away and they came back what appears to be worse.

Today I took Roxy to the vet and he took a skin sample and showed me under the microscope what he called Demodex Mite.

He told me that we have to:

1) give her a shot of Ivomec Injection once a week for 10 weeks.
2) Give her a bath once a week with Sulf Oxydex Shampoo
3) Put Goodwinol Ointment on area that she can't bite/lick

I'm really concern about her and not sure what to think. The Vet said it most likely came from the breeder. I was told it's not able to pass to humans, but reading online it makes it seem like it's possible.
Well I'm supposed to drop Roxy off this weekend at my family's house who had a dog, so I called to see if it's able to be passed to other animals and the vet technician on the phone told me it can't be passed to humans or animals and that the mite is hereditary, which doesn't make sense to me.

Any information is greatly appreciated

 

[Sugarcain]

The demodex mite lives on everybody, dogs and humans. It is hereditary, but doesn't present itself until the immune system gets compromised for whatever reason (sickness, surgery, etc), the mites tend to go full blast on the skin. Cain got demodex mange when we had him neutered. My other dog did not get it, nor did Cain's littermate Roxy (who his around quite a bit). That being said however, we were told that if we were around a dog or human that had a compromised immune system (eg: someone going through chemo, or someone with immune deficiency), it could be passed on.

We gave him stuff to boost his immune system and a liquid (I can't remember the name off hand). He is fine now.

Search Demodex, or mange and you should come up with quite a few posts about this subject.

 

[gmacleod]

The Vet said it most likely came from the breeder.

Well, not exactly from the breeder From the pup's mother, most likely, or possibly any other dog your pup has come into contact with. Demodex mites live in the hair follicules of every dog on the planet, and populate the coats of newborns within a day or two of being born. If that is not clear, it means that every single dog past his first couple of days of life has demodectic mites ALL of the time. They are a natural flora of the dog's coat.

They are NOT transferable to humans. You have your own variety inhabiting your hair follicules (which don't choose to live on your dog). If you've read somewhere that they may be transferrable, I'd suggest that either you or some writer has confused demodectic mites with sarcoptic mites - which cause a different sort of mange (sarcoptic mange). Sarcoptic mites are scabies - and they ARE transferrable. Doesn't matter to you though, you're talking about demodectic mites, they're normal on your dog, and they are not transferable to you.

With that out of the way, dogs - especially puppies - do get demodectic mange. This happens when the dog's immune system is not functioning properly, and is unable to keep a balance with the mites. Too many mites = damage to the hair follicules, and then you get hair loss. In the case of most puppies, what this actually means is that the still-developing immune system just isn't yet mature enough to cope with the massive stresses that get placed upon it. Which really isn't that surprising - we bombard young pups with everything from the stress of rehoming, multiple deworming treatments (pesticides), tick and flea treatments (insecticides), and a plethora of vaccinations. All of these are a massive hit to the immune system, and the poor pup is only 2-3 months old yet. An adult dog with a fully developed immune system would have trouble coping with that, and a baby with his still-developing immune system easily gets overloaded. And in that situation, mites are just one thing too many for his immune system to cope with. Result can be mange.

The GOOD NEWS is that 90% of puppies will recover perfectly well from mange without any treatment whatsoever - all they need is a bit of time and a bit of peace for their immune systems to develop a little bit further. So if your puppy is showing any signs of hairloss, all you have to do is STOP the assaults to his immune system until it grows a bit stronger. That is, do NOT give him any more vaccinations, no more tick/flea treatments, certainly no elective surgeries until all signs of mange are gone. Feed him the best quality diet you possibly can - nutrition is the underpinner of good health and immune system function after all - and generally just try to limit the stresses he has to cope with until he has recovered.

What your vet may be talking about, incidentally, with the hereditary factor is not the mites themselves. As mentioned, every dog has them, that's just simple fact. What every dog does not have though, is a weak immune system that has trouble coping with the natural presence of demodectic mites. And its that weak immune system that is hereditary (and excludes animals from breeding). Now your puppy might not have a weak immune system either. He may very well - as is the case for the majority of puppies with demodectic mange - just have an as-yet undeveloped immune system. If that is the case, he will not develop more than a few small spots of hair loss and he will recover from it all on his own (as above, with stresses to his immune system put on hold for a bit). It is really only 10% of mange sufferers who go on to develop generalised mange (more than just a few spots) and who require treatment to help them recover. THOSE few individuals can truely be considered to have dodgy immune systems and need to be excluded from any breeding programs, as weak immunity is frequently hereditary.

 

[Cami]

You have already been given some really great info as well as a wonderful description on what your pup is dealing with.
Your vets suggestion of weekly shots for 10 weeks, baths and topical treatment is WAY overkill, IMO.
The Sulf Oxydex shampoo is the only form of treatment that I would opt for at this point. It will help to "unplug" the hair follicles (for lack of a better word), so that new hair growth will be easier to achieve. It can also help with any itching associated with the mites (some dogs get itchy, others do not). It is quite drying though so best to use when you need to (no more than once a week but it can be used more often). It WILL bleach out your clothing if you get it on anything so make sure to wear something that you don't mind getting ruined.
Do a search here on BW about others journey's with d-mange. There are days worth of posts to gather further info.
It is not the end of the world and typically from the first sign of mites through diagnosis and the return of all the hair is around 4 months. Just another day in the life of having a puppy!

**I will also say that plenty of healthy exercise, rest when desired and low STRESS are great at helping to aid a weak or still developing immune system.

 

[Vinchenzo]

My boy got demodectic mange when he was a little over 6 months old. I only did one dip prescribed by the veteranian because after I read about it I wanted to stay away from potentially dangerous chemicals and ended up changing his diet and adding the Missing Link to his food to boost his immune system. The Mange dissapeared and he has had no spots since.

 

[jboboxer]

I've had her on a diet of wellness puppy 5 mix dry food for while. I'm feeding her twice a day and every now and then I give her live treats, but I've been trying to get away from the liver treats and use it's own kibble for doing tricks and rewards.

The part about it being transfered to humans I read that on wikipedia, but I've been reading this article Demodex Skin Mites In A Dog and Human at ThePetCenter.com

A few more questions. Originally i was going to go away on a weekend to the beach for vacation and leave my dog with one of my relatives. They own a dog as well, so I'm a little concern that I don't want to harm their pet and the vet technican said there's nothing to worry about on the phone, but the article makes me think differently from reading below

QUESTION: Is Demodex transmissible to my healthy dog from a dog that is infested?
ANSWER: 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.

 

[jboboxer]

You have already been given some really great info as well as a wonderful description on what your pup is dealing with.
Your vets suggestion of weekly shots for 10 weeks, baths and topical treatment is WAY overkill, IMO.
The Sulf Oxydex shampoo is the only form of treatment that I would opt for at this point. It will help to "unplug" the hair follicles (for lack of a better word), so that new hair growth will be easier to achieve. It can also help with any itching associated with the mites (some dogs get itchy, others do not). It is quite drying though so best to use when you need to (no more than once a week but it can be used more often). It WILL bleach out your clothing if you get it on anything so make sure to wear something that you don't mind getting ruined.
Do a search here on BW about others journey's with d-mange. There are days worth of posts to gather further info.
It is not the end of the world and typically from the first sign of mites through diagnosis and the return of all the hair is around 4 months. Just another day in the life of having a puppy!

**I will also say that plenty of healthy exercise, rest when desired and low STRESS are great at helping to aid a weak or still developing immune system.

Do you think it's money driven or do you think I should get a second opinino or just follow the over kill?

 

[Cami]

I don't think you need a 2nd opinion!
If you have faith in your vets diagnostic skills (skin scraping and confirmation while viewing under a microscope) then I'd say you should believe what your vet says is going on
RE: demodectic mites.

As a pet owner you have every right to question, accept or deny any treatments offered.
What *sometimes* happens is that we as pet owners don't think to ask "What will happen if I do nothing?"
You would be surprised at how many times a vet (or human doctor) will tell you that the problem is capable of self resolving. Of course a great many vets will not offer up this info. They are bombarded constantly with people seeking "quick fixes" inappropriate/unneeded meds (antibiotics for example) for certain ailments. Too often they literally have a standard reply for certain conditions. Of course *sometimes* these methods work, other times they don't.
The med your vet suggested for example comes with NO guarantee that it will cure d-mange.

I am not implying that your vet is driven by money however he is in the business of making money. I would think that 10 injections would require 10 office visits. With that comes various charges....office visit, medication, needle disposal fee, continued scrapings, etc....

Did he mention that the same med comes in an oral form and can be dosed by you at home on a daily basis?

Any rate unless you are dealing with a generalized case of d-mange (covering a LARGE portion of the body and often times accompanied by a secondary skin infection needing antibiotics) then it is HIGHLY likely that this "localized" form will clear up on it's own (given the right set of circumstances). **TIME, healthy diet, low stress, exercise, nutritional supplements/vitamins if desired.

The Ivermection injections are one form of treatment. The Goodwin oil is another entirely and the shampoo is an added "extra" and it doesn't kill any mites whatsoever.

My girl had d-mange as a pup as have so many others here on BW. It was a localized case and was treated naturally. It cleared up on it's own and all hair had returned by 4 months time. On the flip side I know of a Boxer in our resuce that had literally not one single hair on her body it was so bad. It took a year to get her on the road to recovery but her life circumstances coming into rescue were terribly bad. There were times when we didn't think she would make it but a great foster mom who eventually adopted her made all the difference to her. Antibiotics were administered for nearly a year to help fight off her secondary infection but no meds were given for the mites themselves.

It is terribly frightening to learn about this with any new pup but this is probably just the first of many "firsts" that you will encounter with your new baby. Bottom line....there is a high probability that this issue will self resolve on its own. Too many dogs have had this and have not been treated and are no longer showing signs of d-mange.
Worst case scenario is you wait for a month and see if you are noticing any changes. If you are seeing signs of it clearing then you have not wasted any time/money. If on the other hand it gets WORSE then you can always opt for treatment. Just a FYI.....if you do decide to go with treatment be prepared for the condition to worsen. It will get worse before it gets better when using the quite toxic meds. Also inquire what side effects the medication is capable of causing. Be on the lookout daily for any issues it may be causing.
Ivermectin is some potent stuff!

I would be more concerned about any stress your pup may be subjected to while away from her home and you while staying with family than I would be about an older, healthy dog contracting d-mange. Just highly unlikely.

 

[Clavin]

You've gotten some great advice already but I will chip in with my two cents. My puppy is also dealing with a case of mange. I went the Mitiban dipping route and he has been dipped four times so far. We finally got a negative skin scrape last week but the vet suggested two more dips in August and then another skin scrape just to make sure the mange is under control. I have been using the Goodwinol ointment on specific spots on his head and cheeks as well. I have also tried to build up his immune system using the Missing Link supplement along with Vitamin C and fish oil caplets.

Some will argue against the dipping due to the toxic nature of the treatment. I have not seen any side effects so far with Clavin (outside of a little tiredness right after the dips). It comes down to a personal choice.

From what I have read I would not worry about another dog coming in contact with your puppy nor is mange transferable to humans.

I wish you the best and as others have stated it is a very treatable condition and not unusual for a puppy to contract.

 

[jboboxer]

I don't think you need a 2nd opinion!
If you have faith in your vets diagnostic skills (skin scraping and confirmation while viewing under a microscope) then I'd say you should believe what your vet says is going on
RE: demodectic mites.

As a pet owner you have every right to question, accept or deny any treatments offered.
What *sometimes* happens is that we as pet owners don't think to ask "What will happen if I do nothing?"
You would be surprised at how many times a vet (or human doctor) will tell you that the problem is capable of self resolving. Of course a great many vets will not offer up this info. They are bombarded constantly with people seeking "quick fixes" inappropriate/unneeded meds (antibiotics for example) for certain ailments. Too often they literally have a standard reply for certain conditions. Of course *sometimes* these methods work, other times they don't.
The med your vet suggested for example comes with NO guarantee that it will cure d-mange.

I am not implying that your vet is driven by money however he is in the business of making money. I would think that 10 injections would require 10 office visits. With that comes various charges....office visit, medication, needle disposal fee, continued scrapings, etc....

Did he mention that the same med comes in an oral form and can be dosed by you at home on a daily basis?

Any rate unless you are dealing with a generalized case of d-mange (covering a LARGE portion of the body and often times accompanied by a secondary skin infection needing antibiotics) then it is HIGHLY likely that this "localized" form will clear up on it's own (given the right set of circumstances). **TIME, healthy diet, low stress, exercise, nutritional supplements/vitamins if desired.

The Ivermection injections are one form of treatment. The Goodwin oil is another entirely and the shampoo is an added "extra" and it doesn't kill any mites whatsoever.

My girl had d-mange as a pup as have so many others here on BW. It was a localized case and was treated naturally. It cleared up on it's own and all hair had returned by 4 months time. On the flip side I know of a Boxer in our resuce that had literally not one single hair on her body it was so bad. It took a year to get her on the road to recovery but her life circumstances coming into rescue were terribly bad. There were times when we didn't think she would make it but a great foster mom who eventually adopted her made all the difference to her. Antibiotics were administered for nearly a year to help fight off her secondary infection but no meds were given for the mites themselves.

It is terribly frightening to learn about this with any new pup but this is probably just the first of many "firsts" that you will encounter with your new baby. Bottom line....there is a high probability that this issue will self resolve on its own. Too many dogs have had this and have not been treated and are no longer showing signs of d-mange.
Worst case scenario is you wait for a month and see if you are noticing any changes. If you are seeing signs of it clearing then you have not wasted any time/money. If on the other hand it gets WORSE then you can always opt for treatment. Just a FYI.....if you do decide to go with treatment be prepared for the condition to worsen. It will get worse before it gets better when using the quite toxic meds. Also inquire what side effects the medication is capable of causing. Be on the lookout daily for any issues it may be causing.
Ivermectin is some potent stuff!

I would be more concerned about any stress your pup may be subjected to while away from her home and you while staying with family than I would be about an older, healthy dog contracting d-mange. Just highly unlikely.

Thanks for all the great info

He took me to see the mites under the microscope myself. Looking at the link above that I posted it, it looked pretty close to what those images show.

The vet did not tell me about taking it orally and he sold me the shampoo and ointment. I think it was 9 dollars for the ointment and 12 dollars for the shampoo.

As far as the shots, it's 16 bucks each shot. The Vet told me each shot I give her when I come in each week that I will only be charged for the shot. Even though 16 dollars doesn't sound like it's that much, in reality it's 160 dollars.

So far I've been spending a lot of money on getting her checked out first time visit, then checked out for UTI and now this
Within 1 month I've spend now about 300 dollars on 3 visits.

Just another quick question, if I would have gotten the puppy from a more reputable breeder is there a possibility that the puppy wouldn't have had it?