Demodex

[bEaChBaBiEs]

Can someone please tell me of a good website on demodex? My 10 month has had it since she was three months, and my 8 month old was just diagnosed with it last night. I really feel like I am doing something wrong. We got the puppies from two seperate families, so it is hard to understand how they both have it. I will admit they are the first dogs that my fiance and I have ever had, so we are little uneducated. I know everyone says not to buy from the newspaper, but at the time we got them we had no clue what we were really supporting. We are both only 25 and don't make a ton of money to buy a dog from a great breeder, so that is why we did what we did. I know that no matter how great they say their dogs are, you can never believe them.

Both of our pups are on ivermectin. Our vet recommended fish and potato food, which we bought the Wellness wet food last night and they hate it. I want them to heal as soon as possible, so any advice would be appreciated!!! Thanks in advance.:(

 

[Sarah23]

Well I am struggling with the same problem. Just this Monday my youngest boxer was diagnosed with it. Cooper has the localized type. He only has 2 spots on his body. One on his right shoulder and one close to his tail. My vet gave me Goodwinol ointment to put on him every night. Its really messy. I have only been putting it on him for 4 days now and I can tell a difference. I am like you I had no clue about breeders and puppymills till after the fact of buying him. My vet told me that this could be controlled and was not contagious. She also said there use to be a good dip that you could use for it but currently it is been taken off the market. She said it is suppose to be put back on in the near future. It does better than the medication she gave me. I feel so sorry for him. But it doesn't seem to bother him. He will be neutered in less than a month and says it will cause the demodex to act up. So I am dreading that. :( But I was glad to hear it wasn't going to be something that might kill him. My vet said it would just be money consuming, time consuming, and a lot of aggrivation.

Does your babies have generalized or localized?


Hope this helped :D And I hope things get better for your babies.

 

[bEaChBaBiEs]

Both of mine have generalized. Zoe actually got a secondary infection a few months ago, and that was the worse experience ever. We were having her dipped in Mitaban, but it ended up hurting her more. She would come back from the vet with blood red skin. When we got Riley we found a better vet, and he ended up putting Zoe on Ivermectin. Since then she has gotten alot of hair back, but I am waiting for the day when she will have a full coat.

Thanks for writing back, and I hope everything goes well for you and your little one!!!

 

[Sarah23]

Cooper's hasn't lost much hair fortunately.I hope your baby gets alot better. I am glad to hear she is getting her hair back. One day she will have beautiful coat I am sure.

Sarah

 

[Krikkit]

Here are some previous threads about Demodectic Mange:

http://www.boxerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=44702&highlight=demodectic+mange

http://www.boxerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=44523&highlight=demodectic+mange

http://www.boxerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=39010&highlight=demodectic+mange

http://www.boxerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=37758&highlight=demodectic+mange

http://www.boxerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=46306&highlight=ivermectin

A couple of websites:

http://www.akitarescue.com/demodectic_mange-a_natural_treatment.htm

http://www.marvistavet.com/html/demodectic_mange.html


All the best to your babies - I'm sorry you are going through this with both :(

Sharon

 

[Sabrina Jay]

We are both only 25 and don't make a ton of money to buy a dog from a great breeder, so that is why we did what we did.

But, by the time you take what you paid for these puppies, plus the final cost of treating them......guess what......in the long run, you will be paying more than if you would have bought a pup from a reputable breeder. Its not uncommon for people to spend 3-6 times the purchase price on dogs with problems from irresponsible breeders.

The previous links provided should give you lots of reading material on demodex. Since your having to treat the dogs, remember, they should never be bred. While the demodex is not contagious, if they have a supressed immune system that can not fight off the mites on their own, the supressed immune systems are genetic (hereditary).

Good luck with your pups and keep us posted.

 

[sashamom]

We also had a demodex dog here who has grown out of it just fine on her own! Sasha was diagnosed at 4 months or so and after reading how horrible the mitaban dips are....we chose to try to boost her immune system naturally and love her even more!!! Don't worry about where you got her and how you got her....does not matter now...you just need a healthy baby!! Sasha also came from a back yard breeder...and while we would never buy from one again because we are now educated....I also would not change ANYTHING to keep me from having her in my life now! The threads previously posted have tons of great information ....which is almost the only place we got advice from! Good luck and keep us posted!
Sasha, Telmar and Lisa

 

[Sabrina Jay]

I agree with trying the method of boosting the immune system in certain cases. Not all dogs with demodex will this work on. (ones with localized - 5 smaller (or less) spots. If its generalized, more aggressive treatment methods are generally needed. Its also not uncommon for secondary skin infections to also be a problem.

One thing everyone needs to keep in mind......it can take 1-2 months or longer before improvement is seen....just depends on the degree and the over-all condition in the dog.

 

[Rowdy Boys]

Magnum was from a BYB and broke out with demodectic mange after his ears were cropped - he was treated and has never had a problem since - even when he was neutered a few months later. This was six years ago and before I knew about BW, so he was treated with the dips and the vet probably jumped the gun, as it sounds like many do, rather than give Magnum's body the opportunity to heal itself.

Angel is from a reputable breeder/handler and has mange as well. We had promised a puppy from a future litter of hers, but because of the mange (and it's severity), she can't be bred (and she has a few show faults), so the breeder offered us her instead. The breeder was treating her with Ivomec and she taught me how to do it. Angel has been struggling with mange for a long time - it was clearing up nicely and then she went into season and it came right back in full force. We are having her spayed very soon and certainly before she goes into season again.

I've heard that it is not good to have her on Ivomec, day in, day out, long term. Can anyone enlighten me on this? I searched the posts highlighted above, and while I can confirm that Ivomec does have side effects, nothing is mentioned specifically about the long term effects.

Plus, even after Angel is done with her treatment for mange, the breeder recommended I use it once a month as a HW preventative.

Also, how long after she clears up do I need to continue to keep her on the Ivomec to ensure she is completely healed?

Thanks.

Brenda

 

[Rowdy Boys]

Originally posted by bEaChBaBiEs
Our vet recommended fish and potato food, which we bought the Wellness wet food last night and they hate it.

Have you tried the dry Wellness fish and potato? That's what I use and my three can't get enough of it - the smell alone makes them nuts. I just changed Angel over last week when we brought her home from the breeders and she took to it instantly.