Demodex

[Darbysmom1]

Is anyone familiar with Demodex? My dog is having coat problem and no one including my vet seems to know what it is we have tried everything from changing food to coat vits. My breeder suggested she may have demodex and to have her scrapped by her vet but her breeder is from out of town and hasnt seen the coat. I am wondering the simptoms of it. Her coat doest bug her she has no hot spots but I was told sometimes they dont. Do they always out grow it at nine months? Since it does not bug her I hate to pay for her to be scrapped and all that when she is 8 months already.
any advice?

 

[gmacleod]

Well, demodex is generally characterised by small patches of hair loss. Often that starts around the face, but certainly not always. Here's a short article with some pictures: http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&articleid=729

There is no age limit for demodex - it is an immune system problem. Certainly, it mostly affects puppies since their immune systems are only just developing, but there is no rule that says they'll grow out of it at 9 months.

 

[KonaKoffe]

Can you discribe what you mean by "coat problems"? Hair lose, itching flakes, shedding ???

 

[sweetboxer]

When Colby had Demodex mange, it first started on his face and front paws. He had patches of hair missing and he did scratch with it. It eventually got worse before it got better and had a bunch of patches, not only on his face, but also on his body. The skin scraping wasn't that expensive at my vet's office. Actually the medicine he needed later cost more than the scrape! Anyway, if your puppy is scratching and patches of hair are missing, I would go back to the vet and have them do a skin scrape.
Good luck!

 

[BoxerMamma99]

Kali (my 11 month female) was just diagnosed with it a few days ago... she had the greatest coat and then all of a sudden got 2 patches on her shoulders... I suspected what it was right away, brought her in and started treatment on monday. The skin scraping was only about $20 but if that is what your baby has it needs to be treated as it can be very uncomfortable for them.

 

[Erin Chizmar]

My Tessie has demodex mange, started a few months ago, she is still going to the vets every 10 days for treatment. She's starting to look better now but still has a way to go. It started on her face and then spread. Her fur is starting to grow back now tho. I would definitly have your baby checked, before it gets any worse. Her skin would get real pink to reddish color too.
Good luck!!! Erin Tessie and Gunny

 

[Shotze's Mom]

If the breeder suggested Demodex then it probably is. More than likely, the Mom or Dad has it...and other pups. IMO if her dogs DO have demodex then she shouldnt have bred them in the first place. GRRRRRR. Sorry, I have alot of anger for breeders who breed demodex dogs.

Good news is...if it is demodex it can clear up on its own. If it gets to bad, you can give oral ivermectin, never dip in mitaban, and boost the immune system.

At this stage I would have the scrape done. Make sure to feed high quality food and supplement with missing link. You can add sardines to the food and that will help with the coat also. My gallery shows pics of Shotze when she had severe generalized demodex. If you look, youll understand my anger with breeders who breed demodex dogs.

 

[StellaBee]

As someone who's gone through Demodectic mange with a puppy, it's better to catch it early...just go get her scraped. It may not even be mange - it's just better to find out what you're dealing with, so you can better treat your puppy.

 

[Darbysmom1]

I have done a lot of research and it just doesnt look like it but I dont know what else it could be. Neither of the parents have it or have ever had it show ( I know a lot of people think all dogs are born with it ). She has had it for over a month now and it is not spreading, it isnt red or itchie, on her hind end she has a bunch of little black spots with light hair all around. she has a very deep red coat and then on her hind it started getting light and then the spots started showing up. The breeder is one who thinks all dogs are born with it and feels the stress of showing could have brought it into play. I have seen pictures on the internet and that doesnt at all look like what she has but the breeder said it could be a very mild case. has anyone had dark spots on there dogs coats? do they go away?

 

[Net45582]

...may be seasonal flank alopecia.....you may want to do a search here about that since much has been posted previously about it.