from bad to worse

[Shotze's Mom]

Well, to begin with...he said that since I was itching also that it was sarcoptic mange. The rash looked kinda like a mange rash. So since I was itching it seemed to be sarcoptic. BUT, since the paramite didnt help at ALL and seemed to make things worse, he said that it may have started out as sarcoptic but there is no way it is now. He is a very good vet with over 20 years experience in dogs in this area. Like me, he said this really just doesnt look like mange. It looks like ant bites. But I havent taken her outside in days because of the terrible rains we have had and I have no ants in the house... cant be ant bites. I think this is one of those trial and error things. Its not mange, its not ant bites, it COULD be allergies, it might be something else. I have a feeling after a couple of hundred dollars we will finally figure out what it is. In the meantime, Shotze is her same old silly self. She doesnt act like its slowing her down any. And what is so sad is...she is getting her "boxer face" and its being shadowed by this ugly rash.
Im using the tea tree oil and water on her...it helps with the smell also. Im giving yogurt, and bathing her in neutrogena T-gel and oatmeal alternating between the two. Im going just about as natural as I can. Her food has garlic in it so I dont know if I want to add any more to her diet yet. I have taken away all of her treats and cookies since it seemed to get worse after giving her Kong liver paste. Poor thing. I feel like Im being so mean to her. She went from getting daily treats to getting none at all. The only treat she gets now is her chilly bone.
Like I said, Ill keep you updated. Vet visit is on the 20th to check her progress and give her rabies shot. He also wants to check her immunity to parvo and other virus' because I give my own shots. Anyway, Ill let yall know what he finds at that time.

 

[Gagal4ever]

My lab also had demodex (or puppy) mange. My vet told me that it happens in puppies whose immune system is down or undeveloped. Abbie also got this after surgery. Abbie mostly had it on her face and a few other spots. It looked horrible and like you described (ant bites) with no hair in those spots. My vet treated it with ivermectin. He had me pick this up at a feed and seed and give her titrated doses until it was at her full dose. I think this can be dangerous if not given under strict guidelines for weight. He opted for this treatment over dips as he said demodex is much harder to treat then any other mange and that dips do not often work. Abbie was on this for 45 days and it worked!!! She did fine. Ivermectin is the main ingredient in heartworm medicine but given at much higher rates for demodex. Has your vet scraped the area? My vet did and he could see that it was demodex right away. Anyway, it did get worse before better because he said this stuff takes off and spreads and it takes weeks before the medicine actually kills them. I hope this helps. I don't know if your baby has this or not but it may be an option to check out. I hope you and your boxer get better fast

 

[Shotze's Mom]

I admit I was wrong to stand by my vet in this instance and will be switching vets.
Shotze DOES have demodex. She is taking .6 cc once a day of ivermectin 1%. I hate to say this but I dont think it CAN get worse. Her whole body is covered. Im so scared Im going to lose her. Does anyone know if they can die from Demodex? Please say its not possible or thats thats a VERY slim chance. I cant stand the thought of losing my baby.

 

[FarleyBoxer]

this may help...

Shotze's Mom, I found this link after a very cursory search that has some info on demodecosis. You might find it helpful. This vet doesn't seem to write of this problem as a life-threatening one. I thought it was interesting that he says 80 percent of dogs get over this condition on their own, although poor Shotze sounds like that's not going to be the case w/her. :(

http://www.vetinfo.com/dogdmite.html#Demodectic mange

Camille

 

[Lael]

Poor Shotze! :( I'm sorry to hear she is suffering so much! A good treat might be real liver, cooked in a bit of canola or safflower oil. The oils seem to help Lael's skin significantly, and the liver is pretty yummy. Maybe Shotze wouldn't react to real liver?

I don't think that dogs can die directly from demodex. If they can, I'd imagine it to be extremely rare. Your vet may be able to tell you the statistics of dogs dying from demodex... I myself haven't heard of such a case.

Hang in there! Keep us updated.
Cat & Lael

 

[Jan]

I have never heard of dog dying from demodex. I'm sure that she looks horrible, but demodex looks way worse than it is. She will get better. Think positive thoughts. Shotze will know that your are worried and it will make her stressed and that will make the demodex worse. Try and think positive thoughts and make life as fun for Shotze as possible.

SHE WILL GET BETTER!

 

[munchichi2550987]

Poor Shotze!!
I saw the pictures of her and I had to see if you had started a thread on her.
When I saw her pics I immediately got teary eyed. I actually feel sick now thinking about it because my Brogan went thru the same thing. I don't know if those are her pics when she is starting to heal or if it's at it's worst now, but Brogan was even worse than those pics.
I have to make this short since i'm at work , but I could go on and on about this.
Brogan had demodex since she was about 10 weeks old. I went thru it all , thinking it may be allergies, terrible vet, never did a scraping , she got worse and worse. Finally found a fantastic vet. She started ivermectin.. She got a lot worse before she got better. I also had to bathe her 3 times a day. Her face swelled up so bad . She had no hair at all on her head . Completely bald and looked just like Shotze. I had to cover everything in my house with sheets because blood was everywhere. She would sleep all day and barely eat. It was a horrible time. I cried everyday. I was so scared.
Fast forward 2 years. My girl is the healthiest she's ever been =)
you would never know she had demodex. She has all her hair back and she even gets compliments on how beautiful her coat is!!
I heard all the negative things you did as well how their is a chance she may not recover because she has it so bad etc..
Shotze will recover..It just takes a lot of time and care.. Make sure she is eating good stuff too=) You are doing a great job. I know how you feel . There's nothing worse than seeing your baby that way.. She is so lucky to have you.
If you need anything or if you have any questions just pm me!!

Take care

Nicole

 

[Shotze's Mom]

Im pretty sure(knocks wood) that the pics are at its worse. She has seemed to improve a little daily. I really think that this thread and the other one should have been merged, but the other one was on how I had been given advice and my vet was an idiot.

I posted two new pics this morning, I think it usually takes a day to get them up though. Her face already is looking better. Ill post another pic next friday of her to chart her progress.

I do have one question. How long did it take for her sores to heal all together?

 

[Lael]

Ohhhhh... sweet little Shotze... Her sores do look terribly uncomfortable. Don't worry, like munchichi said, her hair will slowly but surely fill in as her skin heals. I noticed a faster recovery with the garlic, vitamin C, salmon oil, and eggs added to Lael's food when she had folliculitus. Anything that will support her immune system and healthy skin I would guess would help speed up the healing.

Give Shotze a big hug for me, and some kisses from Lael!
Cat & Lael

 

[munchichi2550987]

I can't remember exactly how long it was. Seemed like forever of course, but i think it was about 2 months of the sores and rashes.. Then it was just working on getting her hair back .. All I know is that on her 1st birthday she had most of her hair back. Still a few patches where her hair was missing, but she was 100 percent better. Now she isn't missing any hair at all. Every dog is different so Shotze may heal a lot sooner!
Glad to hear she already seems to be doing better!
I will keep an eye out for her pics to see how she is progressing.

Hugs to Shotze