HELP!!!!! Baxter has Demodectic Mange!!!!

[jowls]

Hello everyone,

I've been watching a small spot on Baxter's head. I ended up taking him to the vet. The vet did a skin scraping and determined that it is Demodectic Mange!!!! They gave me a jel called Pyoben Gel to apply 2x a day.

What does this mean??? Does anyone else's dog suffer from this??? Has anyone used Pyoben Jel? Did it clear up the mange and keep it away? Help, I don't know what to do. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thank you.

 

[gmacleod]

Demodectic mange is a very common problem. With a quick search of these forums, you would quickly find several hundred threads on the topic (actually, there are thousands).

The problem behind demodex is actually immune system function (or lack of it). Every dog on the planet has demodectic mites, ALL of the time. You have them too, btw - (a human version), which live inside your hair follicules. And if it happened that you had an immune system problem, you might likewise suffer from bald spots

The key to treating demodex is thus support of the immune system function. In the case of a puppy, the problem may simply be that his immune system hasn't yet developed sufficiently to cope with all the stresses thrown at it (things like rehoming (major stress), vaccinations, flea, tick and worming are all enormous assaults on the immune system, and puppies get it all in bucketloads. Sometimes, their immune systems simply aren't able to cope with all that - and then you get problems like mange (when they're not even able to keep a harmonious balance with their mites, which are a natural and permanent flora of the coat/hair).

In these cases - and it's a good 90% of them, the only treatment required is support of the developing immune system. That is, good quality diet (for which most commercial kibbles don't qualify) and suspension of any further stresses until the mange is under control. That means no vaccinations, flea/tick/worming treatments only if absolutely essential, and no elective surgeries such as spay/neuter - until the pup's immune system is at least strong enough to deal with everyday life (i.e. the mange is gone).

In a few cases, about 10% of mange sufferers, the mange develops beyond a few spots to what is called generalised mange. In this case (or with adult dogs who develop mange), it's unlikely that you're just dealing with an underdeveloped immune system, but a faulty one. Even amongst these individuals, 40% or so will still recover without any treatment. It's really only about 5-6% of all mange sufferers with such weak/defective immune systems as to be incapable of recovery on their own, and in need of aggressive treatment.

If your puppy has only a single spot, he's certainly not in the generalised category (yet, anyway - can't guarantee the future) and should be treated with support to the immune system. Do bear in mind that mange will almost always become a little worse before it gets better (there's a delay between damage to hair follicules and the hair actually falling out).

 

[jowls]

Demodectic mange is a very common problem. With a quick search of these forums, you would quickly find several hundred threads on the topic (actually, there are thousands).

The problem behind demodex is actually immune system function (or lack of it). Every dog on the planet has demodectic mites, ALL of the time. You have them too, btw - (a human version), which live inside your hair follicules. And if it happened that you had an immune system problem, you might likewise suffer from bald spots

The key to treating demodex is thus support of the immune system function. In the case of a puppy, the problem may simply be that his immune system hasn't yet developed sufficiently to cope with all the stresses thrown at it (things like rehoming (major stress), vaccinations, flea, tick and worming are all enormous assaults on the immune system, and puppies get it all in bucketloads. Sometimes, their immune systems simply aren't able to cope with all that - and then you get problems like mange (when they're not even able to keep a harmonious balance with their mites, which are a natural and permanent flora of the coat/hair).

In these cases - and it's a good 90% of them, the only treatment required is support of the developing immune system. That is, good quality diet (for which most commercial kibbles don't qualify) and suspension of any further stresses until the mange is under control. That means no vaccinations, flea/tick/worming treatments only if absolutely essential, and no elective surgeries such as spay/neuter - until the pup's immune system is at least strong enough to deal with everyday life (i.e. the mange is gone).

In a few cases, about 10% of mange sufferers, the mange develops beyond a few spots to what is called generalised mange. In this case (or with adult dogs who develop mange), it's unlikely that you're just dealing with an underdeveloped immune system, but a faulty one. Even amongst these individuals, 40% or so will still recover without any treatment. It's really only about 5-6% of all mange sufferers with such weak/defective immune systems as to be incapable of recovery on their own, and in need of aggressive treatment.

If your puppy has only a single spot, he's certainly not in the generalised category (yet, anyway - can't guarantee the future) and should be treated with support to the immune system. Do bear in mind that mange will almost always become a little worse before it gets better (there's a delay between damage to hair follicules and the hair actually falling out).

Hi gmacleod.

Yes, it is just one little spot right now and hopefully that is all it will ever be. are you familiar with the topical Pyoden Jel (2x per day)?

Thanks for your help.

 

[gmacleod]

I've never heard of that as a mange treatment, no... And looking it up online, I find that it is an anti-microbial. That is, for treating superficial skin infections (bacteria, fungus, etc).

Usually it is prescribed for treatment of skin conditions such as pyoderma (like acne), or skin irritations arising from allergies (helps stop itching).

However, it won't do a thing for demodectic mange. Mange isn't caused by bacterial or fungal infection, nor allergies, and it's not even itchy either. So one can only assume that your vet has prescribed it for some other infection?

As noted already, demodectic mange is an immune system problem. Even killing off the mites wouldn't really help (not that your gel will do that anyway, but still...), since the dog would just get a fresh set the moment he comes into contact with another dog (every dog on the planet has the mites, ALL of the time). Treatments for skin conditions aren't going to help. The only thing that will is strengthening his immune system. To some degree, you can expect that to happen regardless, as he grows older. But you still need to help - look at his diet, make improvements where you can (especially if you feed kibble - most of it is junk food), and remove any other stresses. Then you're at least giving his body the best chance to recover.