Mange?

[tazi]

Last Sunday, as some of you already know, I picked up Tobie from the kennel I board him at. I put a boarding question in this forum then about how skinny he was. Something else I noticed was his back was itchy and he would twitch when I went to pet him down his back. By Monday he ad a pencil eraser size white spot on his back, and he now has several spots around that one. I've been watching it, is isn't changing much, but he is still very twitchy. This was the first time I had the kennel bath him before I picked him up, but they say they use only natural shampoos and I don't so I don't know if it is a reaction or not. I called the kennel and of course they don't think its mange, and the first vet appointment I can get is next Monday. The vet told me to give Tobie on 25mg of benidryl and see if that makes him less twitchy. What does mange look like, act like? Isn't there more than one kind?
Thanks everybody!
Tazi

 

[Matt S]

Yep there is more than 1 type of mange, Demodectic & Scartopic.
Here's a couple of links that should answer a few of your questions on mange......

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&articleid=729

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1589&articleid=764

Best of luck

 

[tazi]

Thank you Matt!

I really appreciate the fast response and it sure is reassuring to read up on the information, it sounds like he has demodectic mange. I wish I could get him in to the vet sooner.
Thank you!
Tazi
Is the kennel responsible in cases like this, moneywise?

 

[nmac]

Hi!
I've personally seen a dog that had went through having Demodex Mange (from the very start of it) & it is heartbreaking to say the least.
My friend had decided that he wanted to get a Boxer because we have so many & he wanted a baby of his own to love. He found "AKC Boxer Puppies $175.00" in the newspaper & went and bought one. When we found out I told him that you get what you pay for. She was not correct, so to say by Breed Standard at all. It didn't matter though - she was a pet & very sweet. Right around the time she turned 7 months old she started to get very pink in the face area and a skin scraping confirmed that she had Demodex Mange. She soon started going to the vet regular to get dipped & treated. With every visit she lost more hair. Along with losing hair (her entire head & clumps all over her body) she was covered with this puss that made you cry when you looked at her. For a while the only way I could describe her was to say she looked kinda like a burn victim. Her skin on her face felt like the bottom of her paws. My friend could not take it - I took on the responsiblity of caring for her. After about 8 months and tons of money that was handed to the vet for treatments and to have her spayed I was able to find a loving family for her. Yes, my friend totally abandoned her. I know - Nice friend. There are different stages / types of Demodex & she had gone through it bad.
Demodex can not be spread to other animals - just because they are around one another. It has been shown that it is hereditary. In the case that I was just talking about - it was later found out that the dog was inbred (AKC doesn't care - they will register anything). I believe that through bad breeding this is what happened to this poor girl.
I seriously doubt that you could hold the kennel in which you boarded your dog responsible if it is in fact Demodex especially since one dog cannot just pass it to another. It is a condition spread by the mother to pups and could show up in the pup at a young age or even in some cases later. Don't freak out too much until you actually visit your vet. I would say the first sign of worry to Demodex is the skin turning pink / reddish.
Good Luck & I hope the best for you!

 

[JulieM]

The kennel would not be responsible in the case of demodex, but may be in the case of sarcoptic mange. All dogs have demodex mites - when the immune system is compromised (either because the dog has a weak immune system to begin with, or because circumstances have caused a temporary issue) the mites 'take over.' I would say that being in a kennel was a stressful event, and stress lowers immunity, so that is probably why the mange occurred. It's very likely that being back home, and perhaps with some immune boosters, the dog will recover from the mange without medical intervention. (Assuming, of course, that's what this is.) Demodex itself does not cause itching, though, but what you describe sounds more of a dry coat type of thing - i.e., the dog is not scratching constantly, it's more like he's ticklish, right? A good Omega-3 oil might help with that.

There are a *ton* of threads on demodex in the forums - a search will give you boat loads of information! (I will note, though, that demodex is not hereditary, but poor immune systems are - and while bad breeding certainly a large reason for poor immune systems, bad breeding and inbreeding are not necessarily the same thing.)

 

[tazi]

Wow, thank you Nmac and JulieM!

This is really interesting and makes a lot of sense. Tobie was from a very bad breeder, and was extremely malnourished and not well taken care of when I got him. They were feeding him food lion puppy food, and his toenails were pure white, not the semi-trancelucent nails of a healthy puppy. His nub was cut too late and his dew claws too, and he will always have the scars. Of course it was late when I made the three hour trip to the mountains to pick him up and I was tired, and I did not see all of this until I got him home. Also, they did show me that he has a spot on his lip where his tooth caught. That healed quickly and has although it will never be right, doesn't bother him. Based on his condition when I took him to the vet the first day, I could've returned him, but his personality was such that I loved him with all my heart and I kept him. As he grew, his right ear began to lay across his head and that is where is stays unless he is using it like a radar beacon!
I keep him very healthy, to the point of being spoiled, but not fat, just lean and muscular, and this trip to the kennel was the longest ever, 8 days. He had gotten skinnier then I have ever seen him, so yes, I think his immune system was compromised. He wasn't even his usual enthusiastic self when I brought him home. And yes, there is no active scratching, just a ticklishnish. No pink yet either, just white spots where hair is missing.
Somebody explain about the omeaga fatty acids if you have a moment tho, because I am a firm believer in home remedies and natural remedies and prefer them to the vet anyday. Back after Tobie's first 3 day kennel visit, he came home with kennel cough, and I just went to the forum and learned I should try two tablespoons of honey twice a day, and that worked and he loved it. I'll also do a search on omeaga fatty acids on the forums.
Thank you guys so much for helping my furbaby and I!!
Tazi

 

[khousman]

Omega acids are essential fatty acids. You must get them from what you eat, your body doesn't produce them. There is omega 3,6, and 9. They are in things such as fish oil, flax oil, evening primrose oil, and borage oil. Omegas are good for lots of thing including immune system and skin/hair health. They're also good for cholesterol, heart health, and brain function.

Kristi

 

[dbjr77]

Your vet will probably suggest that you dip to kill the mites. When my guy Tiberious had the demodex we did one dipping. I then stepped back after the initial flip-out do whatever the vet says period and thought about it. My thoughts were: 1. If he is getting this due to his immune system being down, do I really want to dip my puppy in a lethal poision? My answer was NO! So I started looking for other remedies. 2. I consulted a holistic vet who suggested we resolve the issue naturally and work to build his immune system up. I agreed. 3. We Identified the issue as a food allergy that was knocking down his immune system. We were feeding Eukanuba. 4. We changed him to Eagle Pack select and we also added an enzime to aid with digestion and Hokamix 30 which we found at a local pet food store at first but have found online since. 5. We followed this plan for 2 weeks and then went back and had another scraping done. Result ........... No more mites and have nit had any more breakouts so far and we are now right at a year. This happened when he was about 6months old. I have seen extreme cases of this if not treated right away and I read of a puppy dying of it in this forum. I hope you are able to resove this as quickly as we were and will keep my fingers crossed for you.

 

[tazi]

Thank you both!

I keep fish oil capsules for me, and have been giving those to Tobie since Friday. The spots look about the same, no better or worse. He goes to the vet tomorrow night, and I'll know for sure then which type of mange it is. I agree that I do not want to put him in a tub of poison, I don't use flea sprays, powders or collars unless they are natural and most of the time I just spray him down with apple cider vineger when I take him outside. He has never had a flea. It really does sound stupid to subject him to poison when his immune system is low! He has been eating well since he has been back home and is putting on weight although he not back at his normal 68 or so yet.
Thanks so much for the good advice, it helps so much!
Tazi

 

[tazi]

Its not demodex

The vet did a scraping and it is not demodex. So its either sacoptic mange or it is an allergic reaction to the natural shampoo that the kennel uses. She put him on revolution, and I will do a two treat pack with that, which will take the place of his normal heartworm too. I wouldn't have made this choice I don't think, but I had church council tonight and my son took Tobie to the vet for me, and he already had the first treatment on when he left the vet. I just told my son to say no if they wanted to schedule a dip. I think revolution is flea preventitive too, right? The vet also said that she will give him prednisone if it doesn't clear up. I take enough prednisone myself when I have problems with my asthma, I'm not sure I want Tobie taking it!!