"Red Mange"

[CaelasMom]

My Copper is almost 6 mos old. We had our carpets cleaned a few weeks ago and shortly thereafter he broke out with small rash like bumps on his chest and belly. We assumed that it was a reaction to the carpet cleaner. It progressively got worse and small patches of hair started to be removed from excessive scratching. We took him to the vet yesterday and it turns out he has Demodectic Mange or "Red Mange". I was mortified and angry all at once. We once had rescued a boxer and grew fond of him and he later developed this same issue. He was a pup and due to maltreatment his immune system was weak and eventually we had to have him put to sleep. We did our research and learned that this type of mange is often transmitted from the mother of the pup and decided right away that our next furbaby would come from a reputable breeder. We asked all of the right questions about the history of the parents and any disorders and such that we could expect. We finally settled on a breeder and bought Copper and now he has mange. This is what makes me angry. I now know that pups get the disease from their mothers or from direct contact with other carriers (the mites that cause it live in hair follicles) and he is our 1 and only dog and is an "indoor" dog. We live in an apartment and he's paper trained and we only take walks around the complex. He has had no play mates or "run-ins" with strange dogs. I feel like the breeder may have lied to us. We're concentrating on getting the mange under control and giving Copper some itch relief in order to stay comfortable. Thanks for any support that you may be able to offer.

 

[Maniago]

or from direct contact with other carriers (the mites that cause it live in hair follicles)

The mites that cause demodex always live on the dog, your dog did not catch the mites from "some strange dog" If you do a search you will find many threads on demodex.

 

[BeckyNC]

Tae had mange over the summer. I learned, as Maniago stated, the mites live on your dog and a slight stress can lower his immunity allowing them to "do their stuff". We ended up treating Tae with ivermectin, after determining she could not fight the mange herself. We waited 4 weeks to make this decision. I should mention she had localized Demodex, so that's why we were able to watch it in the hopes it would go away. The ivermectin worked great, though I sure wish I hadn't had to use it. That said, Tae's been off it 7 weeks and you'd never know she had mange!

 

[CaelasMom]

I'm aware that my baby didn't get mange from "some strange dog". The point that I was making (albeit I may have made it poorly) is that I know that he came to us with the problem. My frustration and anger stem from the fact that we specifically asked the breeder about this and he claimed that the idea was unheard of. I know that all dogs, healthy and not so healthy, have these mites. However, I also know that if the mites were passed on to pups from their mothers there's a greater chance that their little immune systems aren't as strong as they need to be to defend against them. We're in it for the long haul.

 

[CaelasMom]

Thanks Becky. I'll consider ivermectin if what we're doing shows no signs of improvement in the coming weeks. We opted to not have the mitaban dips since it can sometimes cause even greater irritation. We doing the medicated baths and an oral medication daily that was given to us from our vet. We aslo purchased a topical solution to apply. Keeping our fingers crossed.

 

[JulieM]

My frustration and anger stem from the fact that we specifically asked the breeder about this and he claimed that the idea was unheard of.

What idea? What exactly did you ask?

However, I also know that if the mites were passed on to pups from their mothers there's a greater chance that their little immune systems aren't as strong as they need to be to defend against them.

Mites are *always* passed on to the pups from their mothers, with the few exceptions of orphaned pups who have never nursed. That does not automatically mean their immune systems are faulty. Localized demodex is extremely common in puppies, and most cases self-resolve (an indication that the immune system is working just as it should).

Remember that we put puppies though a *ton* of stress - going to new home, leaving mom & littermates, vaccinations, worming, spay/neuter, meeting new people and new animals, training, travelling, etc. Sometimes there's just too much going on at once, and their immature immune systems just can't deal with it all at once. So, the mites get a hold, and usually as the other issues resolve, the immune system then starts recovering and the mites lose their hold.

Please do read the numerous threads on demodex in the archives, as they contain lots of valuable information.