# demodectic mange in puppies w/pictures



## dogsarebetter (Nov 4, 2011)

Has anyone else had a puppy with demodex?

I have a chow mix puppy named Rajah. He is just now 4 months old, and he has demodex.

I have decided that I will not be dipping him, or treating him (veterinary wise)

PLEASE correct me if I am wrong, but from what I read MOST cases of demodex in puppies clears up on its own before a year old.
and there is no evidence to show that dips (etc) even correct the issue.
Most might help for a little while, and then another break out will happen.

I have read that demodex is an issue with the immune system.

What i am doing for the demodex:

Feeding Taste Of the Wild- high prairie puppy (it is the best that i can afford)
Adding fish oil 1000 mg, vit c 1000 mg
benadryl 25mg twice a day (sometimes only once)
NO grains, potatoes (there is some in his food, cant find a grain free without that i can afford) no sugars, nothing dyed or artificial. Basically besides his dog food he only gets freeze dried chicken and chicken liver
Weekly bath (in soap free, dye free, sent free, coconut based tea tree shampoo--dried with force dryer with no heat--

What have you tried, or heard of that helps a puppy get over demodex?

also, i want to neuter him as soon as he is old enough. dont you think that i should wait until the demodex has cleared up and his immune system seems to have improved?

and since his immune system is obviously not up to par, should I except allergies, and medication sensitivity, possibly an under lying condition?

sorry for all the questions, i have learned not to trust vets, and do my own research also
here are some pictures.


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## IslandPaws4Raw (Sep 7, 2011)

dogsarebetter said:


> Has anyone else had a puppy with demodex?
> 
> I have a chow mix puppy named Rajah. He is just now 4 months old, and he has demodex.
> 
> ...


I haven't mentioned this before but Layla has demodex. I am treating her though because she didn't just have localized demodex, it was all over her body. I totally blame myself, because I had the vet tech give her her first shot the day I got her. I am 100% sure it triggered an immune response that she was not capable of handling, so she had a major break-out. She is getting a daily dose of ivermectin .03ml. It has been almost a month of treatment and she still is getting bumps on her skin from the mites. Luckily she only has a few spots where the hair loss is noticeable.
If she just had the localized affected areas I would not have gone with this treatment. When I first suspected demodex I found a website that had a holistic treatment that I would have tried. They recommended borax laundry booster dissolved in 1% hydrogen peroxide. Cure Demodectic and Sarcoptic Mange

To add insult to injury they wanted me to bring her back the week after she started treatment for her second shot!!! :der: errr no!
Anyways, I hope you can get him sorted out without the harsh treatments. 

I don't have the knowledge to answer your other questions though......

He is a cutie pie!


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## twoisplenty (Nov 12, 2008)

Localized demodex usually clears on its own as the immune system matures. You can support the immune system by adding probiotics. If the demodex becomes generalized then I would treat with liquid Ivermectin. My mothers pug started with localized and the vet recommended to wait it out and see what it would do. Unfortunately for her it became generalized which is a sign of it being a hereditary condition, she used Ivermectin and it cleared up quickly.

A puppy of ours had localized demodex, their clients were told to use Advantage Multi and it cleared it up within 6 weeks. My mother also uses Advantage Multi to keep her pug from getting another outbreak. Seems to be working.


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## dogsarebetter (Nov 4, 2011)

thanks all!
what is hard for me is deciding what will be the line... when do i take him to the vet for treatment?
if he is not any better in 6 weeks? if he gets worse?

i just had the vet do a skin scrapping, i wouldnt let her do anything else.


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## toriakd (Jan 27, 2012)

It has been almost a month of treatment and she still is getting bumps on her skin from the mites. 

I don't understand...if the bumps are mites which I thought to be some sort of parasite...such as mites in mange...how would a shot cause her to get mites?


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## IslandPaws4Raw (Sep 7, 2011)

toriakd said:


> I don't understand...if the bumps are mites which I thought to be some sort of parasite...such as mites in mange...how would a shot cause her to get mites?


This is just my opinion... I allowed my pup to get her first immunization when she was not healthy. The vaccinations seriously attacks the immune system, and a healthy pup should be able to cope with the stress without too much issue. My poor pup who is predisposed to the condition obviously couldn't cope. The demodectic mange mite ( Demodex canis)is present on all dogs. It is considered normal fauna of the skin in small numbers. When the immune system is compromised though the mites can get out of control and cause disease. 
I should have waited a few weeks until she settled in from the stress of leaving her home and littermates, and recovered from all the parasites she came home with (fleas, ticks, ear mites, worms etc) When she came home she showed no sign of mange. Within a matter of days of receiving her shot the itching started.....it took another three weeks for me to realized what she had.
I'll say again......I am 100% sure the shot caused her mange out-break



> dogsarebetter
> 
> what is hard for me is deciding what will be the line... when do i take him to the vet for treatment?
> if he is not any better in 6 weeks? if he gets worse?


I would just keep an eye on him, and keep up with whatever home remedies you are using. Watch for red irritated, itchy skin anywhere else on his body that isn't affected now. It's hard to say where the line should be, I just can't watch them be miserable.......


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## toriakd (Jan 27, 2012)

IslandPaws4Raw said:


> The demodectic mange mite ( Demodex canis)is present on all dogs. It is considered normal fauna of the skin in small numbers. When the immune system is compromised though the mites can get out of control and cause disease.
> 
> Thanks for the clarification...I had no idea dogs had mites as a normal skin condition and that it was controlled by the dogs immune system. Does this mean it can never be completely gotten rid of?


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## Chocx2 (Nov 16, 2009)

My allergist mixed up an oil, put a drop in the area and rub in its called amitraz thats whats mixed in the oil. My regular vet just said hmm. It worked very fast and only put it on a couple of times..

Just rubbed in to affected areahwell:


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

toriakd said:


> Thanks for the clarification...I had no idea dogs had mites as a normal skin condition and that it was controlled by the dogs immune system. Does this mean it can never be completely gotten rid of?


We ALL (humans included) have mites on our skin. There are mites in our eyelashes that are so suited to that one spot they couldn't live anywhere else, including in another person's eyelashes.

Living creatures are extremely buggy; we just don't notice it because they are very small. But if you took a microscope and put it on your skin and zoomed it in about a million times, you would see a whole civilization living on you. Yes, even when we think we are clean right after a shower!

Dogs are the same.

If we got rid of all the mites on us (or our dogs) something bad would probably happen. I suppose they are there for a reason.


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## toriakd (Jan 27, 2012)

My allergist mixed up an oil, put a drop in the area and rub in its called amitraz 

Thanks for the info...I looked amitraz up on the web...wiki says it is used to kill many kinds of insects and is a class lll in it's toxicity level...It is more commonly used in tick collars and mite dips... Some serious side effects seen include lowered heart rate, decreased blood pressure, seizures, ataxia (lack of coordination), and in some instances death has occurred...guess it would have to be used sparingly...how safe do you think it is to be used repeatedly?


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## ShanniBella (Jul 1, 2011)

Try using immune boosting supplements before using any poisons in or on your puppy. He may grow out of it....and as was said stop the shots. I used ester-c from wholistic pet and probiotics and enzymes plus switched to a home cooked diet. All the ivermectin and all that other poison is going to do is supress the immune system further. I have seen the dips and ivermectin work but I have also seen all options fail on some dogs when I was a vet tech. Do your research and weigh your options before you start anything.


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