Do dogs ever really get over Demoduex mange?

[nogalus boy]

I have been doctoring my dogo pup for over a month now with Ivomec and she seems to be getting better but she hasnt put back any of her hair and still looks like she has the mange. Im about to give up but I hate to cause I really like the pup. I know she is not going to get better over night but really am I  fighting a losing battle? What are yalls experience with this? Thanks

[Hawkins]

I've got a dog that is a little over 10 months old and she has had 3 breakouts since I've had her at 6 weeks old. Her last one lasted about 2 months and now she has all her hair and looks great. The other two breakouts were probably at least a month til she got her hair back. I've read that some dogs grow out of it by a year old, I've had her this long so I was going to keep her around for another few months to see what happens.

[nogalus boy]

What were you using to help treat it? I have been giving her .3 to .4 cc's everyday for a lil over a month. I dont think I can call it an out break because it has stayed with her since she started showing signs of it. Granted she does look better but still looks like an ol mangy dog. Im not sure what else to give her to help her. I figured their would be a dip that I could give her. Thanks for the comment.

[catchrcall]

I've got a bulldog with it.  She broke out around the time of her first heat cycle and I had to treat her like what you are doing.  I also got a shampoo from my vet, just can't remember the name.  I got her spayed and she's never broken out since.  That first one was pretty nasty looking but we haven't had any more so I'd say don't give up on the pup.  It did take quite a while, I think sixty days or so for her to get over it and look normal again.

[tmatt]

 Demodectic/red mange is actually a problem with the dogs immune system. The demodectic mite is found on virtually every dog but in most cases the dog's immune system keeps the mite in check and prevents an outbreak. In other cases the immune system is compromised in some way and thus allowing the mites to get out of control. There are two types of demodectic mange, localized and generalized. It is considered to be localized if there are four spots or less on the dog's entire body. It is considered generalized if the affected area is more than that. The localized form should go untreated to see if it goes away or if it becomes generalized. The reason for this is to see if the dog's immune system develops and resolves it self. If it does resolve itself then some people say that the dog can still be bred. Localized demodex is considered to be a puppy disease due to an underdeveloped immune system. Generalized demodectic mange is a totally different story. It is due to a weak immune system in general and is believed to be inherited from the parents. The mange outbreaks once under control are usually brought on by stress ie. going into heat, getting cut, getting too hot, or anything that stresses the body. The best thing to do is to eliminate the dog from the gene pool ie. neutering or spaying the dog. The only way to control the mange is to use a topical on the dog to get rid of the mites initially and then use the ivermectin to to help control future outbreaks. The usual dosage for dogs to prevent heartworms is 1/10 ml per 10 lbs of bodyweight orally, you can use the same dosage rate only administer the mess sub q instead of orally. Controlling the mange is easy, it is gettiat ng it under control initially that is hard. A product called My-Stock, which I believe is sulphur based, works pretty well to get the mange under control. I would also let the breeder know that your dog has demodectic mange and if he /she doesn't already know, explain to them that it is hereditary and that he should really find out which of his dogs are the carriers of it. In all honesty the breeder probably knows about it and this is probably not the first time it has popped up. I had to deal with this about ten or so years ago and decided that the best thing to do was cull/eliminate from the gene pool any dog that had shown it regardless of how much it was. JMHO

[nogalus boy]

Thanks for that reply. Yea the breeder knows about it and I also was aware that the mother to my pup had it but I really wasnt educated about it until i started doing research when she started showing signs of it. Yes she will be spayed as soon as I can get her to the vet and yes the hardest part seems to be getting it under control. Its very easy to get frustrated. I have, believe me. I am looking into a dip for her. I will keep her on the ivomec until i see a change for the good. Thanks for the reply

[tmatt]

Amitraz dip works really well to get it under control. Use 8 ml per gallon of water, dip weekly and wear rubber gloves. Where are you located?

[nogalus boy]

I am located in Apple Springs, Texas. It is about 25 miles south of Lufkin. Yea arrowbar messaged me about the dip you are talking about. I am probably going to order me some this Friday. I sure hope it works. I really like this gyp and would really really hate to have to put her down. But she is going to get spayed as soon as possible. She is only 9 months old and I have not seen her come in heat yet so that is a good thing.

[tmatt]

Ok, if you were close to, or if you will be in the Kaufman area I have some.

[nogalus boy]

Man i sure do appreciate your help. If I was closer I should would take you up on that offer. I will probably get me some this weekend. I have been looking it up on the internet and will probably get it from pet meds. Ill give you an update on her to see if it works. Thanks buddy

[T-Bob Parker]

You can treat it throughout the life of the dog, BUT, weigh the pros and cons. I had an up and coming catch dog that I loved but I couldn't keep rubbing money on his mange. In my opinion, demodectic mange is a fatal fault.

[lonewolf]

I've had this problem on my main strike dog once. used ivomec for 60 days straight and then tapered off slowly. All his hair grew back and he stills looks and hunts great about a year later with no more outbreaks.

[nogalus boy]

Awesome. Thats what I like to hear. I have had her on it about 30 days now. I will just keep giving her the ivomec and see what happens. Thanks

[Hawkins]

I give ivomec once a month for heartworm preventive. The NU-Stock didn't do anything for me that I could tell. Other thing I used that worked well was promeris, but it is kinda pricey.

[hogaholicswife]

How many times are you giving her Ivomec a week?  I personally do not like Amitraz, it makes the dogs lethargic and causes them to throw up and if I am not mistaken there is a certain age that can not have it but I do not remember.

I used Ketochlor shampoo to soothe their skin if they were a little inflamed but Ivomec is the best that I have used for the actual mite. 

Our vet said that the sulfur may help a little but it will not cure it, aside from Ivomec Amitraz is the only other option and it is harsh.  He also suggested neutering ours but it wasnt an option that my husband wanted to go with. 

Forrest weighs 45lbs and we gave him .65 cc orally per day or 1 click of Zimectrin Gold (it is easier), I treated him daily for almost 6 months before I noticed any change in his hair.  The vet said do not stop the Ivomec cold turkey but to gradually cut them back until you wean them off of it or if the mange starts coming back gradually increase the dose to get it under control.

You may never get rid of it completely or you may have to give them small doses for the rest of their life and someone on here (Uglydog I think) has posted in the past about their CD that they couldnt clear it up and was always miserable. 

Thankfully, I have always had the luck of clearing it up as our dogs are notorious for getting it, with the exception of Forrest he is still missing his chest hair but it doesnt seem to bother him at all.  I personally believe that aside from the stress that pen cleanliness and even diet plays a role for some dogs in maintaining it once you get their hair back and may even contribute to their break outs.

Good Luck and I hope you do not give up to soon.

Before - his vest covers most of it and I do not have one of his feet but we were worried about taking him any where when we first got him....this was a slight improvement before I started treating him every single day.



After

[outlaw14slayer]

Will the breeder of your pup not replace it?  Did the mother dog accidentally get bred?  It is very irresponsible to breed a dog that is known to have a condition like this.  I had two pups that developed this condition.  Neither parent ever showed signs of it, but seemingly unaffected dogs can be carriers.  After a brief battle, I went ahead and culled.  The negatives greatly outweighed the positives for me.  I don't want any high maintenance dogs.     

[nogalus boy]

I am giving her .3 to .4 cc everyday and I have been doing this for about 35 days now. It has seemed to help but I was wanting to try and dip her. I know that the dip has its side effects but I am willing to do it if it helps her in the long run. Its either try and help her now or go ahead and put her down which I really do not want to do just because she is a very good dog. The breeder knew that the momma dog had it but I was stupid at the time and thought I had a 50/50 shot at getting a pup that wouldnt have an outbreak and luck just wasnt on my side. It was an accidental breeding between the male and female but I was very uneducated about this at that particular point in time and made a bad decision on getting a pup from them. I am going to try for a couple of more months and if I dont see a change for the good I might have to make the decision to put her down. At this point in time she seems to be ok and not stressed about it. She is very healthy and outgoing. She just has lost a lot of hair but other than that she is good. Thanks for all the info on the subject.

[hogaholicswife]

Good luck with the dip, hopefully it works for you as I wasnt impressed but they all respond different.  One thing I left out was my vet said you couldnt mix the Amitraz and Ivomec so be sure and check with your vet. 

Its def going to take some time and patience....it was months before I started seeing any results on this dog and over a year to get him to where he is now, I wanted to give up because I didnt think I could get his hair back.

Its stinks because the dog could wind up losing in the end out of some ones irresponsiblity.

Again, good luck.

[nogalus boy]

Yes you are very right. Thats why I hate to put her down because it is not her fault for the condition she has. I will just have to learn patience and try my best. I will definatly keep doctoring her with Ivomec but I was gonna try and see if the dip worked as well. Thanks for the advise.

[canitosmomma]

Bathe the dog with Ketochlor and then follow with a dip bath of Tactik. Do NOT rinse the Taktic off, let dry on the skin and hair. Repeat once a week for 4-6 weeks and see if that doesn't help. I have seen dogs with stubborn cases helped with this routine. Demodex (red mange) can in some cases be outgrown due to the fact that it is immune related. When the immune system fully matures, some dogs no longer have issues any longer. Hopefully this will help.