[The Boogie Man]

Originally Posted by Yorkiemom1

I did extensive research on this issue....and the severity of the disease process varies. Of course, the more involved the symptoms are, the more aggressive you must treat it. I had several articles that specifically pointed out it is NOT a genetic /hereditary issue, all dogs have this mite, and it is when the immune system is slow to develop or is immature that the mite takes over....... and the article also encourages a completely grain free diet. This article indicated a female that is suffering from this issue, can used for breeding if treated with strict diet control....treat her for a year and then she will be able to be used for breeding again with no problems for her or the puppies. Meds that boost the immune system, along with the grain free diet, for one year, will correct the issue in the breeding female and she will have litters that do not have the issue. I put this to test, as I did have a female that had a minor case of this.....she had 3 litters with no problems at all, then her 4th litter, out of 5 babies, she had 1 male that had the problem. While it was considered localized on the male puppy, it was significantly more involved than with the momma. We did the Ivermectin shots, I gave him Ivermectin by mouth along with immune booster herbs, and when the meds were stopped because the symptoms had disappeared, the rash returned. I converted both momma and (adult) baby to grain free diets and a year later, both were asymptomatic. I have not bred that female again....dont know if I will.....she was very expensive and has a fabulous pedigree. I was told by people that are experts in this, that the male could be used for stud because the mite is passed from the momma to each puppy.....males are not around the puppies to transmit the mite. The jury is still out as to whether I will breed the female......I hate to loose this great line and out of 17 puppies, she only had one that suffered from the issue.....and he is a gorgeous dog that would throw gorgeous babies. Since the issue is cured in both these dogs now, I have been reassured litters produced by either dog would be fine. I am still overly cautious....rather safe than sorry. (I will say I never did use the dip on either of these dogs.....I was cautioned about the toxic effects of that dip and advised to use it ONLY if the situation was deteriorating out of control.)

Hi! What immune boosters are you giving specifically? I also read an article that the ivermectin would only kill existing mites but would not prevent them. Im now looking for an immune system booster. Any suggestions on this? Also, I'm currently feeding him with Royal Canin for yorkies, would this be okay? What specific diet did you give to your yorkie with demodex?