Demodectic Mange - again..please help!
 

Hello everyone, I am new here..so please forgive me if I am not doing this correctly.
My name is Tamara, and I have a female yorkie named Dakota (she turned a year old in january). I am writing this because I need some help with kota's demodex. Last november dakota got a terrible case of what my vet said was demodex. He said it was a bit unusual for her to have gotten it when she was that old, he said normally when dogs get it when they are very young. He gave her shots and oral antibiotics and we did four mitaban dip treatments, one dip every two weeks. By week eight/nine she seemed to be cleared up and the vet said hopefully that would be it. Unfortunately, she has it again, and it is worse than the first time. I was wondering if there is anything I can do at home, or anything to help keep her from getting this anymore? It kills me to see her like this. The first time she got it the vet said it was because her immune system was not strong enough to "fight" it off, he said every dog has the mites...she just wasn't able to fight off the infection due to an underlying "something". When I asked him what that "something" was and what to do to fix it he said it wasn't anything. :confused: I was thinking, when we (humans) have a weak immune system or are sick, we ca take vitamins, supplements...that sort of thing. So Wednesday I asked the "nurse" at the vet's office (when I came to pick kota up from her dip, the vet had gone into surgery) if there was something I could do, and she said no...I just had a dog that has demodex and MAYBE after a twelve week course of treatment (dips every two weeks) she might not get it again. But treatment is very expensive, and my husband and I don't have alot of money as I am still in school. And I am used to giving kota baths at least once a week. She tends to get a little "greasy", and the medicine for her ear infection doesn't help that. Oh yes, that is the other thing..she keeps getting ear infections, mainly in the one ear, the vet says it is both bacteria and yeast. But I clean her ears with wipes and q-tips after every bath!! Is there a treatment I can do at home that is as effective as the mitaban dips every two weeks at the vet? Is there anything I can give her to help clear this up and keep her from getting the demodex again?? :confused: Anything you might know or could suggest would be GREATLY appreciated. It kills me to see my baby like this. :(
Thank you,
tamara and dakota

Tamara Iam so sorry that you and Dakota have to go through all of this, I have no information to give you on this subject but if you do a search in the box at the top on your subject you will get some more info.:D

I don't know a lot about this, but I've provided some links for you. I hope they help!

Demodectic Mange-A Natural Treatment

Demodectic Mange

DEMODECTIC MANGE AND INEXPENSIVE TREATMENT
(this one talks about beagles, but I'm sure the treatment would be apt for any breed)

Oh no! :eek: I am sorry to hear this!

I had a Shih-tzu that we rescured several years ago that had demodex mites/mange. He was older (2 years old). After several different meds, the vet then tried the dips (which I recall seemed pretty potent and were only given so often). He then tried Ivermectin or something like that (it seemed it was used as some sort of cattle medication, at the time)...it was pretty potent as well. The side effects were rough....I remember that our little guy started having eye problems being on it and the vet swore that was not a side effect to the drug, but at his next check up, I told him that he was having troubles seeing and the vet confirmed that he was pretty much blinded. The poor little guy was so sick, (from this and various other issues), he didn't make it long.

BUT his cause was unique because he had other factors that were NOT on his side. I have known of a few people that have had this issue to deal w/ and the outcomes were all postitive.

I know you will be able to find a lot of support and help on here. Good luck!

You are getting great advice here. It sounds like 'she' is getting a bit of an extreme treatment, maybe you need to get a second opinion....

Is she spayed? If not, this may be why it came back again. :confused:

They can have demodex at any age, and usually when they are young it comes from their mother. My 10 yo. Yorkie rescue had demodex and had never been treated properly.
1. Have a full blood panel and check t-4 levels (low thyroid weakens the immune system)
2. I would advise against a dip and use oral Ivermectin treatment which may take 2-3 months to be effective. Personally, I believe dipping is dangerous to their urethra and testes.
3. Once a dog has demodex, they can never have cortisone treatments ie prednisone will activate the mites.
4. Your pet needs to be on optimum nutrition, stay current on vaccines, and be free of internal parasites (worms).
5. Bathing with an antibacterial shampoo is the first step in therapy. This loosens up scales, removes oily discharges, and decreases the secondary bacterial infection that is usually present.

Good luck and google demodex and read about this problem. Warmly, Deborah

What ever dog food you have her on, I'd strongly suggest you quit giving it to her and start her on real food. Your Vet. is right when he says her immune system is weak. Also ear infections can be caused by food allergy's.
She needs to get on some real food and a good supplement. I use Healthy Powder that's in Dr. Pitcairn's complete guide to NATURAL HEALTH FOR DOGS & CATS. I highly recommend this book.

Wow, thank all of you for your support. :) Yes, dakota is spayed. I use Banfield (inside of petsmart, so I have to use a vet there), my husband got us a pet healthcare plan, it is the only way we could afford all her vaccines, spaying, office visits, and what not. Recently a friend in the grooming salon suggested getting a second opinion from the female vet there I didn't even know she worked there. So this next week I am going to make an appointment to see her. I have taken notes from what you all have said and am armed with questions. :D I have decided not to continue with the dips, dakota has had some sort of reaction to it each time. I am worried about her. You could say I am one of "those moms" hehe. :rolleyes: What bothers me is Dr. Clemmer still gave her all her vaccines after finding out she had demodex again, they called and said that is what was wrong and they wanted to dip her..was that ok? I said yes because I didn't think he would give her the vaccines knowing how sensitive she is to them (she usually isn't herself for about two days, poor thing just lays there eyes half closed like in a daze), and how sensitive she is to the dips. She had all this done on wednesday and is still not herself. I am so glad I found this site, you don't know how comforting it is to have the support of others, and know I am not the only one going through this. Thank you all again, and if anyone has any other advice or information, it is still very much appreciate. Thank You All!
tamara and kota

p.s. About her food, I have been feeding her royal canin since for a little over a year, the vet recomended it, and she will eat it. I tried feeding her blue buffalo, but she wouldn't eat it. She is a bit of a picky eater. Any suggestions?

My collie had a bought with demodex mites as well. We just rode it out and it cleared up. Since then I have put her on a raw diet and it has made a world of difference. You do know that all dogs have demodex mites but that their immune system normally keeps them in check and that it's usually a sign that there is an immune problem? At least that's what my vet said. I would look into the raw diet as that is so good for their immune system. If you do some research, I wouldn't be surprised to find people may have had success with treating it that way.

Yes, that is the same thing my vet said, about the mites, and her immune system, thank you for the suggestion, I'll check into it.

I am right in there with you. Yodi has been battling demodectic mange for 3 months now. We're on our third month of doing ivermectin daily and a 10 minute benzoyle perozide bath once a week. Dr. Scorey said last month that we would do the dip if Yodi wasn't cleared of the mites, but when we went last week for his third ski scraping he did have one mite from the one spot he scraped and instead of resorting to the dip this time he upped the dosage from .05CC to .06CC daily of the ivermectin. So now we're doing that until we go back next month for our fourth skin scraping. I've now started researching this mitaban dip and it scares the hell out of me on my little 5 lb. guy. I have started rubbing in pure Vitamin E oil all over his body twice daily and I am going to start him on fish oil poured over his food tomorrow. Somewhere else I also read that sesame seed oil is good for immune function and skin repair. I'm just trying everything I can to keep from dipping! I feed him and my three other Merrick Milderness Blend dog food. You can find it at most natural/organic health food stores or specialty dog boutiques. They go nuts for it. I may start just him on the raw frozen food that Bone Appetit (our specialty bakery and boutique here) sells though. Merrick is a FABULOUS food, but I've been reading that the raw is really good for building up their immune systems so we'll see. I still have some research to do. I may start the Vitamin E internally instead of topically. I'm really not sure which is better. I just heard the Vitamin E was good for helping with their skin and i bought the topical oil since I wasn't sure what pills to get. I have found some sites saying that dogs have a hard time breaking down the gel capsules in their system so I'm guessing you would want to break them open and pour over food. We should get together and dicuss our strategies and how our babies are doing with them. Feel free to PM me!

A Natural Remedy
 

I just found this website while doing some research on demodectic mange and natural remedies/aids. This stuff is expensive (The pack for demodectic mange is $79.95), but I am seriously thinking about just biting the bullet and ordering it and trying it while still keeping him on ivermectin for the next month. I figure if it works I've saved a buttload of money. If not, well, at least I can rest easy knowing I tried before resulting to the toxic Mitaban dip.

PetsBestRX Mange Buster Pack for Demodectic Mange

Let me know what you think about it. I'm thinking I may order it tomorrow.

Another One I Found
 

Here is another remedy i found that I'm considering. The first one from PetsBestRX has so many testimonials that I'm tempted to go with that and they're the same price. This website has two options as well but I'd definately by the $80 package with the kelp powder and whatnot just b/c like I said earlier, I'll do EVERYTHING before that Mitaban dip.

Botanical Dog Demodectic Mange Treatment Pack

Let me know your thoughts on that one as well.

ANYONE is welcome to share their thoughts on these! It would be greatly appreciated by me and I'm sure by tamandkota!