Yorkiemom1 | 02-02-2013 08:36 AM | Quote:
Originally Posted by tjdmom
(Post 4123163)
I had an older dog with a brief bought of demodetic mange. I never dipped her, put her on a raw diet and it cleared up. But hers was only a small path around her eye. My understanding is that all dogs have demodex mites and that when a dog's immune system is compromised, the mites which are normally in the hair follicle, become prolific and it becomes a problem. My understanding is that with a young puppy, it will be a life long problem. I am not a vet though so I would see if your vet agrees with this. I'm afraid this might be something you are battling with the rest of this puppies life. I also think that it may be hereditary in cases like yours but I could be wrong on that....I wish you luck.... | The mites are passed from mom to pups as they nurse. All dogs have the mites. As the immune system develops in the babies, the mites will go dormant and never surface...if the immune system in the pup is compromised, or slow to develop, the baby will be affected with the mange. When treating these babies, EVERY SINGLE MITE HAS TO BE KILLED OR THEY WILL MULTIPLY AND YOU WILL BE BACK AT SQUARE ONE! Because of that, treatment is a long process....Ivermectin given orally for as long as a year is not out of the question....the pup will be treated and then when it looks like it has cleared up, skin scrapings will be done to see if there are any live mites left, and if the skin scrapings come back clean, my vet will continue the Ivermectin drops for another 3 months, just to be certain every mite is dead. Do NOT ever use any kind of cortisone to fight this....cortisone will cause the rash/mites to explode and consume the dog! With regards to the breeding pair....for some reason, the babies immune systems are compromised....it could have been just one baby in the litter or it could have affected several. Maybe their immune system was just slow to develop. This has to be determined. Next, if it is determined this is indeed a problem with the immune system being compromised, as opposed to just lagging behind in developing, you have to determine if this is being thrown from the dam or the sire. If it is from the sire, you can not breed that male to THAT female again, as you KNOW there is an "incompatability" there......it is easier to just not breed that pair again, together or individually with another dog....it becomes a big deal if you have thousands of dollars invested in a breeder, and more desireable to pin point exactly who brought this into the mix. If you have a puppy with this, drugs/diet to build and fortify the immune system, plus the shampoos for the misery of the itching/rash, plus the oral Ivermectin, for a year or so, will probably correct the problem permanently. Remember, Ivermectin is the active ingredient in heartworm medicine, so you will NOT give heartworm meds on top of this Ivermectin, for as long as the pup is on it. My vet does NOT recommend dipping, as it has some really serious side effects and can be especially tough on Yorkies....I think she may consider it as a last ditch effort, but it is a really tough treatment. |