Possible Manges in my dogs and ME!!! :(

[Divy Patel]

I am so pushed to the point of breaking into tears and my heart is breaking for my little babies!

I recently got a little brother for my yorkie Tigger. His name is Rocky and he has recently turned 5 months old.
When we just got him from the breeder we noticed him scratching his ears constantly. (Note that I had nagged the breeder and asked her a million questions about this pup and his health before we had any intention of getting him). So anyway, his ears were shaved and we thought it was just irritation, however, the scratching did not stop.
When it was time for his second injection, i brought up his itchy ears to the attention of our vet. He then told us that Rocky had an ear infection and R1000.00 later, we walked out with ear drops for him. The scratching seemed to get worse and even worse when my older baby Tigger had also started scratching uncontrollably.
My mind immediately went to fleas! I had started pouring flea powder on anything and everything they went on. I gave them baths in vinegar. Put more flea powder on themselves. Washed all their bedding and mine where they sleep. Nothing seemed to be working and the itching just got worse!

Then we had them checked and realised there was absolutely no sign of fleas and that it was probably itchy skin and the overuse of flea powder was just making their skin worse!
I started giving them a bath with baking soda water trying to relieve some of their itching and trying anything I can to help my poor suffering babies.
Now when I have nothing left to do but take them to the vet, oh lord its going to be one hell of a dent in my pocket, but I have tried everything and can no longer do anything for them that is going to be easy on the money side of things.
After checking both my babies, they are losing their fur all over the house, scratching until they crying and bleeding and my poor little Rocky has crusted ears and has started losing patches of hair around his eyes and on his ears
It breaks my heart to see them like this! After some research I have realised it could be Manges!
What more could go wrong? I now know what is wrong and can take them as soon as possible to get treated. Oh but wait! What I had thought to be bed bugs or a really bad heat rash on my stomach and back could also possibly be Manges from my dogs who sleep and cuddle with me in my bed! FANTASTIC!!!!

So much for Christmas cheer! Il be sitting at home with my dogs this new year spending no money coz I wont have any!

As long as my dogs are healthy and finally happy, I can spend everyday just sitting at home with my boys doing nothing!

Fingers crossed for fast healing for me and my little boys! xx

[gracielove]

At this point there is no sense in going to a vet that is only going to guess about the problem. There needs to be testing done. The skin needs to be scrapped and looked at under a microscope. There are tests that can be done to pinpoint exactly what is wrong.
If it is mange the breeder you bought your pup from owes you some money. Did the breeder offer you any help as far as treating the problem?
There are a few different types of mange and they need to identify which kind it is in order to treat it properly.
Find out where the nearest specialist is. Usually the veterinarian colleges have lots of different well trained specialists for the different body systems.
It may be an expense for you but at least you will find a solution instead of continuing the trial and error thing that has been building up the bill.
The flea powder could very well have made things worse by drying out the skin. Don't bother with the oatmeal shampoos or other things that claim to help dry skin or itchy skin. Oatmeal actually dries the skin more. Most of those shampoos don't really have much oatmeal in them anyway. It is just an advertising thing.
Find good all natural shampoo and conditioner that are free of sulfates and other chemicals. Your pups need the soothing of natural products that actually help bring back the natural ph and help let the skin start to heal once the offending substance is removed.
There are a few good brands out there. Personally, I use the Yorkie Splash and Shine products that have been wonderful for my pets. It is made by a small family company. Yorkie Splash and Shine
I found out about the YSS products here at Yorkie Talk. My groomer likes to use WEN on her long haired clients and that works wonderfully, too. It is a bit pricey so that treat is usually reserved for the once every 4 months trip to the salon.
Please keep us informed on how you and your babies are doing.

[Divy Patel]

Thank you very much! Have an early appointment tomorrow morning at the vet so hoping they find a solution! Apparently tea tree oil is very good for the skin? Definitely got a lot of questions for the vet so will keep you posted

[Mayzoo]

If it is mange, research your options for treating it. DO NOT just accept what the vet recommends at face value without research. One of our adopted babies had sarcoptic mange (contagious version).

The vet charged us about 200.00 a shot for a two shot treatment. I realized later the 50 ml multi-dose vial of meds she was using was about 40.00 and she used maybe 2-4 mls total. About 3 dollars worth of med, and 397.00 worth of labor.

Also, I found out promerus topical drops (flea meds) can be used to treat sarcoptic mange for tons less than what she charged. I already had that on hand.

Please, do your research.

[Lilah Charm]

Originally Posted by Mayzoo

If it is mange, research your options for treating it. DO NOT just accept what the vet recommends at face value without research. One of our adopted babies had sarcoptic mange (contagious version).

The vet charged us about 200.00 a shot for a two shot treatment. I realized later the 50 ml multi-dose vial of meds she was using was about 40.00 and she used maybe 2-4 mls total. About 3 dollars worth of med, and 397.00 worth of labor.

Also, I found out promerus topical drops (flea meds) can be used to treat sarcoptic mange for tons less than what she charged. I already had that on hand.

Please, do your research.

Be careful with dosage though. In our area at least, sarcoptic mange mites are often treated with ivermectin. It is a powerful medication and readily available at local feed stores but improper dosage can cause coma or death. Make sure if you substitute veterinary administration that you are super accurate with medication strength and dosage.

[Mayzoo]

Originally Posted by Lilah Charm

Be careful with dosage though. In our area at least, sarcoptic mange mites are often treated with ivermectin. It is a powerful medication and readily available at local feed stores but improper dosage can cause coma or death. Make sure if you substitute veterinary administration that you are super accurate with medication strength and dosage.

Sorry if I was unclear. I do not believe a lay person should be injecting ivermectin into small dogs due to it being in a very high dose per ml in the multi dose vial. The risk is not worth it IMO. One simple math error leads to a dead pup.

I would recommend supplying the med for your doc to reduce costs (if they will do this) or using another common and easy to get ahold method such as promeris. As I recall there were several methods to treating sarcoptic, but my vet did not inform me adequately of our options and the pup was in bad, bad shape (rescue pup near death from several conditions), so we had to make a quick decision.

I do not recommend treating mange without a vet, but I do recommend doing your research and knowing what your options are with any condition because your vet may not be looking out for your pocket book. With mange, you must first be certain what you are treating (sarcoptic or demodex) and then you can make a plan with your vet that fits first the pup and then your pocket book.

Good news is our rescue pup lived and is now a happy, healthy, productive 5.5 yr old Airdale terrier who loves his little brother Mario . Looking at him now, you would never know he was on deaths door for a month.

[Lilah Charm]

Originally Posted by Mayzoo

Sorry if I was unclear. I do not believe a lay person should be injecting ivermectin into small dogs due to it being in a very high dose per ml in the multi dose vial. The risk is not worth it IMO. One simple math error leads to a dead pup.

I would recommend supplying the med for your doc to reduce costs (if they will do this) or using another common and easy to get ahold method such as promeris. As I recall there were several methods to treating sarcoptic, but my vet did not inform me adequately of our options and the pup was in bad, bad shape (rescue pup near death from several conditions), so we had to make a quick decision.

I do not recommend treating mange without a vet, but I do recommend doing your research and knowing what your options are with any condition because your vet may not be looking out for your pocket book. With mange, you must first be certain what you are treating (sarcoptic or demodex) and then you can make a plan with your vet that fits first the pup and then your pocket book.

Good news is our rescue pup lived and is now a happy, healthy, productive 5.5 yr old Airdale terrier who loves his little brother Mario . Looking at him now, you would never know he was on deaths door for a month.

yeaah...I have a lot of people come into my store where I manage otc veterinary medications and I always recommend not using ivermectin on cats or dogs due to dosage discrepancies and medication strength differences. Most people choose to avoid the safety risk and see a vet, some do not. I have actually had people treating themselves with ivermectin which I never reccomend and one man who was self treating began experiencing symptoms of liver failure and hallucinations. Then he never came back. Ivermectin is serious stuff. Any who, that is a great idea seeing if your vet will give you options. Sometimes a local vet will instruct a customer to come to our store and buy medicine here, particularly if it is an ongoing issue.

So glad your little guy had a good ending may zoo

[Mayzoo]

Originally Posted by Lilah Charm

yeaah...I have a lot of people come into my store where I manage otc veterinary medications and I always recommend not using ivermectin on cats or dogs due to dosage discrepancies and medication strength differences. Most people choose to avoid the safety risk and see a vet, some do not. I have actually had people treating themselves with ivermectin which I never reccomend and one man who was self treating began experiencing symptoms of liver failure and hallucinations. Then he never came back. Ivermectin is serious stuff. Any who, that is a great idea seeing if your vet will give you options. Sometimes a local vet will instruct a customer to come to our store and buy medicine here, particularly if it is an ongoing issue.

So glad your little guy had a good ending may zoo

Yup, and what a pair these two terriers are. One almost 9lbs and the other 65lbs. Mario must want to see what Bailey would look like with pierced ears as right now he is incessantly chewing on Bailey's poor flopped over ears .

I worked pharmacy for 22 years, so I am very familiar with the pharmaceutical math related to dosing the ivermectin, but I still would not inject it into Mario. Way too little wiggle room, due to his small size, for error since it comes in such a high dose. I could be all but certain I was correct in my math, but death is permanent and I could not live with that error.

[Divy Patel]

Thank you all for your input! It was much appreciated!!

Good news though!!!!

Both Tigger and Rocky were taken to the vet last week thursday and Rocky was kept in for some testing. When we went to pick him up later in the day it was confirmed to be sarcoptic mange which Tigger and myself had caught from him! We were given a dip to give them a bath in once a week which I did as soon as I got home from the vet!
This really seemed to help my boys, they are scratching less and Rocky is more energetic and playful than I had seen in months! His crusted ears also seem to have gotten much better!

I am so relieved and soooo happy that my babies are doing well and that they are happy again! Also, we were pretty relieved that the trip to the vet did not cost too much, it was pretty reasonable considering how serious this was.

As for me, I was advised by the vet to get to a doctor or pharmacist immediately and tell them that I had gotten mange from my dogs. I too came home with some meds, just a dewormer for the nasty parasite and some allergex and cream for the rash and itchiness.

We also decided to start spraying some tea tree oil diluted in water all over our furniture and bedding and even a little on the boys.

All smiles and less stress before the new year!

Thank you once again and all the best for 2016!

Love from Divy and Tigger and Rocky

[Mayzoo]

Originally Posted by Divy Patel

Thank you all for your input! It was much appreciated!!

Good news though!!!!

Both Tigger and Rocky were taken to the vet last week thursday and Rocky was kept in for some testing. When we went to pick him up later in the day it was confirmed to be sarcoptic mange which Tigger and myself had caught from him! We were given a dip to give them a bath in once a week which I did as soon as I got home from the vet!
This really seemed to help my boys, they are scratching less and Rocky is more energetic and playful than I had seen in months! His crusted ears also seem to have gotten much better!

I am so relieved and soooo happy that my babies are doing well and that they are happy again! Also, we were pretty relieved that the trip to the vet did not cost too much, it was pretty reasonable considering how serious this was.

As for me, I was advised by the vet to get to a doctor or pharmacist immediately and tell them that I had gotten mange from my dogs. I too came home with some meds, just a dewormer for the nasty parasite and some allergex and cream for the rash and itchiness.

We also decided to start spraying some tea tree oil diluted in water all over our furniture and bedding and even a little on the boys.

All smiles and less stress before the new year!

Thank you once again and all the best for 2016!

Love from Divy and Tigger and Rocky

Thanks for the update. I would suggest you let the breeder know, even if you feel it will fall on deaf ears.

Glad everyone is on there way to better health and happiness!!

[4OC]

Breeder sounds like a puppy mill. To sell a dog that has any issues is IMHO NOT a breeder worth anything and should be reported to their local animal control agency. These dogs need to be rescued out of a horrible situation. If one puppy has mange THEY ALL have mange. Such a shame the breeder does not care about anything except money.

Am so happy to hear you 3 are doing better.

[Lilah Charm]

Yay for veterinary care! Yay for updates! Yay for babies and..er? Ma or pa? So glad everything went well and y'all are looking healthy and happy into the new year!

*and seriously, omg- get ahold of that breeder! Best outcome is that she is shocked, horrified, already taken care of it on her end and somehow lost your phone number and couldn't call to tell you but was just waiting for you to get ahold of her to reimburse you some money for your veterinary expenses!

[OwnedByJezebel]

Be very careful when using tree tea oil on your pup: A Vet's Guide To Life: Tea Tree Oil Toxicity

[JuliannaB]

So glad to hear of the happy ending. Such a worry when our babies are unwell
Learned something new - I didn't know that humans can get a certain type of mange
This forum has lots to offer and I'm glad that I'm a part of this community! T

[Divy Patel]

I was indeed very lucky and I definetly trust my vet with my babies they both seem to be doing so much better

My mom is so insistent on calling that breeder and giving her a piece of her mind but I was just too worried about my boys to care about her!