Question for breeders on Mange - Page 1

Asking for a friend:

Question for breeders and other knowledgeable persons on the subject of mange.

[[15 mos old female diagnosed with "Red Mange" aka Demotex. Vet told the owner it was hereditary and that the dam should be spayed immediately.

Stats:
Dam had - 3 litters - consisting of 9 pup first litter, 10 pups second litter and 4 pups third litter. No mange ever diagnosed. (Pupply questionairre sent to all puppy owners at 1 year of age, so no feedback on mange). Dams mother had 3 litters - 9 pups, 9, pups and 7 pups - no mange.

Vet told the owner the dog will need to be on medicine its entire life and if this medicine did not work the dog might need to be put down due to compromised immune system.

Dog lives on several acres - there are alot of foxes in the area.  I have heard it is it possible for dogs to get mange from exposure to foxes, is this true?  ]]

The breeder has NO problem spaying female if it is hereditary, however considering the age of the puppy and that no other pups from this female has had mange she questions the hereditary factor and would like to be sure before taking action.

Thank you,

Melanie

This is an area where the typical vet treatments have not worked for me. I get the same speach as your friend did and marginal results on the drugs given by the vet. It seems that all dogs are subject to this condition if their immune system is depressed. The treatment is usually to depress it further or put the dog on prendesone which does clear it up.

I've had better success with lasting results by feeding a better diet to enhance the immune system and simply let it do what it was doing up to this point. I have seen the results and have a formula that works. If you could e mail me, I'll send you the info when I get back from the sieger show.

Thank you Dog1...will do! 

The teatment options sounded rather grim to me, I thought he should see another vet...I am looking forward to hearing your alternate treatment methods. 

http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/gsd/bulletins_read/78870.html nicely cover here.

You should advise the owner to look into remidies that are not as caustic as the traditional prescriptions depending on how large of an area is affected-local vs. general. Sulfer based dips are smelly but not as harsh.

My neutered maltese breaks out every time one of my girls is in heat- he's been neutered for a while and still humps everything= stressing him causing an outbreak and mites taking over.

This dog did not contract mange from a fox. Demodectic mange is not contagious.  You may be thinking of sarcoptic mange or scabies. That is very contagious from one animal to another and will also bite  humans but will not live on humans.

All dogs have demodectic mites on their bodies; most  are able to fight them off so there are never any signs they are present. Some dogs will only have localized lesions, while others will get generalized demodex and secondary bacterial infections which are difficult to treat. With the use of ivermectin, the right antibiotic like keflex and, as Dog 1 said, a healthy diet, this dog should recover 100%. However, she might be subject to flare ups for her entire life so the treatment could be on-going. In this day and age it should not be necassary to put down most dogs because of demodex.

As far as spaying her dam, I think that's is too radical given this is the first of her progeny to have been diagnosed with demodex. Is this a generalized case where larger areas of the bady are involved or only a few small spots around the yes and/or on the muzzle? If generalized I'd not use this particular bitch for breeding; if localized  with only a few small spots and no secondary bacterial infection, I probably would if she's good quality. Generalize demodex indicates a dog with a compromised immune system, so using that dog for breeding is not a good idea and she will produce more of the same in her puppies. If you want to cure a dog with generalized demodex, you must be very aggressive and use something other than natural remedies; ivermectin is the drug of choice.

If this dog lives close to Cornell or another vet school, I'd suggest the owners contact them for a second opinion.

Hi Gsd fan,

You might call me a lurker. but with the mean unforgiving souls that frequent the site, I choose not to talk much. But this is something Over the Years I know about. Before your friend looses hope.  Have your friend get a product called Happy Jack  Mange Medicine. It is sulfer based as davinhoff decribed. You can find it at farm stores or tack shops and online  Happy Jack has a web site. Your friend will not want this smell in there home, so a kennel run may be needed. In about 4 days you will see new hair  growth. It is also good for hot spots. and make sure the bleach and clean and discard anything the dog comes into contact with. your friend should know also scabies are the same mites.so to be watchful if they have kids.     Chances

After trying this way and  it does't work then what these other folks have suggested   is a good line to follow. Chances

We have had alot of luck in the shelter by giving the dogs daily baths in Betadine to releive much of the irritation,  As Blitzen said treat with ivomec give Betadine baths to releive some of the infection and oozy itchy crud for about 3 to 4 days and you will see a vast improvement.

and Sarcoptic could have been transfered from foxes,  However my understanding is Demodectic is not a contageous condition but rather aquired,  though I have never heard of the heredity factor before reading this today....  I do know some breeds seem to be MORE suseptable Pit Bulls are the ones we see here the most with demodectic mange.

knocking on wood we have not yet seen a case of sarcoptic.

All dogs have demotex.! Like Dog1 said, stress or illness can trigger the demotex, or a low immune system. I have used Ivomec and gold bond powder. Apply using a cotton ball on the areas that need it and also apply the powder over the same areas. You can also give the ivomec orally , I am not sure of the dose used when you give orally, I know it is much higher then when you use Ivomec for heart worms.

I'd much rather deal with sarcoptic mange in 10 dags than generalized demodex in one.