[Rachel Zugg]

Ok my mom's AB was diagnosed with demodex mange a while back. He was on antibiotics and all his spots went away. Now he has a big spot on top of his head and the vet we see wants to dip him. The thing is she says the dip could make him sick so now my mom won't even take him back!

She is so hard headed that she thinks if it is THAT bad then her next step will be just to put him Down! I AM NOT GOING TO LET HER DO THIS SO NO FLAMING........ She just doesn't know there are other options. This vet is usually very good but hasnt' recommended any other solution.

I read the sticky about Mange and wondered how I can get Ivermectin (I also copied it and emailed it to my mom). That seems like a much better route. I am willing to take him to the vet myself, but the dip sounds too dangerous. I don't want it to make him sick. She said there is a possibility that it might even kill him.... :shock:

What should I do?

 

[Rachel Zugg]

No suggestions? I guess I'm going to go see another vet. There is one about 30 miles from here. Maybe they have a better plan.

 

[bodazafa]

MAgs had dmange and we did the dips!! FOR MANY MANY WEEKS - two different rounds of them - but it worked!

 

[Rachel Zugg]

Was it Mitaban?

 

[bodazafa]

Was it Mitaban?

Yep - we did it at home though ourselves. The vet can do it for you - but its an extra charge, etc - so he showed us how to do it once and then we did it ourselves - it REEKS though!!!

 

[AnnaUCF]

I need to look into that...

 

[Rachel Zugg]

:lol: Not sure what route to go then..... if it didn't make her sick. Wonder why the vet told us it could make Riddick sick. He's not a puppy anymore. Hmmmmmmmm.

 

[bodazafa]

:lol: Not sure what route to go then..... if it didn't make her sick. Wonder why the vet told us it could make Riddick sick. He's not a puppy anymore. Hmmmmmmmm.

That is weird - Mags had it when she was only 3 months old - so she was a VERY little puppy! I know if she drink or lick the solution it can make them sick - you just have to be careful when you are washing them not let them drink it

 

[Tinkerbell]

Ivermectin is good stuff - you can usually find it at farm stores in the cattle section. It's actually used to kill parasites in cows/cattle. It is NOT FDA approved for use in dogs - so most vets wont be able to perscribe it (just reccomend it off the record) or get it for you - unless your vet also deals with large animals. It can be given orally or by a shot - your vet will be able to give you an idea on the best method and dosage.

Mitaban CAN be toxic. You need to dip the dog in it - and let it air dry - so you need to be sure your dog cannot lick it off. An E-collar (Elizabethan or "lamp shade") can help keep him from licking while he dries.

Do some research on Demodectic Mange as well as Mitaban and Ivermectin. There is a TON of info online - I know from experiance!

Good luck - and don't give up on this guy!

 

[Rachel Zugg]

He totally has my heart so no...... I won't give up on him. Plus he's only had two breakouts (this is the second) in over a year. Without dipping. I think I will look into the Ivermectin, since we are familiar with it on horses. I know a vet that might give me the dosage "off the record". I am taking him on as my responsibility til I can change my mother's mind. He is so healthy other than the mange so treating it should be no problem.

 

[augrad]

I've used ivermectin - Ivomec (name brand) and Ivercide (generic) - for mange, and did it with injections. It's not so bad, I promise. If you choose to go this route, look carefully at the bottle. Ivomec is a 1% solution and Ivercide is 10%. Just be sure to tell your vet which one you have.

This is where I get mine: http://www.lambriarvetsupply.com/sbsite.php

 

[AsianRedneck]

I did a post here a while back about it. Maybe someone needs to sticky it?

 

[Rachel Zugg]

Cool ....... I see if I can find it!

 

[Chico.Heidi]

My dog Chico got really sick from the mitaban dips. My vet wouldn't let us do them at home, she said it was very dangerous if done improperly.

She was able to get us Ivermectin and we gave it orally. It cleared up in about 5 weeks. We did the dips for 11 weeks before that with no results. I guess every dog is diferent but we had a good experience with the ivermectin.

If your mom is open to a more hollistic approach, there are several good books out that tell how to boost the dogs immune system through supplements and herbs. If my dog gets a flare up again, I'll try this route. It's much safer in my opinion.

 

[AsianRedneck]

Back when I was a kid, my dad used motor oil and it worked like a charm. We had a dog that had full blown mange. My dad scrapped off the dead skin and then bathed him in new motor oil then washed him up with water. The dog lived for 5 years after that. I know now a days everyone is against using it.

I know a lot of people haven't done this before or have done this primative type of treatments, but it worked for our dogs back then.

 

[AsianRedneck]

this is another home remedy

this is pretty tough, and it takes a while, but it works

1-coat the dog with a thick coat of petroleum jelly (Vaseline)
2-let that stay on him 12 hours
(the washing it off is the hard part)
the Vaseline will both smother the disease and moisturize the skin
3-before adding any water to the dog lather his Vaseline covered fur with dawn dish washing liquid, it will take a LOT and u can't use it around his eyes, he will just have to deal with a greasy head for a while
4-fill bath with warm water, a full box of baking soda & 1/2 cup of white vinegar per gallon of water used (you can estimate)
5-rinse and rinse and rinse....make sure the vinegar and baking soda solution gets all over the dog
6-drain the bath and rinse more, it will take a lot of water to get rid off all of the vaseline and dawn detergent

after doing this keep oil (baby oil or cocoa butter oil) on the dog for a couple of weeks
it will be close to impossible getting all of the vaseline out of the dog's fur, but it won't hurt him at all, it will help him...the vinegar is very important also, vinegar is a natural degreaser and it kills bacteria....the baking soda works like a scratch pad, a scrubbing agent that when you mix with vinegar and dishwashing liquid does wonders when cleaning

don't use regular doggy shampoo on him for a while either

you can do this as often as needed

when you use this you also won't have to worry about fleas or mites

 

[AsianRedneck]

basically you have to try to sufficate the mange or get rid of their food which is yeast.

Someone told me to use cattle dewormer called Ivermectin.

 

[Rachel Zugg]

Thank you for all the informaion! Since his mange is not severe, I think we are going to try some hollistic remedies and watch it carefully. If it worsens then we are going to try the Ivermectin. The mitaban dip just scares me, and it will be used as a last resort.