[Dozier]

I am a 'loyal lurker' of this site - never posted - but need some advice!
Our 50 lb. EB of 7 months has been diagnosed with demodex mange. Basically, he has had minimal skin problems for the last few months...initially thought to be pyoderma. Over the weekend, I noticed that 3 of his 'toenail quiks' appeared to be extremely irritated and there were some welts on the fur area of his paws (sorry...not familiar with the technical terms). A skin scraping discovered mites and we left the vet's office with Clindami and an oral gel called 'Quest' (moxidectin - for horses?). Of course we are only giving a MINIMAL dosage of the gel. Today, I noticed that the condition appears to have worsened overnight and not only are the initially irritated toe nail areas raw but the irritation has spread up his forearms and appears to be 'wet' or discharging. The vet has advised this is normal - the condition will worsen before it gets better - but has asked me to swing by to pick up some steroids! I realize mange is a serious condition but all of this medicine CAN NOT be good for Dozier - can it?! He is not scratching abnormally or chewing...doesn't appear to be in any discomfort but I am just really curious. His diet consists of Royal Canin puppy supplemented with fish oil and yogurt occationally...according to the vet he is too young to have developed any allerigies.

I was inclined to trust this vet as he has a reputation in this state for working on the UGA mascots (EB's). I am starting to wonder if I am too trusting and should I seek out a 2nd opinion or is this typical for a diagnosis of demonex mange?

 

[Chico.Heidi]

Lots of us on here have been through the mange battle. I've never heard of the medications that your vet gave you but I'm really no expert. I will say though that mange is really hard to get rid of. And in most cases, it does appear to get worse before it gets better. The only thing that worked for my dog was Ivermectin. It's a wormer for livestock and some vets are uncomfortable prescribing it. I would definilty think it would be safer than steroids though. I never give Chico steroids because I was told by my vet that it could cause a flare up of mange. We did the Mitaban dips as well but they didn't seem to work as well as the Ivermectin. I would get a second opinion if you are doubting the doctor though, I've learned to trust my instincts on that because some vets are quick to prescribe things just to make a buck. I'm not accusing anyone, that's just been my experience with a vet that I went to.

Since your dogs' immune system is comprimised, it would be a good idea to get him on some supplements. I keep my dog on an immune boosting supplement all the time. He has a poor immune system and has several health problems because of it. If you can get some help for their system while they are still developing, you can prevent many of these problems from surfacing. You can PM me if you need any advice on supplements.

 

[hawaii3721]

Dermadectic Mange

We had to battle the dermadectic mange also. Our vet prescribed Ivermectin and it took about 4 months for it to clear everything up. My dog didn't even have it very bad, only 2 small spots but it is really hard to kill. I wouldn't use the steroids though. You might want to get a second opinion from another vet.

 

[solidstaffs]

Hi, sorry to hear he's not weel and welcome to the board.

I personally wouldn't entertain the idea of giving my dog steroids, but each to their own and we all do things differently.

I dont know where in the world you are but here in the UK there is something called "ADVOCATE" it seems to be very good at treating Demodex and also treats a number of other things aswell. It can only be brought with a prescription here. I use it once a month every month on Floyd. :wink:

Here is a link
http://www.bayeranimal.com.au/AdvocateDog.htm

 

[heartrn]

Benadryl?

Hi! I'm not at all an expert on this, but I know steriods are immunosuppressants for humans. Assuming that is also the case for dogs, why would you want to give that to a dog that already has a messed up immune system? I could be completely off the mark here, so if anyone has any knowledge on this, I'd love to hear it. My dog is also battling demodex, and we've been using Benadryl for the irritation factor, which is probably why the vet is prescribing the steroids. Tugg is 7mos old now, and we were told we could give 25mg a couple times a day as needed.

Good luck with your baby!

 

[angie7349]

Are you in Athens? If so, call the college and ask them to recommend you some one. I live in Roswell but I had a friend that a problem with a Mastiff and hips. He had to drive him all the way up there but his dog got top notice care. I would call the school and talk to one of the professors/doctors they will know how to help you, you probably find them via email as well.
http://www.vet.uga.edu/

 

[msvette2u]

I'm surprised the vet would give you an oral horse wormer. Although it would WORK since it's an 'ectin' like Ivermectin. But usually vets don't prescribe meds "off label" which is what you'd be using if it is a horse paste!
Anyway--- Steroids shouldn't be used in Demodex at ALL.For the reason everyone else mentioned, the last thing your dog needs is an immunosuppressant!
Ivermectin is usually used and can be given orally. But I have a hunch the Moxidectin would work fine (but who knows!?)
The clindi- is an antibiotic to counteract possible infection.
I think I'd go to a different vet, if I were you...the steroid and the off-label use of Moxidectin make me nervous...

 

[Chrisnjen]

I know my vet is adamant that neither of my dogs be given any steroids of any kind unless it's absolutely necessary.

All dogs carry demodex mites all the time, but their immune system is normally able to keep the mites in check. Exceptions to that are in dogs with compromised immune systems stemming from any number of factors - too young, too old, sick, stress, etc. In this case, since your dog is young, usually the irritation will stop with age and a stronger immune system.

Maddi had demodectic mange pretty badly when we first got her. Our vet dunked her in Mitoban every two weeks for six weeks and it cleared up and has never come back. Others haven't had as much luck with Mitoban and have gone with the Ivermetwhatever. It depends on your dog, but if it were me I would insist that your vet try other avenues of treatment before giving any steroids. If he doesnt' want to accomodate your request, I think I'd be out vet shopping.