demodex mange too... really????

[Hutchebs]

Sigh... went back to the vet Saturday morning as Hadley's puppy strangles bumps were not healing and now she was itching like crazy. Thank goodness our vet practice works like a clinic and does not take appts- it is all walk in. After a skin scrape we are adding "demodex mites" or "red mange" to her list of issues we have dealt with since we brought her home in April. So frustrated for her!!! She still has a lovely personality but, looks ever so gross! I am lucky she is still so tiny she can fit in my sink for her medicated baths. She is also on Ivermectin for at least 2 months. I just want to get her well so we can enjoy her beauty as a puppy! So hoping her hair loss isn't going to be permanent.

Anyone else come out the other side of this one?

[sugarskullz]

Poor baby!!! Hope she gets better real soon. What a lot for the poor little thing to go thru!

[pugtown]

Demodex!

This thread has pictures of my pup with mange. He was a sickly pup. Had mange and kennel cough when we first got him. Recovered from mange, then poked his eye, needed surgery, had mange again all in his first year of life! Now I just make sure I do everything I can to keep his immune system at it's best.

[GotPugs]

Boost immune system. A raw diet would be best at this point.

[Hutchebs]

Pugtown- thank you so much for the photos! Makes me feel a little better :) We have started lovingly referring her to "pimple head" and laughed but, I think deep down I was afraid she would always look so awful. Her hair loss and blisters are in very similar places to the hairloss on your pup. The only place left on her body not covered in rash is her back. So sad to rub my hand over her little head and it feels crunchy with crusty bloody bumps.

Next to consider diet to help. Right now she is still on the Royal Canine she came with. I just hadn't switched her out yet. Going to check out our options as she is low on that bag anyway.

[pugmummy]

Hi, I just got back from the vet with my two babies (Digby & Skoshi - brother and sister)...Digby too has the Demodectic mange! the vet said it's genetic, the pup gets it from the mum within the first 48 hours if the pup rubs his face against the skin of the mother, but it may not get expressed until later. So I've sent a message to the breeder...in case she's had other litters from the same set parents with similar problems. Got the ivermectin too. My babies will 6 months in four days. Skoshi has allergies...in the ears and on her hoo-haa...and acne on her face... :(

My mother wants me to return them both to the breeder and get two new puppies, because Digby has had other problems as well (umbilical hernia, an ulcer in his eye...) but I lost my boy Kithy in a house fire on the 14th of December and I've had my babies since they were eight-weeks old...I don't know what to do. I love them both very much and have grown very attached to them both. They were the only two pups in the litter. But I am concerned that Digby seems to have one problem after another.

Sorry, I know this was a thread about the mange and I've kind of gone off on a tangent. I just don't know what I should do.

Anyway, good luck to you and your little girl. Hope she gets better soon!

Cheers,
Michelle

[Tinker's mom]

Hope the meds work well! Check the raw diet info and supplements to boost her immune system.

[Hutchebs]

Pugmummy/ Michelle- I understand. I spent part of my morning trying to explain the hereditary component of this to the puppy store owner as well. He also was confused about isolated and generalized mange. And I am not sure he undertood that he should be concerned about selling puppies from this breeder again. He really tried to convince me that it was brought on by stress.
Although I have a written guarantee as well I won't take her back. Her breeder was most likely an Amish farmer and they would probably just euthanzize her. If we continue to struggle- Hadley had kennel cough as well- I will push for 1/2 of my purchase price back. But, I have until her birthday in February. btw- Hadley has a slight umbilical hernia too.

[Candice07]

My baby girl Evie had it too.

It's so common... she had head scrapings and was on liquid medicine and also antibiotics and medicated shampoo.

Its all cleared up now though, hope it is the same for you.

[pugmummy]

Hi Emily and Everyone,

I looked up on the Internet about immune system boosters for dogs and just like with humans, Echinacea can be administered to dogs too. So I'm going to try that for my Digby. I also spoke with my breeder and she too tried to convince me it was normal and due to stress from teething! She said that she has had other litters from Digby & Skoshi's parents without any issues though. Whatever, I am not going to return them to the breeder either. I also found a website with info and a recipe for making/feeding your dog a raw food diet.

Here are the two sites. The first one has the article about administering Echinacea and the second one is the raw food diet.

Did You Know You Can Give Your Dog Echinacea | Is Your Dog Overweight?

What are Dogs Designed to Eat? - Homemade Dog Food

I'm considering the raw diet thing. If I decide to do it, I'll post results here.

Hope your baby gets better soon.

Cheers,
Michelle