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Demodectic Mange.

cassanova

cassanova

Sep 4, 2000
8,419
748
Florida
#1
My dog is fighting another bought of demodectic mange.

The first time we took her to the vet. He gave her antibiotics and some meds that kill the mites. So rather than taking her back to the vet, (because we can't afford it just yet) we're trying some stuff called Nu-Stock and a sulfur shampoo called Sulfa Med. The mange is not localized anymore and has definitely become generalized. We've gone through 2 tubes of the Nu-Stock and think she might be improving, but honestly, I'm not really sure. Her head seems to appear to have cleared up a bit.

If any of you out there have experience in successfully treating this type of mange, I'd really appreciate your input on what you used. I want to cure it as quickly as possible and am willing to use other products besides or in conjunction with the 2 we already have.

Thank you!
 
#4
Well all dogs (and most humans) have demodex mites living on them, so you'll never be rid of them 100%. It's both a good and a bad thing that your dog has demodectic mange, as the mites are harder to kill off, but not as serious as sarcoptic mange (which is much easier to treat).They generally only cause problems if the dog's immune system is weak, allowing them to overpopulate without being killed off by the dog. Does your dog have any other medical issues that you know of?
Treatment wise, I don't know about many of the commercial drugs, but from what I've researched there's other treatments that may help. Tea tree oil is particularly toxic to mites and other bugs, so people have had success in dabbing mangey spots with it to kill off the mite. You may have to dilute it slightly with other neutral oils, depending on how sensitive your dog is. I've gotten it on my skin before without any problems though, but some people and animals may react differently. If you use it sparingly enough it shouldn't cause problems, but do some research on it to find how best to use it for your specific dog. I've used tea tree and wintergreen oil in the past to treat honeybees for varroa mites, and other beekeepers use it with success as well. Wintergreen oil will actually compromise the mite's reproductive system, making them unable to reproduce (tea tree oil works in a similar way I believe), but wintergreen oil is more potent so I don't suggest using it on the skin.
If you do try tea tree oil, try to find it in a decent sized container, not those tiny dropper bottles. I have a half gallon of it that I found on an ebay store some years back. It was about 40 bucks for the thing, but that's a lot cheaper than a comparable amount in smaller bottles. You might be able to find some at health food stores in smaller sizes of maybe 12 oz or so, you'll have to look around. I'm sure amazon sells it too. If you're gonna try it, make sure it's pure oil and not shampoo or something diluted, as it may not work the same.
I hope this helps. If nothing else, you can use this treatment in conjunction with the other ones and hopefully your dog will overcome this.
 
#5
As far as I know, she has no other health issues. When we took her to the vet the first time for the mange she was also treated for tapeworm. The follow up visit she was looking 1000x better and received another set of vaccinations for Parvo, Distemper, etc.

The only thing she needs is a rabies shot now and they wouldn't give that to her because of her weakened immune system.

I'm going to try any other treatments in conjunction with what we're using now. All the research I've found so far is pointing towards sulfur type products.
 
#7
It could be that stress at some point happened to weaken her immune system. Is she still a young puppy?
Her immune system should get stronger over time if she's still only a puppy, so she'll eventually be able to fight off the mange with the help of the treatments you give her. Also, demodex mites tend to be light sensitive and will stay under the skin during the day. You can try applying any ointments at night when the mites migrate to the surface of the skin. I'm not sure if it'll make a huge difference, but it won't hurt to try and it may be more effective.
I've heard that lime sulfur dips are effective against demodex, and should be safe to use on puppies. I'm not sure where you can get the product, but look into it.
 
#8
Bett said:
It could be that stress at some point happened to weaken her immune system. Is she still a young puppy?
Her immune system should get stronger over time if she's still only a puppy, so she'll eventually be able to fight off the mange with the help of the treatments you give her. Also, demodex mites tend to be light sensitive and will stay under the skin during the day. You can try applying any ointments at night when the mites migrate to the surface of the skin. I'm not sure if it'll make a huge difference, but it won't hurt to try and it may be more effective.
I've heard that lime sulfur dips are effective against demodex, and should be safe to use on puppies. I'm not sure where you can get the product, but look into it.
Click to expand...

She's not old, but she's not that young anymore. I think she'll be a year old in April. I never knew that about the mites being light sensitive either, so I'll definitely try putting the Nu Stock on at night when I apply it again in another 3 days.
 

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