IPSY Posted November 19, 2009 Report Share Posted November 19, 2009 I'm home with the flu and cant keep away from the computer . This has been a ongoing conversation/argument on the homefront and I would like to know everybodys veiwpoint on this topic. Ok , here goes. My pup was diagnosed with demodectic mange and underwent treatment and it has worked beautifully. It is a compound of interferion and zinc methionine given orally . Fairly expensive but I felt it was the way to go to avoid the dips and other medications that warned dont inhale , get on skin or eyes but tell you to completely dip your dog in.... I also had the MDR1 test done , which does take weeks to get the result. But I didnt want to wait weeks because the hair loss was getting worse and I didnt want it to get out of hand . He was not affected by it , no scratching , but if he did start to scratch , I think it would have snowballed very quickly , so I opted to start treatment with a RX that was safe. I'm told this may not be something passed on to litters by infected parents ...and only one other pup was supposedly infected.. Dont all dogs have this and when their system is compromised it flares up ? And if parents do have flareups , its not such a good idea to breed them ? And if left alone , will it just take care of itself after its run its course ? And either localized or generalized demodectic mange has nothing to do with the parents , whether they have it or not ? Im not looking to nail anybody to the wall , just want to get info from others who have delt with this and what the outcome of their treatment or non treatment was ..And if they feel this is inherited . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted November 19, 2009 Report Share Posted November 19, 2009 There is a genetic component to the susceptibility to demodex. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PSmitty Posted November 19, 2009 Report Share Posted November 19, 2009 Dont all dogs have this and when their system is compromised it flares up ?And if parents do have flareups , its not such a good idea to breed them ? And if left alone , will it just take care of itself after its run its course ? And either localized or generalized demodectic mange has nothing to do with the parents , whether they have it or not ? Yes, all dogs have demodectic mites and it is only a problem when the immune system can't keep them under control. I am not sure about the inherited aspect of it, but if a dog had demodex (it never "goes away") that would mean they don't have a very strong immune system and that MIGHT be something that could be passed on? That is a guess on my part, I have no medical background behind me. In many cases, especially of localized demodex in young puppies, if left untreated, it will resolve itself. Not always, and especially not likely in cases with older dogs who might also have other underlying condition contributing to the stress that brings flare-ups on. Jack had demodex as a puppy when we adopted him. I did not use dips, chemicals or any "real" treatment. I chose to go a more natural path (immune boosters, good food, low stress) and he did fine. It wasn't a quick fix, but one I felt better about using. As an adult, I will very rarely see signs that he's having a flare-up (small hair loss around the eyes) and I just give him some immune boosters and ride it out. He's a healthy, happy dude! ETA: I see Julie had an answer about the inheritance aspect. I'm a slow typer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alchemist Posted November 19, 2009 Report Share Posted November 19, 2009 What I learned from a recent trip to the vet's when our 9-month-old pup came down with demodectic mange: All pups carry the mite; they pick it up from their mothers. In most cases it doesn't result in demodectic mange. Stress, or a stressed immune system, can cause pups to develop localized demodectic mange. It's not uncommon in pups, and as PSmitty says, in most (~ 90%) of cases, it resolves spontaneously. Lest you worry about whether you're doing something to stress out your dog, it can be something as simple as the stress induced by the hormones of puberty. That's why localized demodectic mange is most commonly seen in adolescent dogs. Occasionally it can progress from "localized" to "generalized". There is a genetic predisposition for this progression to occur. For that reason, vets will often ask you whether you plan to breed your dog before offering to treat localized demodectic mange. If the answer is "yes", they often will withhold treatment just to see whether it spreads. If it does, they will recommend you not breed your dog and then they will offer treatment. If it doesn't spread, then they don't see any reason to spay or neuter your dog. I would guess that either this implies that it's the "generalized" form of demodectic mange, not the localized form, for which there's a genetic predisposition, or else that vets view localized demodectic mange as analagous to acne in kids - unsightly but curable by time and not worth worrying overly about. (Actually I think my vet actually said that there might be a link between acne and mites similar to those that spread demodectic mange - a question we'll ask the dermatologist when my 13-year-old makes his first visit in a couple of weeks). A website I found useful is: http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_demodectic_mange.html (ps: I don't plan on breeding my pup, even if his demodectic mange remains localized and clears up without any form of treatment. I'll let my kids decide for themselves whether their acne disqualifies them from ever having children. Just as long as they don't engage in "breeding" before they're fiscally solvent!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IPSY Posted November 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 19, 2009 Yes, all dogs have demodectic mites and it is only a problem when the immune system can't keep them under control. I am not sure about the inherited aspect of it, but if a dog had demodex (it never "goes away") that would mean they don't have a very strong immune system and that MIGHT be something that could be passed on? That is a guess on my part, I have no medical background behind me. In many cases, especially of localized demodex in young puppies, if left untreated, it will resolve itself. Not always, and especially not likely in cases with older dogs who might also have other underlying condition contributing to the stress that brings flare-ups on. Jack had demodex as a puppy when we adopted him. I did not use dips, chemicals or any "real" treatment. I chose to go a more natural path (immune boosters, good food, low stress) and he did fine. It wasn't a quick fix, but one I felt better about using. As an adult, I will very rarely see signs that he's having a flare-up (small hair loss around the eyes) and I just give him some immune boosters and ride it out. He's a healthy, happy dude! ETA: I see Julie had an answer about the inheritance aspect. I'm a slow typer! Thanks for posting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IPSY Posted November 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 19, 2009 There is a genetic component to the susceptibility to demodex. J. Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IPSY Posted November 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 19, 2009 What I learned from a recent trip to the vet's when our 9-month-old pup came down with demodectic mange: All pups carry the mite; they pick it up from their mothers. In most cases it doesn't result in demodectic mange. Stress, or a stressed immune system, can cause pups to develop localized demodectic mange. It's not uncommon in pups, and as PSmitty says, in most (~ 90%) of cases, it resolves spontaneously. Lest you worry about whether you're doing something to stress out your dog, it can be something as simple as the stress induced by the hormones of puberty. That's why localized demodectic mange is most commonly seen in adolescent dogs. Occasionally it can progress from "localized" to "generalized". There is a genetic predisposition for this progression to occur. For that reason, vets will often ask you whether you plan to breed your dog before offering to treat localized demodectic mange. If the answer is "yes", they often will withhold treatment just to see whether it spreads. If it does, they will recommend you not breed your dog and then they will offer treatment. If it doesn't spread, then they don't see any reason to spay or neuter your dog. I would guess that either this implies that it's the "generalized" form of demodectic mange, not the localized form, for which there's a genetic predisposition, or else that vets view localized demodectic mange as analagous to acne in kids - unsightly but curable by time and not worth worrying overly about. (Actually I think my vet actually said that there might be a link between acne and mites similar to those that spread demodectic mange - a question we'll ask the dermatologist when my 13-year-old makes his first visit in a couple of weeks). A website I found useful is: http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_demodectic_mange.html (ps: I don't plan on breeding my pup, even if his demodectic mange remains localized and clears up without any form of treatment. I'll let my kids decide for themselves whether their acne disqualifies them from ever having children. Just as long as they don't engage in "breeding" before they're fiscally solvent!). Thank you , all this information is very helpful . Your explanation of generalized and localized is well written .. I will take a look at the website. Too funny about the kids .. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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