red mange?
Moderators: Pike Ridge Beagles, Aaron Bartlett
red mange?
i had a guy email that bought 3 pups from me and said that they seem to have red mange,,the pup i kept out of the litter looks fine,,where does it come from? and how do you cure it? would just a few of the pups get it ? any info would help,,,matt
Red mange is caused by a mite known as the demodectic mite, or "demodex" Interestingly, this mite is not contagious. All dogs have demodex, just like all humans carry mites. (yes, folks, we have little critters living on us, eating our dandruff and living in our eyelashes and such ALL THE TIME. 99.999% of the time they do NO DAMAGE.)
They only become a problem if the dog's immune system isn't quite up to par, as is common in very young dogs or very old dogs. There are treatments available, but the most important thing is to make sure the pups are kept warm, dry, CLEAN, and stress free, and are fed a good quality puppy food. All the above won't CURE demodex, but again, boosting the immune system can help the puppies fight off some of the large numbers. The problem with demodex is that they can cause irritation, causing the pups to itch and scratch, which can lead to skin infections. Then you have to boost the immune system, treat the demodex, AND cover with antibiotics to help heal up the scratches and infections...But those are only in advanced terrible cases.
How old are the pups? If they are very young, and if the demodex is in localized areas, I'd be tempted to just use some goodwinol ointment on them. If you can barely tell the pups have it, or if they aren't too itchy, you can wait it out to see if they outgrow it as their immune systems develop.
There are treatments available, but the age of the pups is most important, you really don't want to put anything harsh on them. Too strong of chemicals not labelled for use on pups can stress their little bodies even more. The more stress the on their immature immune systems, then the less the immune system can kick in and the worse the condition can get.
But as far as people getting demodex, well, we just don't get it. And you don't have to worry about other dogs getting it, as stated before ALL dogs have demodex. It isn't just the mite, it is the immune system of the individual dog.
But make sure it is demodex. Not sure if you have a microscope handy, but since I'm such a nerd (I was the kid in the science lab while everyone else did sports after school LOL) They look like little cigars under a microscope. If you look at them and they look like hamburgers, little round fat guys, then you've got sarcoptic mange, and that, my friend, is a nasty little booger. Demodex is more common than scabies in young pups. Usually if a pup gets scabies they got it from mom, and it does't sound like your mom dog has anything wrong. Correct?
They only become a problem if the dog's immune system isn't quite up to par, as is common in very young dogs or very old dogs. There are treatments available, but the most important thing is to make sure the pups are kept warm, dry, CLEAN, and stress free, and are fed a good quality puppy food. All the above won't CURE demodex, but again, boosting the immune system can help the puppies fight off some of the large numbers. The problem with demodex is that they can cause irritation, causing the pups to itch and scratch, which can lead to skin infections. Then you have to boost the immune system, treat the demodex, AND cover with antibiotics to help heal up the scratches and infections...But those are only in advanced terrible cases.
How old are the pups? If they are very young, and if the demodex is in localized areas, I'd be tempted to just use some goodwinol ointment on them. If you can barely tell the pups have it, or if they aren't too itchy, you can wait it out to see if they outgrow it as their immune systems develop.
There are treatments available, but the age of the pups is most important, you really don't want to put anything harsh on them. Too strong of chemicals not labelled for use on pups can stress their little bodies even more. The more stress the on their immature immune systems, then the less the immune system can kick in and the worse the condition can get.
But as far as people getting demodex, well, we just don't get it. And you don't have to worry about other dogs getting it, as stated before ALL dogs have demodex. It isn't just the mite, it is the immune system of the individual dog.
But make sure it is demodex. Not sure if you have a microscope handy, but since I'm such a nerd (I was the kid in the science lab while everyone else did sports after school LOL) They look like little cigars under a microscope. If you look at them and they look like hamburgers, little round fat guys, then you've got sarcoptic mange, and that, my friend, is a nasty little booger. Demodex is more common than scabies in young pups. Usually if a pup gets scabies they got it from mom, and it does't sound like your mom dog has anything wrong. Correct?
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ANTHONY KERR
- Posts: 1186
- Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2004 9:02 pm
- Location: Roxboro, North Carolina
RED MANGE
I HAD A SMALL LITTER OF 4 PUPS. 2 OF THE 4 HAD DEMODEX MANGE CONFIRMED BY A VET. I TREATED MINE ON HER ADVICE WITH IVOMEC LIQUID 1/10 CC ORALLY EVERY DAY FOR 28 DAYS. I WOULD HOLLOW OUT A HOTDOG WITH A STRAW AND INJECT IT IN AFTER FEEDING. IT CLEARED UP AND HAS NOT BEEN A PROBLEM SINCE. HE WAS LOSING HAIR UNDER HIS COLLAR AND ON HIS SIDES AND FEET FOR ABOUT A MONTH BEFORE I TOOK HIM TO THE VET. I TRIED DIPS, OINTMENTS,OLD HOME REMEDYS, AND INCANTATIONS TO NO AVAIL. HE WAS ABOUT 7 MONTHS WHEN THE SYMPTOMS SHOWED UP. HE IS ALMOST TWO YEARS OLD NOW. THE DOSAGE I AM QUOTING FROM MEMORY. I WILL CHECK AND REPOST LATER.