Demodectic Mange

I have a 6 month old Pug -Stella. She has a horrible case of Demodectic Mange. I took her to a friends friend who is a vet - he did a scraping and he confirmed it was Demodectic Mange. We were told to give her Invermectin but the paste only comes for large animals he said to 'rub a small' amount on a dog treat but I am not clear as to exactly how much or how often and he is now on holiday. He also said she didnt appear to be in pain and that it is very common but it sure looks painful and i am not sure whatelse I can do for her.
Please help!
Thanks

Hi and welcome to the forum! I don't have any experience with Demodectic mange, but I know a few people here do and will be able to give you some really good advice on what to do. It can be a process to treat it, but I when you put in the effort you can clear it up. You also need to get some good advice on managing it so it doesn't return.

Be patient and I know someone will chime in with really good advice. There are some great people on this board that can help with this condition. Just about every issue you can have with a Pug, you'll find at least ONE person here who has gone through it before!

The best of luck in treating it!

The paste is not the one you need for treating mange. The vet should have been able to give you a bottle of the liquid Ivermectin,with the exact measurements. The liquid is the injectible 1% solution for cattle and swine and it's given orally. PLEASE ask your vet how much to give. I have a chart,but I'm not a vet. And I stress on the exact dosage because you can end up casuing neurological problems,blindess and possibly death. I've seen it happen. Are you also dipping the pup? It's not recommended to dip toy breeds,esp. puppies.

Thanks,
Trish

Just to add to what Trish said, the dip for demodex is highly toxic to people (and animals) if administered incorrectly or ingested. No vet should be sending it home for the owner to do. Back home at the vet's where I work, we see a lot of pits, especially puppies, come in with demodex. My vets actually usually recommend dipping versus other treatments, so I don't have much experience with them. I would agree that paste Ivermectin is, to my knowledge, solely to treat intestinal parasites. Demodex is a mite that goes under the skin (but is not contagious via contact like Scabies).

It's unfortunate you aren't comfortable with how the vet left you. I know you said it's a friend of a friend, but don't be afraid to go to a different vet if you prefer.

Bubba had a severe case almost 11 years ago. He was on liquid ivermectin for 18 months before it was cleared. It has been a long time but I would have to bring him to the vet either weekly or every other week to be weighed to make sure the dosage was correct. He would also have to have skin scrapings, maybe monthly. Like I said, it has been a long time. My vet also had him on EFA's and Missing Link. He also had a special shampoo that would bubble the pustules (sort of like hydrogen peroxide does). I am sure others may have more current info to share.

You are dealing with medications which are necessary in this case but can be highly dangerous if not used properly.

For Stella's sake, don't fear upsetting your friend's friend, just find another vet who will oversee the treatment properly!

Edited to add: it is also a great idea to boost her immune system (Missing Link has already been mentioned), getting a good amount of anti-oxidants into her diet can also help immensely. You might like to consider enriching her diet.

Puggered wrote:You are dealing with medications which are necessary in this case but can be highly dangerous if not used properly.

For Stella's sake, don't fear upsetting your friend's friend, just find another vet who will oversee the treatment properly!

Edited to add: it is also a great idea to boost her immune system (Missing Link has already been mentioned), getting a good amount of anti-oxidants into her diet can also help immensely. You might like to consider enriching her diet.

yes, I forgot that Bubba did have an anti-oxidant powder on his food. I forget the name of it, but I did get it from the vet.

First of all, I am so sorry that you and Stella are going through this. Second, I'd like to echo what everyone else said about finding a new vet. You need someone you trust to get you through this often long treatment. Third, when my Golden Einstein had it a few years ago he was treated with the dips but we also added Bovine Colostrum to his food to help boost his immune system.

Good luck and I hope Stella is on the road to recovery very soon!

My puppy, Sue-Shi had mange pretty bad as a puppy. I was afraid to try the dips and Ivermectin as I had heard they could cause problems. The rescue I volunteer for suggested we try Promeris, which is labeled for use as a flea and tick preventative. It worked wonders and she cleared up very quickly and now has the shiniest, softest fur. I ordered it from EntirelyPets.com. I applied one dose every 2-3 weeks and gave her 4 doses total. It really worked great and she had no side effects.

My youngest pug, Emma, got mange after her spay. It's very common in puppies and we too used the Ivermectin. I would highly suggest staying away from doing any dips. Too me, anything that you have to use gloves and a mask to apply to your dog, surely can't be healthy for the dog. I don't remember the dosage of Ivermectin we gave her but I do remember doing it twice a day on her food and it took about 2 months to clear up. I ditto what everyone else said and visit a vet that can give you the right dosage so you can get it cleared up. Good luck and welcome to the board.

Oh the joys of demodex. I have had several dogs with it--from severe (looked like a burn victim) to mild. We have treated it with the oral ivermectin with great success. And definitely immune boost as demodex is a result of a not fully functioning immune system--which is why it's most often seen in puppies. There are a bunch of good products out there.

The dips are absolutely archaic and extremely toxic. I wouldn't ever use them. Having said that, ALL the treatments for demodex are somewhat toxic and some dogs will have reactions to various ones. I've not had a reaction to Ivermectin so far, but no guarantee it couldn't happen. I have seen several dogs treated with Advantage Multi--which was uniformly unsuccessful. My one foster who did look like a burn victim had been on the Advantage Multi for months with no success and we used Ivermectin on him. I also used medicated baths as his skin was in horrific condition and I applied an essential oil combination to promote healing.

GOOD food is essential.

I am a huge fan of Promeris. I have had two bad cases of mange with fosters. Hank was the worst (see burn victim) and he was treated every two weeks for two months and then two more once a month. I got him in begining of Oct and he was mite free by Xmas. I also add Midding Link to the food to aid with the immune system. It looks bad, but it's cureable.

You guys are fricken AWESOME!
We stayed on the paste and it looks like she is back to normal! Thanks for all of your info and concern! It is very much appreciated!

StellasMama wrote:You guys are fricken AWESOME!
We stayed on the paste and it looks like she is back to normal! Thanks for all of your info and concern! It is very much appreciated!

that's great news! thanks for popping back in to update us.

That's great news!