Demodex Mange Treatment
I took Baxter to Banfield today for a skin scrape because I was worried about hair loss next to his nose. The test came out positive for Demodex mange, which is typically passed to pups through the mother. They explained to me that due to it being a genetic condition, it'll be a lifetime disease typically triggered by weakened immune systems especially since Baxter is still a pup.
They prescribed Mitiban dips for 6 weeks and it'll go as follows:
1. Dip once a week for 4 weeks followed by a skin scrape.
2. With a negative skin scrape, 2 additional dips.
3. With a positive skin scrape, 2 additional dips followed by a skin scrape.
* A 6 week course of treatment will be roughly $400.
I'm worried about the amount of chemicals he'll be absorbing during this treatment period and am thinking of getting a second opinion. Has anyone had similar experiences? They stressed the importance of quality food for his immune system; he's currently on Taste of the Wild Sierra Mountain. Dogfoodanalysis.com gave it a pretty decent rating. Should I be giving him daily vitamins to boost his immune system?
Thank you in advance for your help!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Aber, Ragnar and Kelso on
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Kelso just finished his course of treatment for demodectic mange about 3 weeks ago, right about the time he turned 1 year. He was on Mitaban and we had to hold off on his vaccinations (including rabies), flea and tick treatments, and neutering until everything was over with because the Mitaban is so awful and straining on their systems. I wasn't really happy about it, but he had a really bad case--most likely brought on by being a puppy with an immature immune system that was weakened by the then-undiscovered extensive mold problem in our house! The vet said that they get it from their mothers, yes, but that doesn't make it genetic. She passes the parasite that she carries naturally during nursing. The parasite lives on the dog's skin normally. It's only when a weak immune system comes into play that the mites are allowed to overgrow. So, the mother can pass on a genetic tendency to weaker immune systems. We were told to let the breeder know, but I really think Kelso's an anomaly.
He was on a scrape, dip, wait two weeks, dip, wait two weeks, scrape plan. It took 2 bottles, so 4 total treatments to clear him and the vet was very pleased with that. We dipped him one more time for good measure and still have half a bottle left just in case. For the record, each time he also had an ear infection and got meds for that too, and the treatment ended up costing us about $270 including the ear meds and the office visits.
I tried adding probiotics to his food to help boost his immune system. Vitamins are always good too, but probiotics will boost quicker. Yogurt (especially sheep or goat milk yogurt), kefir (even better than yogurt, but hard to find) or powdered are all good.
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Permalink Reply by Baxter on
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Quick update: I took Baxter to another vet with over 35 years of experience; the clinic came highly recommended. By this time, the redness to the small patch of skin around his nose had lessened and fur was already growing back. Yay! The vet recommended no treatment at this point and time since it was so localized and that Baxter's maturing immune system should help resolve it. I'm to closely monitor him for any future breakouts, but I'm going to side with the second opinion rather than the Mitiban dips, which appear a bit too much at this point and time.
Thanks fellow corgi lovers for all the support and wonderful information you've provided! Baxter sends his love.
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Permalink Reply by Donna and Lilly on
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That is completely awesome!!!!! Im so glad you went for the second opinion!!!
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I'm so happy to hear that he doesn't have to go through the Mitaban, hopefully ever. The vet scared us with it, but there didn't seem to be a lot of other options, so we went with it--he had a much more severe case, though, than Baxter. The good news was that, although she told us he would be lethargic and act ill for days after his bath, all he did was look sad in the tub. The minute he got out, he raced around like a creature possessed and was his usual self. So, knock wood, if Baxter ever does have to go through it, it seems that corgis are tough and relatively unphased by the whole experience.
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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on
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Wonderful news:)
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Permalink Reply by Ollie & Prie Misra on
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Ollie was just diagnosed with demodex today.. he has it around his mouth with darkened fur and a balding spot below his bottom lip about he size of a 1/2 dollar coin and a pea size spot on his forehead. We are on a treatment schedule of Promeris biweekly topical treatment for 3 months, and follow up skin scrapings ar 6 weeks out and 9 weeks out, and every 3 weeks thereafter until he has 2 clean scrapings in a row. I feel so bad for him and that I didn't see it sooner :(
Hope your Baxter is ok! Would love to hear how he's doing and how the healing process is going!
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Baxter is doing great; he's still very energetic and up to his usual antics. ^_^ Since we visited the second vet a couple of weeks ago, the fur started growing back in the affected area around his nose. There's still underlying redness that's pretty visible, and I'm monitoring the other side of his nose as well as the underside of his bottom lip because they appear to be "hotspots." We're not on any medication right now, just making sure he eats good nutritious kibble with some peanut butter and yogurt treats on the side once in a while of course.
The vet told us that he might have flare ups but not to worry too much unless unless it's moderate to severe. He said that episodes like that are normal until the immune system has matured (around 1.5 to 2 years). Baxter sends Ollie his love and wishes him a speedy recovery!
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