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Demodex treatment


Meg's mum
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I know that several of you have had to deal with Demodex. Meg has been diagnosed and has been prescribed Revolution. We have to wait for a negative heartworm test before we fill it so we're in waiting mode.

 

It was a strange sequence of events starting with a small red bump on her lower eyelid that we initally believed was due to a scuffle in doggiedaycare. Another conjunctivitis bout ensued along with an increase in the size of the bump AND what appeared to be a bit of solidified sap in the fear near the corner of the same eye.

 

When we got an appointment the new vet said that she had a tick (our ticks are the same color as her fur)! Removed the tick and gave us more drops and ointment for the conjunctivitis and the tick site in the middle of what the vet called a "granuloma". I assumed this was the small red patch that had developed around the tick injury and that she was speaking of a foreign body granuloma. This patch spread very slowly around her eye. I took her in to the vet and begged for an ad hoc appointment. This time they set her up for a general anesthesia to do a scrape and if necessary a biopsy.

 

The vet said that Meg was way to scared to do the scrape, hence the anesthesia and they wanted to be able to do a biopsy if the scrape was inconclusive. They did do the biopsy. Meg looks like she was in a prize fight. Five days later the results are clear. Demodex.

 

We were prescribed Revolution becuase this vet says that Ivermectin does not do well with BC's. We were also told that Demodex is very common in puppies before they reach about 18 months of age. Meg is supposedly otherwise healthy.

 

Does all of this sound ok?

 

I have this deep fear that if Meg has a compromised immune system as a result of something other than hormonal changes during her growth, that I am to blame for all the stress she is under. Correction for barking, being hounded to keep her from pooping and peeing in the house, the remodeling noises, moving her world around, changes in her patterns of socialization now that I'm home more, too much of me, my imaptience and my irritability....

 

Could I be the cause of her succumbing to the mites??????

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I am treating a rescue with Ivomec. But we weaned her on it pretty slowly. It is my understanding that there are essentialy two different kinds. One being what they call juvenile demodex that appears to be an occurance anywhere between 10 - 14 months. For the most part that seems to be not so tragic.

In my case this is an older dog and as bad as it sounds we had nothing to loose. There was no hair left and she had horrible skin problems as well. So the Ivomec was pretty much her only choice. She is now on a very hefty dose for her size because she would not respond to a lesser dose.

In her case I am 99.9% certain we were dealing with a compromised immunesystem due to a horrible amount of stress. She was on a cheap diet, other dogs constantly beat her up, the owner was a jerk, no fleatreatments at all and overall bad care. I know where she came from and none of her littermates has any issues. So again I feel that in her case it was due to stress.

But I could of course be wrong.

Try looking into the holistic approach as well. I read an article that put some of the blame on diet.

Hope that helps a bit

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How old is Meg? I'm told Demodex is not uncommon in adolescent dogs, due to the stress of the hormonal changes they undergo during that time.

 

I had a chow chow with demodex once. He came down with it right after I brought him to live with me, but he was also eight months old, so I chose to blame adolescence rather than the change of home. :rolleyes:

 

But I remember treating it topically. It sounds as though your vet prescribed something systemic?

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I am having a patch of hair loss on Fenn's face scraped today. I noticed it was missing the other evening. I am thinking Demodex due to the stress of being neutered/vaccinated, moving to Pensacola for almost 2 weeks, then being transported in 4 cars in 6 hours to me has his system in a tailspin.

 

If is is Demodex, I plan to wait it out. Research I have done indicates that in about 90% of cases it stays localized and clears on its own in about 3 months. If it becomes generalized I may rethink things. I am doing the scrape for confirmation, so I know what I am dealing with.

 

I have also seen some suggestions for Goodwinol (sp?) for treatment. I believe it is topical and somewhat like tea tree oil. Although studies cannot isolate whether recovery was due to this or just the spontaneous recovery that can occur.

 

I will update this evening once the results are

in.

 

BTW: I thought revolution was used to treat sarcoptic mange, not demodex..............

 

Lauren

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Guest TheRuffMuttGang

Lauren, glad you chose not to treat Fenn for the Demodex at this time.

 

And yes, you are correct that Revolution is for Sarcoptic mites, not Demodectic mites.

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OK, probably showing my age here, but it's been a long time since I had a dog with sarcops. What ever happened to dipping them in good old (poisonous) Paramite?

 

You know, I had a friend who was a groomer and dog handler back in those days, who never wore gloves when dipping dogs, like the label said to do. Her doctors thought she'd developed some rare blood disorder - but it turned out it was just the chemicals she'd absorbed through her skin making the tests results come out weird.

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Well, the skin scrape was inconclusive. She pulled some hairs from the suspicious areas and tried to scrape his cheek. He had a fit and she did not scrape very deep. She did not see any mites at all, but still suspects Demodex. She agreed with me to wait it out, although wanting me to try the Goodwinol. I told her I wanted to do more research on that before proceeding.

 

I am not sure if we are even dealing with Demodex at this point and plan to watch and wait.

 

Lauren

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Meg is 13 months old. The vet couldn't tell from scrape so she biopsied. I haven't challenged her on the question of Revolution. But several web resources seem to agree that Revolution for collies is indicated when the condition does not remit on its own. What I have read is that 80% of dogs self cure, 80% of those that are treated are cured, and 3% die from the cure.

 

It is a little moot since everyone I have tried to get the perscription filled from does not carry it.

 

I feel like I'm in the twighlight zone and no cares about my little girl. Arrrggghhh I wish I knew more about dogs. It is probably a really grey area in vet science and I am just going to have to wing it.

 

Hope Fenn recovers well and soon, and to the Houston rescue, I will keep her in my thoughts.

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Buddy has ongoing problems with demodex. This the second time he has lost most of his hair. We are treating with ivometin. It worked great the last time but it doesnt seem to be working as well this time around. In adult dogs, demodex is a symptom of some other underlying problem, but figuring out what that is can be a difficult task. I would suggest getting a second opinion from another vet. It doesnt seem like the one you are dealing with knows very much about it. If its the demodex thats causing the hair loss, it should be clearly visible on a skin scrape. All dogs have demodectic mites, but its when they multiply out of control that causes their hair to fall out.

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If it is a small area you can actually use Zit creme! The active ingredient is the same for the demodex creme from the vets that they use to also treat "benzol peroxide!" . My female BC developed demodex at about 5 yrs old. Started around the corners of her mouth and eyes. I boosted her immunity with vits. and used the zit creme.

Cindy

http://www.bordercollierescueont.com

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Lauren and Meg's Mum-

 

I also battled demodex with Jack. I have successfully treated it with no chemicals (Revolution or ivermectin), or poisonous dips (which my vet said he had never seen work, anyway).

 

As you know, it's an immune system problem. The best thing you can do is boost the dog's immune system. Stress brings it on, and if Fenn has it, probably his rehoming is the cause. With Meg, it could be anything, it's so hard to say. (but don't blame yourself, Meg's Mum!) Both dogs are young, with developing immune systems, still. I wouldn't be too worried about any other underlying cause right now. It can resolve itself with no treatment, but here's what I did with Jack:

 

Boost immune system with lots of rest, fresh air, good food and vitamins/supplements. I gave vitamins C, E and A, salmon oil and also zinc. I rotated through a couple of supplements: echinacea, pau d'arco, Modcare and colostrum. Avoid stressful things like surgeries and vaccines.

 

Jack's was generalized, which means it was all over, not just a patch or two. He got a bath with a benzoyl peroxide shampoo, followed by a rinse of diluted tea tree oil, several times a week. You can also use lemon juice. For the localized small patches, I've heard Goodwinol is good, also. Or you could use dilute tea tree oil.

 

Lauren, I agree with the wait and see approach with Fenn. Possibly you too, Meg's mum. As Maria said, demodex is easy to see on a scrape (per my vet). Definitely boost his immune system, but I wouldn't go any further than that until you know more.

 

Google "natural treatment of demodex mange" and you will find lots of good stuff out there.

 

Good luck, both of you! Please feel free to ask me any questions. I'm no expert, just been there.

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