Red mange in dogs

[freemotion]

Gotta tell you about something that happened.....the new dog we recently aquired came with a couple of scabs on his head. One would heal up, then another would takes it's place nearby. He had a big scab on the side of his snout that he would rip open by scratching it. He'd just been in the pound, in a home, then given to me since the lady who took him in couldn't walk him because....she is pathologically afraid of ..... dogs! So he had been under a lot of stress, and his immune system was not at peak.

I wasn't too worried. My vet said she always puts new clients on a great diet for three months before treating any chronic conditions, because they usually disappear on a correct diet. He was also very underweight and his coat felt dull and cottony. So 19 days into a good diet, and I had an appointment for a shave-down with the groomer so I could get to those sores and get ahead of them.

Then the crazy lady started up on us, demanding the dog back, accusing us of having him illegally and knowing it, tricking her, and saying we stole her dog and that she would be picking her dog up the next day. STRESS!!!!! Lots of tears in our house, and phone calls to our lawyer....on a holiday, too. We legally owned him and had the paperwork to prove it, but decided that she was way to freaky to deal with, and he was not abused by her, so we would give her back. Our lawyer laid out a plan to protect us from future claims against us if, for example, the dog should suddenly drop dead after she had him back for a week and she decides to sue us or something. We were in this process when she suddenly reversed her position and said we could have him.

Long story short, we still have him, but I found myself withdrawing from him emotionally during the two days that we decided to give him back. Poor doggy. His skin condition EXPLODED. When the groomer, a vet tech, came to groom my older poodle, I had her do the new guy's head for me, I managed the rest of his body. She said she was sure he had red mange, which lives in the soil and on dog's skin and is rarely a problem except in dogs under extreme stress or with very compromised immune systems. She said if we brought him to the vet, they would put him on steroids and antibiotics which would stress him more, and suggested I attempt to deal with it myself for a while first. Which I was doing nutritionally, and cleaning the boo-boos.

She suggested a certain shampoo (which I still can't find) but also told a story about a (Russian? Polish? Italian?) client who cured a little rescued dog of red mange by rubbing his body every night with olive oil. Then on this forum, Bee talked about mites in the hen's legs and dipping them in veg oil to smother them. Well. The boy has been getting massaged nightly with my own special massage oil.....grapeseed oil with lavender and tea tree essential oils and in only two days it is really clearing up! Amazing! He really needed to be clipped nice and short, because he really gets greasy other wise....but wow. You wouldn't believe the results. Such a simple thing.

My little sweetie-pie Biscuit.....

 

[big brown horse]

I wish I had known that 10 years ago when my stray St. Bernard arrived in our lives covered in scaly, red mange grossness. She had actually lost a ton of hair and looked like a greyhound with a St. Head, so skinny.

The "dips" that the vet gave her weekly were so stressful for her too. I think she hates the vet b/c of that weekly stress.

I am so glad the dog is yours now!!! Whew, I was worried about that whole situation. Poor little guy has been through a lot hasn't he? Sounds like he finally won the lottery!

 

[dragonlaurel]

I'm glad he's with you now. He needed somebody that was sane and caring in his life. The fact that you're a healer is a big bonus. Some brewers yeast might help the sweet boy too.

What kind of dog is he?
You need to take some pics when he's healed.

 

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The first week....Biscuit is the white cockerpoo (?) and Gunnar is the black miniature poodle.

 

[Farmfresh]

Oil bath work for most insect infestations ... even head lice in people! The reason is biological. Insects breath through holes in their skin called spiracles. The oil clogs these tiny holes and results in suffocation for the insect.

The main problem is in dealing with the oily animal. They are a gunky mess and can get everything they touch dirty! But the cure is cheap, safe and it works!

Some insects like burrowing mites may be harder to eradicate since they don't contact the oils as easily. Ivermectin is another treatment for insects that live on animal blood, like sucking lice.

 

[nop169]

It is great that the oil treatment worked well on your new pet... however "red" or demamdectic mange normally will not just go away for good. You were told correctly that the mites occur in nature & that stress/immune defiecity contributes to outbreaks but you need to understand that it is a immune defiecity of the specific animal affected. It WILL reoccur at some point & it is hereditary - so please do not breed the dog. Your other dog is safe as long as she/he is not predispositioned to it through heredity also.
The oils (or as many ole timers used motor oil & sulfer) smoothers the mites as stated by the previous poster. The mites on the dog will be killed but you cannot control the environment completely & your other dog may have the mites also but is not affected - but can lead to reinfection of the sensitive animal. So be ready to treat again when the localized spots return - thank goodness it is usually a localized spot - however some animals will develop nonlocalized (whole body) infections which compromises their system to a greater degree & is almost impossible to treat effectively. These animals will often develop a secondary bacterial infection in the skin layer & become systematic. These animals usually are not able to survive long term due to the systematic infection.
There are 2 types of effects & it is unknown as to why some dogs are localized & some become full blown. It is thought that it is the degree of immunity affected but as to why no one is sure. I would encourage you to do a few things.... 1) take him to your vet & request a skin scrape the next time he breaks out to insure it is demadectic mange & not sarcoptic or bacterial infection or fungal infection. 2) either talk to your vet or search the web (MERCK Vet Manual online has good info) about demadectic mange & its affects & 3) talk to your vet about the use of ivermectin to control outbreaks - it works well on localized outbreaks & is easier & cleaner than oiling the dog up every time. Ivermectin is also a pretty safe drug (as long as he is heartworm negative). There are dips available also & I have heard of a new drop (fleas/ticks & mites) that is coming out for this (similar to frontline).
I have rescued several with this affliction & had great results with the ivermectin. Seems more & more small breed dogs are afflicted with demadectic mange now - maybe from inbreeding? I have also had a few who became systematic regardless of all the treatments pursued. It is not pretty if it becomes unmanageable.
Good luck & I hope he continues to do well for you - hope this helps you decide of a long term solution for him - he is cute!

 

[freemotion]

Thanks for all the details....yes, I did extensive research online and am reasonably sure it is red mange and pretty close to 100% sure it is not sarcoptic mange.

I would definitely fall back on modern medicine if this treatment doesn't work.

I forgot to add in my list of stresses on the poor little doggie that he got neutered and was given a bazillion vaccinations and the usual antibiotics. So yet another huge stress on his immune system.

Yep, I understand he will probably always be predisposed. But without boiling all the dirt in my yard and everything in my house and my other pets I know he will be re-exposed. Now that I know what I am dealing with, I can act more quickly. This is only my second dog, so this is all new!

 

[claud]

My dog had systemic demodectic mange(is that what you are calling red mange?).
He had lost almost all his fur. We found out he had an underlying autoimmune disease.
Ivermectin is really easy to use - a syringe in his food everyday until he had 3 negative skin scrapings a month apart.
He's now treated for his autoimmune disease and has been mange-free for a couple years with a beautiful coat.
I think I'd definitely get it treated by a vet. They'd do a skin scraping and know for sure.

 

[Beekissed]

Free, you might have to patent that special oil! He looks great, BTW! Very beautiful coat and conditioning. I'm with ya on this one....homeopathic first and the hard stuff only if necessary.

 

[freemotion]

Guess it is time for an update on the Biscotti..... he is just gorgeous! Thanks for the suggestion, claud, but it is moot now.

A holistic vet I used to take my animals to told me she puts all new client's pets on a proper diet for at least three months, if a condition is not immediately life-threatening....and in three months, most concerns have resolved. So we decided to go this route with Biscotti.

He gets 3 raw chicken wings a day, raw eggs whenever there is a cracked one or when I feel like it...he got four a couple days ago, lucky dog! He gets a veggie puree twice a week, and daily snacks of raw milk and kefir. A bedtime snack of organic peanut butter with vitamins and antioxidants, too.

And he pre-washes the dishes after each of our meals!

Oh, and the red yeast problem is disappearing, too. He hardly has any brown stains under his eyes.

I've let him off-leash three times now, and he ran-ran-ran with joy for 30 minutes each time. What a happy little dog he is!