Red mange

Last Edited By Krjb Donovan
Last Updated: Mar 11, 2014 07:43 PM GMT

QuestionEdit

I have a catahoula puppy who was born about March? I don't really know because we rescued him. His previous owners abondon them (3 puppies) to starve. Since then the vet has diagnoised him with red mange. He tried the ivamication first. It almost killed him. He even got to the point of not being able to walk or stand. He was eating and drinking. The vet put him on an IV and watched him for about a week 24 hours aday. When we brought him home it took about another 2 weeks before he could get around good. It was almost like he had arthritis in his back legs. The vet gave him an antibotic and remindyl for pain. Now we are trying the dip. He is on 250mg of augmentin also and 50 mg of diphenhydramine twice daily. He has had his first treatment about a week ago. His hair is falling out. Is this common? Is their something else that I could be doing?

AnswerEdit

I don't really know what ivamication is. I know about ivermectin, if that is what you are referring to. If the vet gave him too much it could kill him. I wouldn't be going back to that vet as ivermectin has been around long enough that most all vets know how to use it properly.

The drug of choice due to lower cost that most vets use is a AMITRAZ dip called MITABAN. It has been argued that ivermectin shouldn't be used in any herding dog breed and I would assume that should probably extend to Catahoula's too. Even though they are a hound breed they are herders and so the problem could be in their genetic line.

There are other drug choices but they are costly. Here is a link to a page that is pretty thorough in the information.

http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_demodectic_mange.html

I used a preventic (Amitraz) collar on my dog when she was young as she had one spot of demodex on her neck. It killed the mange mites and she never got it again. She has been on Milbemycin oxime (Interseptor) ever since then so she is clear.

Your best bet cost wise is the Mitaban dip. We have used it for years and it has worked well for our clients. The antibiotics are good for any kind of secondary infections. Best luck to you.


QuestionEdit

My seven month old golden retriever puppy was diagnosed with demodicosis or Red Mange and we took him to the vet who gave us mitaban to do dips at home. He told us to shave our dog and sponge on the medicine after bathing. After doing some reading I am now seeing that Mitaban is extremely toxic and perhaps I should not be giving the dog these dips at all...rather, the vet's office should. I tried to get the vet to opt for ivermectin but he would not. I really do not want to clip my dog and so I gave him the dip and worked it into the skin myself and am noticing that the spots are spreading EVERYWHERE! It seems as if Mitaban is making it worse. Is this a normal situation or should I be more concerned? Should I change vets and try Ivermectin instead. Basically...which works better mitaban or ivermectin? Which is less harmful to me and my pet? (Please keep in mind I would prefer not to shave my dog if possible.)

AnswerEdit

Mitaban has an affinity for hairs so by shaving the dog, the hairs remaining in the follicle will have a higher concentration of the amitraz. It works well used once every 2 weeks for a minimum of 6 treatments. It is toxic, so wear gloves and do it in a well ventilated area. The dog should remain wet for at least 30 minutes before using an air blower to dry. NEver use towels that wipe off the insecticide. I personally would never send it home with an owner to do. I do treat these dogs with antibiotics because bacterial infection is common with demodex mites. That is what causes the most skin problems with mange. Ivermectin is not approved for dogs with demodex and it can be toxic as well.

QuestionEdit

We found out about 2 weeks ago our red heeler has red mange. She is taking antibiotics and has been dipped. She will be 1 year old this month and has 3 week old puppies. Our question is, what can we do about the scab like pieces on her coat? She has bare spots already but can we bathe her and comb they out? Or would that cause infection on the skin? She has also had a cortisone shot but she has started itching really bad again, is there anything we can give her o-t-c that would not harm the puppies? Please easy our minds. Thanks

AnswerEdit

With red mange, do not use cortisone at all. It wil make the mange spread. Dippings need to be done every two weeks for a minimum of 6 dippings to kill red mange. For the scabby areas, I wouild bathe the dog twice a week with benzoyl peroxide shampoo. Do not bathe for 3-4 days after the mange dips. YOur vet can also prescribe Ivermectinthat you can give orally to help treat the mange if you don't want to dip her with pups. I would also have her spayed because mange is often heritable.

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