Demodectic Mange - YorkieTalk.com Forums

Janel StPe · 02-02-2013, 06:48 AM

Hi everyone, I'm a newbie to this site! I just got my first Yorkie puppy Thurs my sweet little Mia!! When I picked her up from the breeder she said that she has cradle cap and was using baby oil on her. Thank goodness I took her to my vet the next AM, they did a skin scrape and she has démodectic mange! We were given Ivermectin and ketochlor shampoo! We started with oral meds yest, and will bathe her this AM, she is so miserable with the scratching it breaks my heart! I contacted the breeder and she then told me Mia was actually bred with her brothers laws dog!! And had been scratching for 7 weeks!! I am so disgusted with her obviously she didn't vet her!! I love my little Mia and will see to it that she gets the best treatment!! But I'm so angry!! I told her I paid 1200 for a "healthy" pup which she obviously is not and gold her that I wanted 400 back to cover her treatment needless to say I haven't heard back from her!! I'm grateful to have saved her and she will finally get the help she needs!! Anyway sorry about that rant!! Anyone else have this issue, how long before the itching will start to subside?? She seems so miserable!!

tjdmom · 02-02-2013, 07:23 AM

I had an older dog with a brief bought of demodetic mange. I never dipped her, put her on a raw diet and it cleared up. But hers was only a small path around her eye. My understanding is that all dogs have demodex mites and that when a dog's immune system is compromised, the mites which are normally in the hair follicle, become prolific and it becomes a problem. My understanding is that with a young puppy, it will be a life long problem. I am not a vet though so I would see if your vet agrees with this. I'm afraid this might be something you are battling with the rest of this puppies life. I also think that it may be hereditary in cases like yours but I could be wrong on that....I wish you luck....

Marhcarter · 02-02-2013, 07:28 AM

Poor Mia. She is lucky to have you for her new mommy. I would stay after the breeder. Did you have a contract? You might be able to take her to small claims court if she doesn't respond favorably. I have aboslutely no knowledge of what to expect with the demod. mange, but im sure others can help with that question. I can just say welcome to you and Mia, and you have found a fantastic source for yorkie answers in all these wonderful people I have met here.

tjdmom · 02-02-2013, 07:33 AM

I just wanted to add that this may be covered in your guarantee. Have you read through it? I'm assuming you do have a guarantee?

Maximo · 02-02-2013, 08:16 AM

Welcome to Yorkie Talk. Mia is very lucky to have such a good mom! I am glad she is in your loving care.

Keep pressing the breeder for a refund to help cover Mia's vet costs.

Best wishes to Mia and you.

Yorkiemom1 · 02-02-2013, 08:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tjdmom

I had an older dog with a brief bought of demodetic mange. I never dipped her, put her on a raw diet and it cleared up. But hers was only a small path around her eye. My understanding is that all dogs have demodex mites and that when a dog's immune system is compromised, the mites which are normally in the hair follicle, become prolific and it becomes a problem. My understanding is that with a young puppy, it will be a life long problem. I am not a vet though so I would see if your vet agrees with this. I'm afraid this might be something you are battling with the rest of this puppies life. I also think that it may be hereditary in cases like yours but I could be wrong on that....I wish you luck....

The mites are passed from mom to pups as they nurse. All dogs have the mites. As the immune system develops in the babies, the mites will go dormant and never surface...if the immune system in the pup is compromised, or slow to develop, the baby will be affected with the mange. When treating these babies, EVERY SINGLE MITE HAS TO BE KILLED OR THEY WILL MULTIPLY AND YOU WILL BE BACK AT SQUARE ONE! Because of that, treatment is a long process....Ivermectin given orally for as long as a year is not out of the question....the pup will be treated and then when it looks like it has cleared up, skin scrapings will be done to see if there are any live mites left, and if the skin scrapings come back clean, my vet will continue the Ivermectin drops for another 3 months, just to be certain every mite is dead. Do NOT ever use any kind of cortisone to fight this....cortisone will cause the rash/mites to explode and consume the dog! With regards to the breeding pair....for some reason, the babies immune systems are compromised....it could have been just one baby in the litter or it could have affected several. Maybe their immune system was just slow to develop. This has to be determined. Next, if it is determined this is indeed a problem with the immune system being compromised, as opposed to just lagging behind in developing, you have to determine if this is being thrown from the dam or the sire. If it is from the sire, you can not breed that male to THAT female again, as you KNOW there is an "incompatability" there......it is easier to just not breed that pair again, together or individually with another dog....it becomes a big deal if you have thousands of dollars invested in a breeder, and more desireable to pin point exactly who brought this into the mix. If you have a puppy with this, drugs/diet to build and fortify the immune system, plus the shampoos for the misery of the itching/rash, plus the oral Ivermectin, for a year or so, will probably correct the problem permanently. Remember, Ivermectin is the active ingredient in heartworm medicine, so you will NOT give heartworm meds on top of this Ivermectin, for as long as the pup is on it. My vet does NOT recommend dipping, as it has some really serious side effects and can be especially tough on Yorkies....I think she may consider it as a last ditch effort, but it is a really tough treatment.

Yorkiemom1 · 02-02-2013, 08:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marhcarter

Poor Mia. She is lucky to have you for her new mommy. I would stay after the breeder. Did you have a contract? You might be able to take her to small claims court if she doesn't respond favorably. I have aboslutely no knowledge of what to expect with the demod. mange, but im sure others can help with that question. I can just say welcome to you and Mia, and you have found a fantastic source for yorkie answers in all these wonderful people I have met here.

I am not sure any breeder has a health guarantee against this. THIS is when the terms "ethical, responsible, and integrity" come into play....if you are dealing with a breeder that possesses those qualities, she will stand by that puppy, and work with you for some kind of resoultion. I think this is more an ethical problem, as opposed to a legal problem....especially since all dogs have the mites and even extreme stress can cause the mites to surface.

Janel StPe · 02-02-2013, 09:25 AM

I appreciate all the info, exactly what my vet told me about treatment! I will look into supplements to assist her immune system! The breeder said that her dogs have never had this so I'm assuming its from her brother in laws male! Still not giving in to help with $ for treatment, but I'm not giving up either!! She obviously knew this poor pup was scratching and did nothing, so I'm thinking she's not very reputable or ethical for that matter!! Lesson learned! I should have asked more questions! When you say dipping are you talking about the medicated shampoo the vet gave me to use weekly or an actual dip? I actually just bathed her in it this AM and praying she gets relief!! Anyone know how long before the itching will subside?? I am so grateful to have found this site! And thank you all from the bottom of mine and Mia's hearts!!��

Yorkiemom1 · 02-02-2013, 09:41 AM

The dip is a prescription dip the vet will use...no it isnt what you did this am!! I will see if I can find the name of the dip....it escapes me at the moment...but it is a tough thing to do...

Janel StPe · 02-02-2013, 09:59 AM

That's ok, I'm not interested in dipping her I was just curious if you were referring to the shampoo!!

Yorkiemom1 · 02-02-2013, 10:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Janel StPe

That's ok, I'm not interested in dipping her I was just curious if you were referring to the shampoo!!

I wouldnt do that dip unless it was a desperate, last ditch effort...and the vet will do it....sounds like your vet is on top of this "disease" tho, and will be aware of the side effects it can produce, expecially in small dogs.

02-02-2013, 06:48 AM	#1
Janel StPe Donating Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Belle Chasse, La, USA Posts: 82	Demodectic Mange Hi everyone, I'm a newbie to this site! I just got my first Yorkie puppy Thurs my sweet little Mia!! When I picked her up from the breeder she said that she has cradle cap and was using baby oil on her. Thank goodness I took her to my vet the next AM, they did a skin scrape and she has démodectic mange! We were given Ivermectin and ketochlor shampoo! We started with oral meds yest, and will bathe her this AM, she is so miserable with the scratching it breaks my heart! I contacted the breeder and she then told me Mia was actually bred with her brothers laws dog!! And had been scratching for 7 weeks!! I am so disgusted with her obviously she didn't vet her!! I love my little Mia and will see to it that she gets the best treatment!! But I'm so angry!! I told her I paid 1200 for a "healthy" pup which she obviously is not and gold her that I wanted 400 back to cover her treatment needless to say I haven't heard back from her!! I'm grateful to have saved her and she will finally get the help she needs!! Anyway sorry about that rant!! Anyone else have this issue, how long before the itching will start to subside?? She seems so miserable!!

02-02-2013, 07:28 AM	#3
Marhcarter ♡Huey's Human♡ Donating Member Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Ringgold, Ga Posts: 3,333	Poor Mia. She is lucky to have you for her new mommy. I would stay after the breeder. Did you have a contract? You might be able to take her to small claims court if she doesn't respond favorably. I have aboslutely no knowledge of what to expect with the demod. mange, but im sure others can help with that question. I can just say welcome to you and Mia, and you have found a fantastic source for yorkie answers in all these wonderful people I have met here. __________________ Huey's mom, Marilyn :When a day starts & ends with puppy kisses, I can handle anything that comes in between!

02-02-2013, 08:16 AM	#5
Maximo ♥ Maximo and Teddy Donating Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 25,044	Welcome to Yorkie Talk. Mia is very lucky to have such a good mom! I am glad she is in your loving care. Keep pressing the breeder for a refund to help cover Mia's vet costs. Best wishes to Mia and you. __________________ Kristin, Max and Teddy

02-02-2013, 07:23 AM	#2
tjdmom Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: upstate ny Posts: 5,847	I had an older dog with a brief bought of demodetic mange. I never dipped her, put her on a raw diet and it cleared up. But hers was only a small path around her eye. My understanding is that all dogs have demodex mites and that when a dog's immune system is compromised, the mites which are normally in the hair follicle, become prolific and it becomes a problem. My understanding is that with a young puppy, it will be a life long problem. I am not a vet though so I would see if your vet agrees with this. I'm afraid this might be something you are battling with the rest of this puppies life. I also think that it may be hereditary in cases like yours but I could be wrong on that....I wish you luck....

02-02-2013, 07:33 AM	#4
tjdmom Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: upstate ny Posts: 5,847	I just wanted to add that this may be covered in your guarantee. Have you read through it? I'm assuming you do have a guarantee?

02-02-2013, 09:25 AM	#8
Janel StPe Donating Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Belle Chasse, La, USA Posts: 82	I appreciate all the info, exactly what my vet told me about treatment! I will look into supplements to assist her immune system! The breeder said that her dogs have never had this so I'm assuming its from her brother in laws male! Still not giving in to help with $ for treatment, but I'm not giving up either!! She obviously knew this poor pup was scratching and did nothing, so I'm thinking she's not very reputable or ethical for that matter!! Lesson learned! I should have asked more questions! When you say dipping are you talking about the medicated shampoo the vet gave me to use weekly or an actual dip? I actually just bathed her in it this AM and praying she gets relief!! Anyone know how long before the itching will subside?? I am so grateful to have found this site! And thank you all from the bottom of mine and Mia's hearts!!��

02-02-2013, 09:41 AM	#9
Yorkiemom1 Rosehill Yorkies Donating YT Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Houston Texas Posts: 9,462	The dip is a prescription dip the vet will use...no it isnt what you did this am!! I will see if I can find the name of the dip....it escapes me at the moment...but it is a tough thing to do...

02-02-2013, 09:59 AM	#10
Janel StPe Donating Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Belle Chasse, La, USA Posts: 82	That's ok, I'm not interested in dipping her I was just curious if you were referring to the shampoo!!