Demodex

[mayahund]

I am also wondering a bit about how common demodex is in the bb?
Some say it's quite common but I haven't heard anything about it in Scandinavian until now.

Anyway, questions;
How is it treated in your countries?
What is the prognosis if your dog got it rather bad?
Does anybody know about the genetics involved? I know it's given to the puppy by its mother but does it demand 2 carriers of the gene?
Is it possible to test ones dog for this before breeding it if it hasn't showed any visible signs?
When does it normally show up? Age or situation/stress related?

Though I'd keep your minds of the x-mas hassle for a while and busy with this instead!

Thanks again for any input.
Ewa

[sandaharr]

Hi Ewa,haven't experienced this in any of my dogs,just an allergy to Soya protein,sorry.

[buliebuse]

Hi Ewa
Please can I be very ignorant, save myself sometime & ask what Demodex is please?
Ju

[mayahund]

Hi Ju!
I'm not entirely sure demodex is the same word for it in English but to explain it quite simple it's an inflammation to the hair follicle. The dog will loose it's coat in spots and if it's only just a few spots (here they say up to 5 spots) it's supposed to be treatable quite easily but if theres more or a lot the outcome could be lethal. It also itches like mad. The medicine given for this is also really expensive.

Ewa

[buliebuse]

Hi EWa
Thats interesting
Buse has just developed a spot under chin - but I think its due to change in washing powder, but shall keep an eye on her though.
Expensive - huh, I took Buse back to the vets again Friday to get Galastop & try to get her out of this everlasting phanthom = £ 79.24 ! Happy Christmas vets
Ju

[sandaharr]

Sorry,this is in the wrong posting-defo a closet blonde!!!!LOL.

Anyway,can't plug the lights in now,plug and cable in the bin!!
I was just a TAD frustrated!!

[countryboy]

The only demodex i've come across is the demodex mite.Usually referred to in this country anyway as mange.Is this what you mean or am i way off and just confusing the issue?
Can often effect the very young or old or weak.I've only seen it when i had my terrier and he would find some mange ridden fox.

Simon

[mayahund]

I'm not sure if demodex and mange are the same thing, unless you can get mange from different reasons. F.ex mange from fox travels from the fox to the dog by either meeting face to face or when the dog comes through places were the mange ridden fox has been laying.
Demodex is distributed from the bitch to the puppies when they're small. From what i also heard demodex is more common in the young or in the old/sick dogs.

I'm afraid I'm the one confusing the issue here, I'm sorry for my poor skills in vet. words in English. I really could do with an specialized dictionary! Better ask my vet if it's possible to get one.
Ewa

[sandaharr]

There is something called Demodectic mange,this could be what you are thinking of Ewa.

[Shaun Eric Ewing]

Demodex is the name of the mite that is the culprit behind Demodex mange. All dogs have the mite, it usually is no problem but typically in young dogs, the immune system cannot keep the mites in check and a population explosion causes an irritation that is so bad that the dogs litterally scratches its skin off allowing secondary infections by bacteria. This overloads the immunesystem even more and worsens the attack. Usually the problem is local on the dog but occaisionally it spreads and becomes dangerous.
Things to do:
Talk to your vet.
Find some ways of helping the dog keep the infection down. Stop it from scratching itself.
There is a deworming agent that boosts the immunesystem, There are also goat milks that have immune boosters in them.

We have never had this problem, but it may come so it is best to read up and prepare.

Regards
Shaun

[mayahund]

Thank you for helping explain Shaun.
Any tips on were to read up is welcome, even in danish - I kind of know this danish breeder that will help me translate the words I dont understand ;D

I heard this is quite common in the amstaff/pitbull breed and rather a problem. And now it came here.
Ewa

[Shaun Eric Ewing]

mayahund said:

Tips on were to read up is welcome.
Ewa

The Demodex mite is present on all dogs from all dog breeds, the problem is not the mite, it usually lives on the dog without any ill effects for the dog. The problem is with the dog´s immune system and many large dogs are longer in developing and maturing their immune systems than smaller dogs.

To get a larger array of different points of view (even vets have different opinions) you could just type "DEMODEX" or "Demodex mite" or Demodex mange" in the search bar (where you usually write a URL) on your "outlook express" or on any search engine. That should keep you busy a couple of days. ;D

Shaun

[gunny]

Shaun, I heard, that a female, that had problems with Demodex shouldn't be used for breeding. Is that correct? Or just a tale?

[Shaun Eric Ewing]

Any question about breeding dogs is a matter of personal choice, nobody has a breeding female that is perfect in every way, that means any breeder that breeds any female is compromising in some way. The simple truth is that the perfect female has not been born yet. If a female was perfect in every way but it suffered Demodex mange as a puppy, would it be improving the breed by not breeding this dog? What if her hips, elbows and temperament were fantastic? Some would argue that leaving such a dog out of a breeding program could damage a breed not improve it.

My personal point of view would be that Demodex mange would only be one of the factors worth considering before making a decision on whether to breed or not.

As always, the whole picture would be the determining factor ie would she improve or damage the race by breeding her.

Shaun

[bulieboerboels]

We have not had any experience of this occuring in any of our dogs so far but as you say Shaun it is better to read up and be prepared for it just in case.Thanks for the info.Regards Paul.

[temwani]

I've seen puppies with mange - border collies and a labrador with a skin allergy. The symptoms were very similar but the labrador's feet were the worst affected and the dog literally was trying to eat it's own feet to relieve the itching. It turned out to be a food reaction made worse by walking on salty sand. On a special diet with low additives and feet washed carefully after beach walks the dog recovered. All the medication and creams from the vet didn't resolve things because they were only treating the symptoms.

Pickle was tested for mange as a puppy because she had no hair when I got her - but that was because she had fleas and her owner had scrubbed her with a scrubbing brush to get rid of them. The vet talked me into the test for mange on the basis that my other dog would catch it. If I had realised I wouldn't have agreed because the skin scrapes mean't scraping away at the skin until it bled to get samples of all of the skin layers. She had to have an anesthetic and it turned out that I was right and the flea treatment and good food that I gave her cured her.

Now I am much quicker to trust my own judgement about a dog. When Honey came back to us the vet said she was fine and I was convinced she wasn't and it turned out that she had a urine infection!

I guess a litter with mange would all gradually develop the symptoms?

Regards Geri