Member

Posts: 1387
From:Portland, Oregon US
Registered: Sep 2003

posted 01-31-2004 10:21 AM         

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The dog I transported last weekend has been to the vet and diagnosed with demodex mange, she had no contact with my animals but did with me and my truck so I went to look it up and do some reading. I found this article and thought I would pass it along, it was informative and easily understood.
Note the comment on how a dogs diet can make a big difference in how well they handle mange.
The second link is to the index page of the same site...offering information on lots of topics that I see asked about in this forum.
http://www.thepetcenter.com/exa/dem.html
http://www.thepetcenter.com/imtop/importanttopics.html

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Member

Posts: 275
From:My IQ is higher than yours, I guarantee it.
Registered: Dec 2003

posted 01-31-2004 04:58 PM         

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My chihuahua had demodex and it really was not a big deal at all. It isnt contagious....it only took one treatment (i was lucky) and since i worked at a vet...it was free. The hair grew back in really fast in the strange bumpy areas. And its not contagious..just made him look pimply.

Now if someone wouldnt mind sharing advice about how to make the hair grow back in faster after a long ringworm episode....that would be great =D

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Member

Posts: 1387
From:Portland, Oregon US
Registered: Sep 2003

posted 01-31-2004 05:22 PM         

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From what I read it is contagious...it's a mite. It did say that dogs who are in very good health are not likely to be effected. It also said "The specific antibodies that will defend against infestation of Demodex can be inherited and most dogs have those immune factors and are able to defend against Demodex. But some individuals have inherited a deficiency of those antibodies and just don't have the ability to fend off the mites. So the ability to resist the mites, or not resist, is inherited. The actual mites are not inherited."
I've never had to deal with it, and I hope since my dogs appear to be in great health that they won't develope clinical symptoms of it.

I wonder if they make a doggie Rogain???

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Posts: 275
From:My IQ is higher than yours, I guarantee it.
Registered: Dec 2003

posted 02-01-2004 01:38 PM         

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Scabies is the mite that is contagious. Demodex isnt passed from dog to dog but a mother can pass it to her pups..as well as the ability to fight them off or not. But if your dog has symptoms of it that show....no one else is going to want their dog near yours no matter what you say about it =P Anyways...thats just what I read. None of my other dogs or cats caught the mite and he rolls around with them. How they didnt catch the ringworm he had is beyond me.

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Registered: Mar 2003

posted 02-01-2004 10:05 PM         

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All dogs have the demodex mites on them, but the immune system comes into play in that dogs with weakened immune systems (whether due to stress, genetics, malnutrition, whatever) will not be able to fight off the mites. Dogs with a history of demo may have recurrances at any time if put under physical or mental stress. Many cases of localized (just a small patch or two) mange will actually clear up on their own as a pup matures and gets adequate nutrition, though generalized (all over) demo can be a sign of a weak immune system and usually requires extra help to fight off.

We had a foster JRTxpit pup here a few years ago with generalized demo, she ended up getting dips (BTW, those Mitaban dips are nasty stuff, many pups feel like crap for a bit after getting dipped, and I believe it's been shown to cause cancer for people who are continually exposed to it, like groomers, etc; so in cases where dips can be avoided, it's generally a good route to take), and within about a month, she was clearing up and getting her fur back. During that time, she and Goo would tear through the house roughousing and gnawing (playfully) all over each other, so if it was contagious, we would have known about it

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Member

Posts: 1387
From:Portland, Oregon US
Registered: Sep 2003

posted 02-02-2004 12:27 PM         

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This dog we transported only had one small patch at her neck, we thought it was from collar irritation. My dogs are in very good health(or appear to be), so I guess I just wait and see ...before reading the article I wasn't sure if I should dip them just in case or not, after reading it, I am thinking not. I was more freaked about the tick, I just ...ughhhhh,can't handle that!

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