Demodectic Mites & secondary infection

[Dougie]

We have a 7 month old french bulldog puppy named Dougie. We recently found out he has Demodectic mange. We have been to the vet so many times and really don't know what to do next. He has been on numerous antibiotics and a special shampoo to kill the mites. He started out with a few small red pimple-looking spots and they progressively spread and got worse. They are now turning a blackish colour. We are worried sick. The vet keeps changing his meds in the hopes that they will clear up. Has anyone experienced anything like this or does anyone have any idea what to do. We are worried sick about our little guy.

 

[Jakeyjake]

Stella had a secondary infection one time and the antibiotics did not work so the vet did a scraping. There was only one antibiotic that would help cure the infection. I can't remember the name of it, but it is toxic to humans and we had to wear gloves to handle the pills. Looks similar to the staph infection Stella had. Poor baby. I hope he feels better soon. If this has been going on for quite some time, perhaps you should take him to a dermatologist for a second opinion.

 

[hannah]

Awe Poor little guy

I agree with above, maybe a specialist would be better than more unsolved trips to the vet? Can your vet refer you to one?

 

[KimB3384]

Hi [MENTION=1619]Dougie[/MENTION]! Bisou hasn't had mange (thank goodness) but she's had a ton of other skin conditions, and I've really had a lot of luck with treatments suggested by Dr. Becker. She really tries to go the natural route whenever possible. Check out her post on mange here: Diagnosing Mange in Dogs | Demodectic Mange Types and Symptoms.

Since the biggest culprit is an underlying unhealthy immune system, I'd make sure you get some probiotics into Dougie ASAP. The problem is going to be with the antibiotics. They wipe out all of the good gut bacteria your dog's stomach will generate, so if there's any way you can possibly get him off of them it would be better for him. Plain kefir is a great addition to your guy's diet, even without mange. I'd also look at getting a product called Bene-bac. That stuff is gold. GOLD, I tell ya! It's a probiotic powder that you add to your dog's food. Initially you do it every other day and then you gradually shift to once a week.

I'd also recommend this product: SynergyLabs Veterinary Formula Clinical Care Antiseptic & Antifungal Spray for Dogs and Cats. I could not survive without it. It smells nice, makes their fur soft, and kills any fungus on the skin. You said you were given a medicated shampoo, right? What was it?

Food grade diatomaceous earth might also be of benefit here. A dusting on the skin and bedding kills pests pretty quickly. I've heard good things about its effectivess on mites.

What kind of diet are you feeding Dougie?

 

[Cbrugs]

Sorry you are going through this. Are you positive it's mange? I ask because Jax has a food allergy to turkey. When I fed him turkey he got bumps all over his underside and they turned black. I agree with trying some of the things that [MENTION=380]KimB3384[/MENTION] mentions as well as possibly going to a dermatologist or different vet for a second opinion.

 

[Dougie]

Thank you so much for your response. We are feeding Dougie Fromm Gold Puppy Food which has duck, chicken, lamb, whole eggs, and cheese. He loves his food, but who knows if it is the right food for him. I am going to get the plain Kefir yogurt. How much of the yogurt should we feed him? Our vet definitely said he has a compromised immune system and therefore that is why he was unable to fight off the mites. Thank you so much for all your information and the post by Dr. Becker. We are definitely going to try Bene-bac and also the Antifungal Spray.

 

[2bullymama]

Thank you so much for your response. We are feeding Dougie Fromm Gold Puppy Food which has duck, chicken, lamb, whole eggs, and cheese. He loves his food, but who knows if it is the right food for him. I am going to get the plain Kefir yogurt. How much of the yogurt should we feed him? Our vet definitely said he has a compromised immune system and therefore that is why he was unable to fight off the mites. Thank you so much for all your information and the post by Dr. Becker. We are definitely going to try Bene-bac and also the Antifungal Spray.

A good teaspoon of keiter or plain yogurt

 

[KimB3384]

Look, I'm not a vet. I don't play one on TV and I haven't stayed at a Holiday Inn Express (is that a national campaign? If not, that's going to seem like a really odd comment), but I do know that for the better part of our first year I constantly battled skin issues and spent a fortune at the vet's. The first August we had a rash that looked very much like what Dougie has, and it even turned black. The vet treated with antibiotics and medicated shampoos, but it kept coming back. I'm not faulting the vet, but the vet was doing what he was trained to do - treat the symptoms, and not worry about finding the underlying cause. So I spent a ridiculous number of hours researching her symptoms and came to the conclusion that she was suffering from a systemic yeast infection that was aggravated by her diet. She was on all sorts of top notch, grain-free foods, but the rash continued to come back until we made permanent changes.

I cannot say with absolute certainty that our situations are the same, but I will say that the food you're feeding has a bunch of the same triggers that set us off: chicken, eggs, cheese, and lamb all set us off. This is going to sound insane, but have you looked at a food energetics chart? Once I started following that for protein sources, our issues stopped. Take a look at this chart here and look at the neutral and cooling proteins. If it were me, I would eliminate anything but proteins from his diet for a month and see what happens. Yeast feeds on the sugars from starches in foods. Any fruit, cheese, starchy veggie, and the binding agent of kibble will be loaded with carbs which will feed the yeast. Vital Essentials is a line of foods that gets 5 stars on dogfoodadvisor and all varieties contain only meat. I'd try their duck niblets and see if you're still having issues. It's a good cooling protein and is generally tolerated well. It'll also have a good balance of fat to protein for an active puppy.

Give him a bath once a week and then spray with that antifungal spray every night. I only had to do it for a week and there were immediate results. I give Beezy the equivalent of 2-3 TBSP of kefir every morning and she tolerates it well. I also give her a good fish oil in the morning and some coconut oil at night. Coconut oil has antifungal properties. Quinoa also has antifungal properties, so when I recently had a yeast outbreak I fed her an ounce of that with each meal and it seemed to help.

It sounds overwhelming, but you'll get through it. We're all here for you!

 

[Dougie]

[MENTION=380]KimB3384[/MENTION] Thank you for your response. I have read a lot about yeast in dogs also and was wondering if that could be the issue with Dougie. We are definitely going to change his food and see if this helps and also try him with the fish oil and coconut oil. I was giving Dougie a tsp twice a day but was worried it could be that. Anything we try we worry as we have no idea what is causing this problem. I am not sure if we can get Vital Essentials in Canada but I will search to see and if not will find something comparable.

Will keep you posted and once again thank you so much for all your help and great information.

 

[KimB3384]

If you can't find Vital Essentials, I was doing some googling and it looks like Amoré pet foods has some frozen options that are meat-only. I would try the kangaroo or beef. Kangaroo is fabulous for dogs with food allergies - not that we know for sure that Dougie has an allergy. If you feed him just meat and you can get his symptoms to clear up, you know he's got an allergy to something in his food and you can slowly start to introduce other proteins and foods. The good thing will be that you'll be able to tell immediately. I made the mistake of trying a new food that I'd hoped to use as a backup for traveling and Beezy started scratching almost immediately and got red bumps on her belly. No more of that stuff! The down side will be that you could be very limited in what you give Dougie in the future, but let's cross that bridge when we get to it. [MENTION=377]MaplesMommy[/MENTION], are there other meat-only food brands in Canada that you could recommend as options?

 

[Dougie]

Awesome! Thank you so much, I will search to see if I can find a meat-only product near us and see what happens. I'm just so tired of him being on so many different antibiotics. Poor little guy.

 

[EthanLeano]

I'm sorry to hear about Dougie, but I know with your patience all will be well. I want to share my experience with Demodex and my 6 month old Dexter. It started when one day his body was full of little hives that both me and the vet thought was just an allergic reaction, so she recommended a steroid shot and antihistamines. After the first day I assumed things were getting better because for sure weren't getting worse. On the 2nd after the shot Dexter was full large hives and hair loss like you couldn't imagine. We went straight to the vet and after a skin scrape he was diagnosed with Demodex Mange. The vet said the shot of steroids gave the mites "superpowers" . He was prescribed antibiotics, antihistamine, Ivermectin and probiotic (Ivermectin causes very soft stool). After 2 long months things were almost back to normal. So don't feel hopeless it will get better. I have attached the medication regimen as well of a current picture of Dexter . Goodluck Dougie!!

 

[MaplesMommy]

If you can't find Vital Essentials, I was doing some googling and it looks like Amoré pet foods has some frozen options that are meat-only. I would try the kangaroo or beef. Kangaroo is fabulous for dogs with food allergies - not that we know for sure that Dougie has an allergy. If you feed him just meat and you can get his symptoms to clear up, you know he's got an allergy to something in his food and you can slowly start to introduce other proteins and foods. The good thing will be that you'll be able to tell immediately. I made the mistake of trying a new food that I'd hoped to use as a backup for traveling and Beezy started scratching almost immediately and got red bumps on her belly. No more of that stuff! The down side will be that you could be very limited in what you give Dougie in the future, but let's cross that bridge when we get to it. [MENTION=377]MaplesMommy[/MENTION], are there other meat-only food brands in Canada that you could recommend as options?

Canadian, meat only companies, I dont know any of. Sorry :/ I get mine from a local farm here in NS.
Primal makes a grind, that only contains muscle meat,bone,organ of a certain animal. Its american though, however some canadian stores do carry it.

 

[Dougie]

[MENTION=1282]EthanLeano[/MENTION] Thank you for responding and for sending your picture of Dexter (so cute!!!) which gives me hope that Dougie will beat this soon. We took him to the vet yesterday and he still has the mites. The meds are not working but he said we have to be patient. It's only been a month but it seems like its been forever. Will keep you posted and thanks again!

 

[Dougie]

Just an update on Dougie's condition. Thank you all for your help and suggestions. Dougie is almost back to normal. He is gaining weight and most of his hair has grown back in. It has been a long, bumpy road, but with patience and a wonderful vet, he looks like he has beat these awful mites and mange. Happy New Year to you all and thanks again. Loving this informative forum!

 

[2bullymama]

Glad to hear he is doing so well... Happy new year handsome