Demodicosis

[spitfirekrl1]

I took my B in to the vet last week due to a dry patch on her hind quarter. We thought it may be due to the weather however it didn't seem to be going away and then it seemed like it was getting worse. We found out after a skin scraping that it was demodicosis. I type of mite that lives in most dogs. The problem being that she has a hereditary immune deficiency and can't ward them off naturally. Thankfully it's just a localized form and not a generalized form so it should be treatable. However she seems to be getting another mild one next to it. I'm a little worried that it is a generalized form and it's just now breaking out.

Anyone ever had any experience with this? She has always been on a 'Natural Balance' diet which is a good meat based food and we give her suppliments that are high in fatty acids and omega 3 which was recommended.

[nala121498]

OMG...Nala was on meds for that (although never really diagnosed after multiple scrapings) for the first 2 years of her life!! There's a post somewhere...she lost a lot of hair around her eyes and it kept spreading until on the meds for a bit. Poor thing looked like a racoon. I know it cleared up on the meds and we even went as far as going to to a doggy dermatologist. I can't comment abou the added immune deficiency, but I can tell you that you're not alone. Hopefully they'll just "outgrow" it like ours did. Keep us posted. Hang in there. ((Hugs))

[Duke]

My experience was with Duke at only 10-12 weeks old when we brought him home. The vet took multiple scrapings from his front elbows and ears where it was evident he had mites. After 6 weeks of observation, vet administered a shot of Ivermectin. Duke's problems cleared up. Hope this insight helps.

[jessi76]

My dog had demodex as a pup.... We put him on a high quality food (I used Solid Gold), we supplemented him (I used Solid Gold Sea Meal), and we used the topical ointment called Goodwinol. It took a few months, but it did clear up.

[Skeate]

My B, Dacia, just got over this exact same infection. It started at the corner of her mouth with a missing patch of hair and a raw, red appearance to the skin. I had to take her into the vet every 2 weeks for a "dip". It's a medicated bath that they put her in and then allow to air dry. After three applications (one beyond a clean scraping), the infection is gone. So far, no additional spots have appeared.