Posts tagged "hair follicle"

How can I get rid of my dogs red mange with out costing a lot,home type medications.Thanks?

What is mange?

Mange is a rather common disease in household pets.
Dogs are primarily susceptible to two forms of mange, Demodectic mange (red mange) and Sarcoptic mange. Demodectic mange is generally seen in dogs less than two years of age. These mange mites are passed to puppy’s skin from their mothers. Demodectic mange mites live in the hair and oil (sebaceous) follicles of the skin. The first signs of this disease are patchy areas of hair loss about the head and forelegs, which do not itch and do not appear inflamed. These areas may spontaneously resolve or become larger until a large area of the pet’s skin is involved. It is considerably rarer in cats. A few of these parasites are present in the skin of many or all normal dogs. However dogs which develop disease have a defect in their immune system (T-cell defect) and can not keep the number of mites under control. The only product approved for use on Demodectic mange in the United States is amitraz (Mitaban). This concentrated liquid is diluted to a dip and the entire animal is immersed and scrubbed in the solution every two weeks until no living parasites can be seen under a microscope. A compound named benzyl benzoate cream was once used to treat small areas of infection. It is no longer believed to be effective. I will sometimes mix a 10% solution of Amitraz in propylene glycol and have the owner first cleanse and then massage this solution into isolated lesions. I have had good success in curing small areas of Demodectic mange in this way.

The effectiveness of treatment is hard to evaluate because small lesions often go away by themselves. Shar Pei dogs are notorious for their susceptibility to Demodectic mange. When amitraz (Mitaban) dips fail to halt the infection, I have had good success in placing these dogs on daily oral ivermectin. This product is sold as Ivomec 1% and the dose I use is 1ml (cc or approximately 15-20 drops) per110 lbs body weight. This comes out to 200 mcg/kg of body weight. Ivermectin may take up to a year to completely cure the dog. In severe cases, secondary bacterial skin infection is severe and subcutaneous lymph nodes enlarge with mites present in these nodes.

The second common form of mange in dogs, other pets (and wild animals) is Sarcoptic mange. This microscopic spider-like mite burrows through the layers of the skin causing an intense itch and streaks of reddened skin. After a month or so the skin becomes very crusty. It is spread from one mature dog to another by contact or by contact with objects the infected dog has touched. Humans in contact with these pets will often begin to itch too. This disease in man was once called the seven year itch. It is the disease that back-woods folk and farmers used to cure by rubbing the dog with burnt motor oil. Do not attempt this! The gentlest way of curing this disease (but the smelliest way) in all species of animals is with lime sulfur dips. Oral or injectable ivermectin cures the disease very well too. However, Ivermectin can be toxic in cats. Besides dogs, I see this disease in cats, hedgehog’s raccoons and squirrels.

A third form of mange, psoroptic mange, I see most often in rabbit ears and the area surrounding the ears. All ear-mite medicines cure this disease but the ears often need a soothing antibiotic corticosteroids cream for a week or two to heal.

Forms of Mange

A form of mange that I see in budgerigars (parakeets) and canaries is knemidocoptic mange. It affects their legs, the base of the beak and their vents. The skin in these areas is thickened and flaky. It responds very well to ivermectin or oily topical products containing rotenone (derris root & cube resin) such as Goodwinol. Goodwinol is difficult to obtain these days, but the active ingredient, rotenone, can be purchased as an organic rose and vegetable insecticide and mixed with margarine.

The reason most mange can be treated with any non-toxic oily product is that mange mites, being arachnids, breathe through openings (sphericals) along their body. Any substance which plugs up these pores kills the mites. The exception is Demodectic mites which live so deeply within hair follicles that oily substances do not seem to affect them.

Best Mange Treatment

Pets’BestRx Sarcoptic Mange Treatment Spray targets and eliminates Sarcoptic mange, while Sulfinex Cream provides additional protection to nourish and heal the skin. The colloid-based Sarcoptic Mange Treatment Spray solution penetrates deeply into your pet’s skin to attack Sarcoptic mange-affected skin. This provides your pet with soothing relief; great even for Sarcoptic mange in smaller animals such as birds, rodents, and reptiles. Give your pet a double dose of protection!

-How can I get rid of my dogs red mange with out costing a lot,home type medications.Thanks?-

how much does treatment for mange cost for a dog?

i think my dog has mange so i made an appointment with the vet for Wednesday but i was wondering if it is mange does anyone know how much it would cost from experience? she started loosing hair around her eyes & they look swollen and red and shes been really itchy and shes been biting so hard that theirs spots where shes missing fur now

I got a puppy (a bischon mix) and everything was fine for a year, then he started scratching and biting himself until he looked like I had been abusing him (bloody, bald spots everywhere). He hid under the bed for the next year and a half while I took him to several vets. One of them only gave me an antibiotic spray for hot spots, which of course didn’t work; one of them said he needed a $40/week dip in something, so we did that for awhile and he always felt better but after 6 weeks of this he really wasn’t getting any better. Then my friend suggested I take him to an old country vet, which I did and I’m glad I did! He did a scraping, looked under the microscope and said he has red mange, not contagious and he explained it to be like acne was for humans, i.e., all dogs have it, it lives in their hair follicles, he just happens to be bothered by it. Because he still had bloody sores all over, he gave me cipro (an antibiotic) and he said it HAD to be cipro and to go to the farm store and get 1% injectable ivermectin. The dosage to use for heartworm medication is .1cc per every 10 lbs., but he at least needs to be on .8cc’s of the ivermectin for it to do any good, so to increase it every few days until I got him up to the .8cc’s a day and if he starts throwing up, drop back down to the previous dose and try to work him back up to the .8cc’s a day. He is 28 lbs. so the dose needs to be triple the norm. Thankfully, this treatment has worked and I now have a happy dog but I still have to keep him on the ivermectin or it comes back. The vet also said that if it didn’t work, then we could try cancer drugs but the dog won’t last very long on them. He also said it is an immune disorder that is found in certain breeds…not contagious.

Mange – Treatment and Identification in Dogs

Just like humans, dogs can feel the adverse effects that cause hair issues. While these can include things like their natural environment, getting dandruff in the cold weather, or things like stress causing flaking skin or disease, there are things that you can do to check your lovable pet for mange. Mange is usually found as a rash, sore spots, hair loss or all of those issues at the same time. While you should have your vet check to make sure that it is mange and not some other environmental issue, there are things that you can do to check for yourself.

There are two types of common mange that you should keep an eye out for. The first is Sarcoptic mange, and usually starts with the head and ears. It will then spread to the tail and work its way under the front legs. The skin will look like it has small burns or red spots all over the affected area and can be treated with medication and shampoos. If you start to notice these issues on your dog, check with your vet to make sure it’s not a common allergy first. Then proceed with the shampoo to see if it helps any.

The second type of mange is Demodetic mange and is the result of mites most commonly found on puppies. These mites will attack the hair follicles and you will notice a rash and loss of hair. If this type of mange is not treated right away, the mites will cause it to grow faster as they continue to reproduce. If they are left untreated, these mites can infect the whole of your dog’s body and cause it much unneeded and unwanted pain. On top of this, the constant scratching will cause an unpleasant musty odor and infection can set in.

Either case of mange is treatable with medications and anti-fungal shampoos. You might have to administer iodine as well to help clear up the infections. Mange is noncontagious so you don’t have to worry about any other dogs in the house catching it from one that is infected. You should also take into consideration what your dog’s life style is like, such as outdoor or indoor, and highly active or not. These will help determine how your dog has caught manage and some ways you can change things so that it doesn’t catch mange again in the future.