# Demodex Mange (Shih Tzu)



## modolce (Jan 7, 2009)

Sunday, I adopted a approximately 18months old female shih tzu. In Jan 2010, her and her three puppies were dropped over a 6 foot privacy wall at the rescue organization. The mom and pups were skin and bones, fleas and demodex mange. The mom, which is who I just adopted, was adopted out a month later still recovering from demodex mange. Her coat is short but fluffy but needs a good grooming due to knots. Her previous adoptive parents returned her to the rescue org due to frustration/vet bills due to the demodex mange. Three weeks later, here we are. I know only what the rescue organization and what I read online about demodex mange. I know her previous owners had taken care of her as best as they good (she's up to date on all of her vaccines, spayed, came with meds, toys, etc.) but I want to know what can I do to help my new furkid with demodex mange? She has black parts to various parts of her skin and she has a dirty dog smell even though I gave her a bath yesterday.

She's on 
Ivermectin .2 once daily/orally. (corrected dosage amount 11/17/10)
Hydroxyzine 10mg every 8-12 hours for itching.
They gave me Sebozole shampoo.
She's eating a top notch dog food without soy, wheat, corn, etc.
And her weight is about 8-10lbs (no more skin and bones!)

Picture of her belly, leg and sanitary affected area. Also affected is around her shoulder and front paws -- not pictured.


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## trixie3794 (Mar 1, 2010)

First off, good for you for adopting her! I have a 7 month old pup, not sure of her breed, that I took in about 3 months ago so she would not have to go to the pound. She has 2 small patches on her back where there is no hair and her skin is gray. We took her in friday and the vet did a skin scrape and came back Mange. Today she had her first dip and has 5 more to go. Our vet did not talk to us about meds so I am not sure about them, but good luck with your new dog!


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## oldhounddog (May 31, 2010)

The demodex mange should respond to the ivermectin treatment in time. What is the status of flea control and are there any secondary infections related to the mange spots? If your dog is eating well and gaining weight it will just be a matter of time and care as recovery from demodex can take a while. Please post again and let us know how things are going. There are other things that you can do to help the recovery, however, if what you are doing right now is working ( gains weight and mange shows signs of getting better) just stick with that for the time being.

Thanks for saving this dog............

oldhounddog

modolce,
I read your post again and need more info.

Does the label on the ivmectin say ( ivermectin 1% injectable ) ?
If it does not say ivermectin 1% injectable please post what it says.
Are you saying you give .22 ml/cc daily ?
How do you administer this dose, ie: over food or squirt in mouth ect. ?
Do you use the same syringe everyday or new one?

It will help to clip back her fur from the affected areas to help keep dry.

Consider the life cycle of the demodex mite and you will see the treatment may need to last eight to twelve weeks. At the very least treatment should last three weeks after all signs of mange are clear.

Need to track improvement over the next 7 to 10 days to determine the efficacy of your dose of ivermectin. Also keep a close eye on her to see how she is tolerating the ivermectin..............

You came to the right place as there are many great dog folks here. I take care of my 10 rescue hounds everyday and we all care.
oldhounddog


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## fblough (May 28, 2010)

when we adopted our puppy she had demotex mange and the vet preceibed Promeris. It is a flea tick preventer that when used bi-weekly was very effective. Just skirt on the back like frontline. Held mange at bay and now puppy out grew it. Not sure if it would be different cause your dog is an adult but still worth checking into. not messy or time consuming treatment. Our pup had no negative reactions.


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## modolce (Jan 7, 2009)

Flea Control: The previous owner gave her Frontline in October and I have seen no signs of fleas. My other dogs are clear too.

Secondary infections: I just notice her scratching her neck alot and also licking her rear area. She was chewing on her front paws that has some crusty bits. I put booties on her when I can not watch. I haven't notices any red areas.

Eating/Drinking: She is eating and drinking alot. I just cannot get her to pee! She has not peed all day and no poop (two pees and a poop yesterday). No accidents anywhere. I cannot believe she is holding it!

Ivermectin: I give her .2cc a day orally with a dropper. I use the same dropper daily after a rinse. The label on the Ivermectin is hand written by a vet but doesn't give typed content info. Remember, I was given this medicine from a small town rescue that has their own vet. I requested vet records from the previous owners vet and they are faxing them tomorrow.

Thanks for the reply and help!! I really want to get this little one better!!





oldhounddog said:


> The demodex mange should respond to the ivermectin treatment in time. What is the status of flea control and are there any secondary infections related to the mange spots? If your dog is eating well and gaining weight it will just be a matter of time and care as recovery from demodex can take a while. Please post again and let us know how things are going. There are other things that you can do to help the recovery, however, if what you are doing right now is working ( gains weight and mange shows signs of getting better) just stick with that for the time being.
> 
> Thanks for saving this dog............
> 
> ...


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## oldhounddog (May 31, 2010)

OK, vet records will be great. This should give us diaqgnosis from previous owner's vet. The meds you have are, Hydroxyzine 10mg (for itching) , Sebizole is shampoo that contains a broad spectrum antifungal which inhibits the growth of yeast and other fungal infections providing relief from dandruff. The ivermectin is the one that we do not know the strength of, it could be straight 1% or a diluted version ?

Ok, need to find out exactly how many mcg. ( micrograms ) the .2 dose you are giving has in it . This will be the foundation for the starting point for treatment. Rember that efficacy is dose dependent with ivermectin , however, for safety sake we just need to know exactly what she is getting now.

> I just notice her scratching her neck alot and also licking her rear area. < Keep an eye on this to make sure no fleas ..........

> She was chewing on her front paws that has some crusty bits. < Make sure to clip fur back on paw area as needed to keep dry. The next time you treat her with the Sebizole , let her paws soak to soften the crusty bits and wash off without hurting her. After treatment make sure to dry well and use low heat blow dryer if needed and for sure dry between toes.

>Eating/Drinking: She is eating and drinking alot. I just cannot get her to pee! She has not peed all day and no poop (two pees and a poop yesterday). No accidents anywhere. I cannot believe she is holding it!< As long as she pees and poops it is prolly OK unless you see a real problem. (Note...... clean water bowl with anti bacterial soap everyday and keep fresh cool water for her.) You are prolly already doing this but I wanted mention it................. 

> Ivermectin daily at 200 to 600 mcg/kg until 3 negative skin scrapes is another option. Efficacy is dose-dependent thus increased success is seen at the higher end of the dosing interval. It is recommended to build up the dose gradually to minimize the occurrence of severe adverse effects. It should not be used in ivermectin sensitive breeds (e.g. collies, shelties, Australian shepherds and other breeds). Monitoring of therapy consists in making scrapings from 5 representative sites, always including muzzle and 2 locations between toes. This is the treatment of choice of many veterinarians. It is given daily until resolution of signs then gradually weaned over 2 to 3 months. < http://www.petplace.com/dogs/demodicosis-red-mange-in-dogs/page4.aspx (This is the source of dosing info you can cut and paste to your browser.)

I have used ivermectin with good results and can tell what I do and you can decide what you want to do for your girl. Dosing is easy to figure by the dogs weight. The above treatment range is in most cases started at the low end of the scale and increased ever 5 to 7 days a little at a time until results are seen and keeping within dose range limits and dog is tolerating the ivermectin dose well.

Please post what you find out....

Best , oldhounddog


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