# Is $500 the normal cost of treating demodectic mange?



## Karene (Nov 8, 2008)

Hello again, im sure you are sick of my endless questions but.. I was getting the pup her third round of shots and the vet has been concerned about this patch of fur thinning around her face. She told me not to do anything right now but come back for a skin scrapping if it continues to get worse. Well maybe it was paranoia or whatever but I went back today and had that done. She is positive for demo mange. 

When I asked about treatment she suggested Mitaban (sp?) dips a total of 6 in two week intervals and total cost would run me about $4-500 

Is this the normal price for treating mange? When I told some friends of mine they were shocked at the price and told me to ask around for other solutions. I was also told mitaban is a bit harsh for a puppy. I use the Banfield vet and have heard bad things since i started going. After this puppy package is finished which includes her rabies im going to have her spayed and yearly vaccinations done elsewhere. 

I was going to use the petco vet for vaccines but decided I wanted a vet I could always contact but this seems not to be the place for us. However, I do need to do something about her mange!

I'm going to call around to different vets today and do some research online but any info would help. I can afford to spend the $500 if I need to, but i'd much rather not have to if at all possible. The money can be better spent on toys, treats and other wonderful things!

She really hated me taking photos of her face, plus I had just woken her up from her crate and started taking pictures. She was a little out of it!


----------



## jcw1503 (Nov 17, 2008)

I do not know much about vet bills, so do not take my word on it...I thought it would cost more...However, I am a newbie...


----------



## wvasko (Dec 15, 2007)

Karene said:


> Hello again, im sure you are sick of my endless questions but.. I was getting the pup her third round of shots and the vet has been concerned about this patch of fur thinning around her face. She told me not to do anything right now but come back for a skin scrapping if it continues to get worse. Well maybe it was paranoia or whatever but I went back today and had that done. She is positive for demo mange.
> 
> When I asked about treatment she suggested Mitaban (sp?) dips a total of 6 in two week intervals and total cost would run me about $4-500
> 
> ...


I had a Plott hound that had the mange problem and he sent dip home with dog and every 5th day we would mix the dip and sponge him down and eventually he was bright and shiny. It's a messy job but it was half the cost of what you're saying. We are in a rural area though and we had the facilities (Kennel run) to do the job easier.


----------



## mylittlebecky (May 27, 2008)

is it just one spot on her face?


----------



## kristan (Oct 10, 2008)

I'd avoid the dips AT ALL COST!! Mitaban's active ingredient is Amitraz which is an insecticide. Here's a list of the side effects-taken from Pfizer's website.

WARNING
Toxicology studies conducted in the dog and other species suggest
amitraz may alter the animal’s ability to maintain homeostasis.
Animals treated with MITABAN (amitraz) should not be subjected
to stress for a period of at least 24 hours posttreatment. Adverse
reactions including three fatalities were reported during the clinical
studies. In excess of 1100 patients with generalized demodicosis
were topically treated with MITABAN.
......

ADVERSE REACTIONS AND SIDE EFFECTS
Ingestion of MITABAN may increase the risk of adverse effects.
Therefore, appropriate care should be exercised both during and
immediately after MITABAN application to minimize the opportunity
for exposure by the oral route.
The most frequently observed adverse reaction in the clinical
studies was transient sedation, which occurred in approximately
8% of the generalized demodicosis patients. This effect was
observed within 2 to 6 hours posttreatment, and usually dissipated
within 24 to 72 hours. In approximately 40% of the affected
generalized demodicosis patients, the effect dissipated in less
than 24 hours. Sedation often was less apparent when additional
MITABAN (amitraz) treatments were applied, however in
approximately 35% of the generalized demodicosis patients
sleepiness was observed after each treatment. Transient pruritus,
which clinical investigators considered to be an indirect effect due
to an inflammatory reaction associated with dead mites, occurred
in less than 3% of the generalized demodicosis patients. This
effect usually occurred and dissipated within 24-48 hours
posttreatment. Other observations noted by the clinical investigators
and/or clients were a low incidence (less than 1%) of convulsions,
ataxia, hyperexcitability, personality change, hypothermia, appetite
stimulation, bloat, polyuria, vomition, diarrhea, anorexia, edema,
erythema and other varying degrees of skin irritation. Three fatalities
were recorded.




If it's just localized (one or two spots, not all over) I'd suggest Ivermectin to treat it. It is normally given orally twice a day. While this will probably take longer to get rid of the mange, it's much easier on the dog. I've successfully treated two rescue pups with Ivermectin. Ask your vet for the the dosing amount and you can purchase Ivomec (a cow wormer) at places like Tractor Supply or any farm supply store for around $50 and it should last you many, many months. 

Also, be sure to get two negative scrapings about a month apart before discontinuing any treatment. 

Let me know if you have any questions.


----------



## Karene (Nov 8, 2008)

Thank you for all the replies. It is just the spot on her face i've been checking all over her body and the vet checked as well, there aren't any other infected areas. It's just on her face.


----------



## wvasko (Dec 15, 2007)

kristan said:


> I'd avoid the dips AT ALL COST!! Mitaban's active ingredient is Amitraz which is an insecticide. Here's a list of the side effects-taken from Pfizer's website.
> 
> WARNING
> Toxicology studies conducted in the dog and other species suggest
> ...


I wished our rural vet had gone that route with me as it sounds like a good plan


----------



## kristan (Oct 10, 2008)

wvasko said:


> I wished our rural vet had gone that route with me as it sounds like a good plan


I'm not sure if it's the fact that *technically* Ivermectin is not approved for use in treating d. mange in dogs or the fact that the Mitaban dips are much more expensive (= more money for the vet), but many vets don't make people aware of the option of treating with Ivermectin....


----------



## reynosa_k9's (Dec 14, 2007)

My GSD had d. mange when I first began fostering him. He was treated with Ivermectin (less than $20 at the local feed store). It was bad and took awhile to clear up but once done he has been fine since. It's also important to make sure the dog has a healthy diet to keep the immune system strong too. 

Jihad
and the pound puppy crew.


----------



## Karene (Nov 8, 2008)

I did read about important diet helping as well, i feed her Natural Balance the venision formula from petco. One of their sales associates said it was a good quality food and better then Nutro (which was what I was almost about to buy).


----------



## mylittlebecky (May 27, 2008)

also, you can ask your veterinarian about goodwinol ointment for localized mange- this reduces the amount of chemicals being put into her body- go right to the source.

IF you end up having to go with amitraz (mitaban) dips at your veterinarian's office or at home as others have suggested- i would insist on pretreatment with yohimbine before the dip to counter the effects of the drug.


----------



## Mac'N'Roe (Feb 15, 2008)

If it's just one spot..it's localized demodex and she may clear up on her own withOUT treatment. A lot of dogs will come up with one localized spot, and generally it's best to let them work it out on their own naturally. If her immune system is too weak to fight it herself, you'll start to see additional spots of hairloss and perhaps some secondary bacterial infections. I agree with the Goodwinol approach...maybe even at the localized stage if it doesn't go away on its own within a week or so. 

Ivermectin is also toxic to some level. Not as much as the Mitaban, but still. If it becomes GENERALIZED and she is exhibiting hair loss all over her body or in different spots on her body, THEN I would look at treatment (natural or Ivermectin). There are natural treatments out there and since it's not aggressive yet..could be a good idea to use proactively now. 

Someone mentioned food - if your dog becomes troubled with the demodex..i suggest a grainless food. Demodex mites feed on sugars (carbohydrates). Feeding them grainless will help with this (mites have less to feed on). from what I've read. 

Treating generalized mange CAN be expensive...but I'd question him throwing out $500 due to ONE localized spot of mange. That's overkill and not necessary. I did the dips with Mac and they were $30-$35 a dip (so..6 dips would be around $200). But, my vet is awesome and typically at the low end as far as pricing is concerned.

I'd start looking for another vet.


----------



## scorpovet (Dec 2, 2008)

*Hello all

First Id like to explain that there is a great difference between mange which may be termed as sarcoptic mange

and this case of demodectic mange or what is termed by Demodecosis

the ordinary mange is more simple in treatment and dont last for long time 
also alot of drugs could do that job easly

But the demodecosis is a complicated form of mange usually dont exist alone 

it affect specially immunocopromised patients who suffered from a great stress 

so the treatment of this case is discussed in almost all dermatolgy text books is 3 tpes of medications not more

but the FDA only approved two of them for use in treating this illness in dogs

and illustrated that the use of Ivermectin in dogs is higly dangerous which may costs the life of our loveable pup

so the best and effective treatment of it is Mitaban (Amitraz)

yes it is an insecticide,and the cause of the illness is a mite whic is a microscopic insect

and the toxicity of the drug is avoided when the VET's recommendations and the leaflet instructions are strictly performed

the treatment also may not come to be 6 treatments 2 weeks apart

it is the latest period recorded

the best treatment procedure is as follow:

1- Bath your puppy with a medical soup such as sulpher soup

2- Towel dry him 

3- use the Mitaban solution diluted and wash ur pup assuring tha every place is wet 
Dont worry the dilution is safe for him but fatal for the insect

4-leave him for air dry

5- Test a skin scrap before the second dip and the dip again

6- until two successive negative test results we stop the treatment and we the can say it is now cured 

in some advanced cases the treatment is continued for 6 dips max.

Im a VET 

and im telling u your VET is honest and is good

they told you the truth and the right suggestions

THE BEST TREATMENT FOR DEMODECOSIS IS AMITRAZ OR MITABAN as a trade name

REMEMBER

IVERMECTIN IS ILLEGAL FOR DOGS SPECIALLY HERDING BREEDS,I IS FATAL FOR DOGS WHEN GIVEN IN PARENTAL ROUTE

Regards and hopes for his wellness*​


Mac'N'Roe said:


> Treating generalized mange CAN be expensive...but I'd question him throwing out $500 due to ONE localized spot of mange. That's overkill and not necessary. I did the dips with Mac and they were $30-$35 a dip (so..6 dips would be around $200). But, my vet is awesome and typically at the low end as far as pricing is concerned.


I totally agree with your great opinion no need for the dips if the lesions are localized to a single spot

topical application of few drops of Mitaban or Ivermectin (Topically)

every other day would help also Cephalexin antiobiotic is recomended here in a dose of 20mg/kg/day 

but still in my opinion about your VET


----------



## zimandtakandgrrandmimi (May 8, 2008)

My previous vet did one dip on Vivi at their office and she got very very sick. I will never dip her again. I have had great success with simply using immunity boosting measures and special attention paid to skin care and if she has a hard core flare up, then its that in combination with prescriptions of Cephalexin and Ivermectin as well as over the counter Benedryl. Her mange is terrible. If treatment and management slack off at all she will lose every hair on her body in a matter of weeks...When I placed her the first time they slacked off the program and flashbangboom she looked like a naked mole rat and I took her back.(she is mine now so that won't be happening again..)

five hundred sounds much more than what I have heard..perhaps price is area dependant...who knows...


----------



## All about Eva (Nov 22, 2008)

i personally am not a fan of the dip. We use oral ivermectin. You may want to call around to different vets and find out what protocal they follow. I know the information on this can be scary. hopefully you can find a vet you like and will give you all the information (pros and cons) on all the different treatments. Good luck.


----------



## wvasko (Dec 15, 2007)

Sorry
The mange I talked about on my 1st post was sarcoptic mange and we did get the Plott hound cured with no problems but it was a sponge type of application. Just sponge it on and it dries. It took a while but his coat recovered.


----------



## cshellenberger (Dec 2, 2006)

Mitaban should ONLY be used once ten days. It's HIGHLY toxic and too much will kill your dog. Each treatment should run around $25.00 and wit my Dobies SEVERE Demodex ( far worse than your dogs) we only needed 4 treatments. IT SHOULD NOT BE USED FOR LOCALIZED DEMODEX! Which it looks like YOUR dog has.

If you wish to help your dog long term, you need to treat NUTRITIONALLY and build the immune system. You can start by cutting the amount of carbs you dog takes in with a high protein, grain-free food such as Evo, or feeding raw. Then, include Salmon oil (for inflammation), B complex, esterC and probiotics, I use a product called "Show Stopper" which contains everything named above. 

YOU can also look into NEEM oil. NEEM is a natural Miticide, insecticide, and antimicrobial. It can be used on it's pure form or in a prepared cream, shampoo dip or spray. I get mine from www.neemtreefarms.com . It's one of the safest products you can use and can ALSO be used on plants an even on yourself (they make soaps for humans)


----------

