scabies / sarcoptic mange

[DogueOwner]

Happy Holidays all! As a few of you may recall, we've been dealing with skin issues with our 18 m/o pup for quite some time. red, itchy bumps all over, excessive shedding, non-stop itching, paw licking, etc. We've tried nearly every product online between the US and the UK. All supposed to boost immune system and resist any allergies. Not successful.

We took Duke to get an allergy test last week and should see the results in the next few days. Panel shows everything from outside/enviro to specific food allergies. (Duke is raw fed, 50/50 mix of fatty beef and ground up chicken w bones - chicken pieces here and there. Omega 3-6-9 and coconut oils too. His diet is far superior than ours!). Minimal vaccinations. *

Side note: I have a theory he may be allergic to poultry.

We took him to the a week ago yesterday because he had some blood in his stool, (was acute case of colitis) subsequently the vet noticed all the ear and elbow scratching > performed a skin scrape > Duke has scabies. Wonderful! Doc gave us the typical harsh chemical, Revolution, said it was the only way to effectively rid the dog of the mites.

He seems to be scratching less, I'd say at least 40-50% less. The hair loss was only on ear flaps, assuming this will grow back.

My question to you all is has anyone had experience with Mange / scabies? I fell like I am dealing with two separate issues, allergy and scabies, as much of what I've read says healthy dogs don't get mange unless they have stressed immune systems.

I appreciate anyone's insight or experience with similar issues.

 

[musicdeb]

Scabies is highly contagious to other animals and humans! You will have to completely clean the house. Air out the furniture, bedding, pillows, anything the pup has been on in the sunshine to kill the bugs.

Deal with scabies immediately!

Stop all dog food with grains and any type of poultry (chicken by products/chicken meal). Check out Acana Regionals, Wellness Core, Castor & Pollux Grain Free, Earthborn Holistics, Fromm*s, Innova Natures Table, Victor*s Grain Free or Taste of the Wild grain free.

Did vet give you meds to deal with scabies? It's usually a wash type medication.

We had a pup at the shelter that had sarcoptic manage and no one was allowed to touch the pup. The staff that gave him his meds, had to wear full gear to touch him and then place the gear into hazardous material bags.

 

[DogueOwner]

Thanks Deb. Yes, we washed everything in the house top to bottom once Doc said he had the mites, and my family knock-on-wood, hasn't had any problems. He did not give me anything other then Revolution. Said not to bathe him until we were done with the first few rounds of the medication. I am thinking he had the mites for a while before we noticed. He'd been viciously scratching the ears, with small patches of hair loss on the ears for at least 3 to 4 weeks. We thought it was his typical scratching. To date, no passing to humans. Of course, he is away from other dogs.

 

[angelbears]

You are dealing with a couple of different things. First and foremost it sounds like your boy has a weak immune system. What is causing it, heaven only knows. Is it the allergies that keeps his immune system weak or is it a weak immune system that allows allergies to become such an issue. I have been dealing with it for years with my boy.

Nu Stock has been used by a few members on here that has dealt with mange and they rave at how well it works. Here is a link at Amazon. Read the reviews and see if you think it is something that will help.

Amazon.com : Durvet Nu-Stock Ointment, 12-Ounce : Pet Itch Remedies : Pet Supplies

We had a rescue that was very emaciated and had sarcoptic mange. We went the ivermectin(revolution)route with her because she was so weak. She was so bad that we had to go with ivermectin injections and revolution. With your guy you might can go with the Nu Stock.

Keep your fingers crossed. Hopefully, your boy just needs to get rid of the mange and the allergies will not be so bad. BTW, sarcoptic mange is hard to diagnose. Until it gets really bad you usually get a lot of false negatives.

Good luck.

One other thing, humans are not good host for the mites. When I was dealing with our rescue they would get on me, they burrow under the skin and you could feel them but they didn't live for long. No harm for foul. I would keep other dogs away they are much better host.

 

[Max's mom]

Bedding for pup should be washed on hot (pour a pot of boiling water into the wash cycle to help bump the temp or raise the temp on your hot water heater for a bit). Dry on hot for double cycle in dryer.

You will know if you have scabies because they will most frequently start on the hands...the soft tender part between the fingers. You may notice bumps in a line and they will itch!

After treatment, expect itching for at least a week.

CAUTION with the treatments! Neurotoxic! Follow directions. Wear gloves when you apply to the pup and keep little kids away from the pup while he has the solution on him.

How miserable this sounds for you all. Good luck getting it under control.

 

[DennasMom]

In your raw food, does the dog get any organ meats? Liver, kidney, etc?

The meals need to be 5% liver and 5% other organs (like kidney)... those are the "vitamin pills" of the raw diet. Without any organ meats, you pup may be malnourished, which would not be helping his immune system. I try to get the organ meats included in breakfast, daily, but some people just do one meal of organ meats weekly... it's not a "daily" requirement, but needs to be in there to balance out over time (I take that to mean weekly at our house). If your pup has never had raw liver, add it slowly in small portions, as it can cause cannon butt when first introduced.

And, if you suspect a poultry allergy - I'd go with your gut. Denna also has a sensitivity to chicken, raw or processed. She can have a little, no problem, but if I give her too much or too often, she has one ear that gets full of gunk. Sounds like your guy might be quite a bit more sensitive to something, and chicken is a very common culprit for mastiffs.

 

[DogueOwner]

Thank you all very much, I appreciate having other DDB owners as such a great resource. Safe and Happy New Year!

 

[DogueOwner]

You are dealing with a couple of different things. First and foremost it sounds like your boy has a weak immune system. What is causing it, heaven only knows. Is it the allergies that keeps his immune system weak or is it a weak immune system that allows allergies to become such an issue. I have been dealing with it for years with my boy.

Nu Stock has been used by a few members on here that has dealt with mange and they rave at how well it works. Here is a link at Amazon. Read the reviews and see if you think it is something that will help.

Amazon.com : Durvet Nu-Stock Ointment, 12-Ounce : Pet Itch Remedies : Pet Supplies

We had a rescue that was very emaciated and had sarcoptic mange. We went the ivermectin(revolution)route with her because she was so weak. She was so bad that we had to go with ivermectin injections and revolution. With your guy you might can go with the Nu Stock.

Keep your fingers crossed. Hopefully, your boy just needs to get rid of the mange and the allergies will not be so bad. BTW, sarcoptic mange is hard to diagnose. Until it gets really bad you usually get a lot of false negatives.

Good luck.

One other thing, humans are not good host for the mites. When I was dealing with our rescue they would get on me, they burrow under the skin and you could feel them but they didn't live for long. No harm for foul. I would keep other dogs away they are much better host.

Thank you very much for the suggestion. While we love our vet, I feel the half dozen trips we went to see him were a waste and Dogue may have had scabies entire time. Allergie tests, QaudPro ointment, etc.. Nu Stock was delivered today and I did the first application. Half of the reviews on Amazon say to dilute or mix with other lotion, although bottle says it okay to apply directly to skin. In your experiences, did you mix to 10% sulfate or use straight from tube?

Thanks again, I am hopeful for this product.

 

[angelbears]

If Dogue can take it without dilution I would go straight Nustock. The quicker you can knock it out the better for everyone.

Please keep us updated. Good luck!

 

[Max's mom]

Shake it really good to make sure it's mixed up well.

 

[DogueOwner]

Will post back in about a week. Thanks to all, I appreciate your insights.

 

[DMikeM]

Dust him with DE (Food Grade Diatomecous Earth) and let it stay on over night. Do a light washing with Dawn dish soap (blue bottle) rinse with cool water and Apple Cider Vinegar. Sorry it will sting him a little but you can follow up with more cool water. Warm up a tube of Nu Stock in hot water and mix it well and apply all over. It will stink but it's going to kill off those mites. The more I read about that Nu Stock the more I like the stuff.

 

[DMikeM]

I forgot something. Get him on some probiotics. This will help his immune system and kick start his recovery.

 

[DogueOwner]

I forgot something. Get him on some probiotics. This will help his immune system and kick start his recovery.

Thanks DMike, will probably give that one a try. I did something similar and mixed half Aloe Vera gel and half Nu Stock and rubbed it on much of his coat. He loves the Aloe gel. Itching has drastically reduced in past few days, I'm just worried about him getting reinfected. Regarding pro-biotics, He takes Provi tabs twice day.

Will keep everyone posted on progress. Thank you all agian.

 

[DogueOwner]

Lots of info from a doggie derm, I'll give you the cliff notes:

- The Revolution had not done a whole lot for the Mange, after 3 treatments he was still itching like crazy. Even with the Nu-Stock (thanks Angelbears - helps surpress the itch), the ear/elbow scratching did not go away. I had no choice but to to the Invermectin route. Instead of injections or topical, we give him something oral every week.

- Dogue is in constant distress due to licking,scratching, biting. He's had the red pustules all over his body since about 8 mos (he's 20 mos now). Sometimes he scratches them raw. I went back to Malaseb baths 3x week, and we'll do spot treatments with ACV/water mix. Also an antibiotic to help with bacterial infections. Probiotics in his food as well.

As I've stated before, I'm not a fan of any strong meds/antis but I feel like I had no choice. The Dogue is miserable.

Here's where I"m torn: After we get the scabies and yeast infection under control, Dr spoke about a food trial. She suspects he might be allergic to the raw and suggested an alternative protein of kangaroo or rabbit. read: $$$$$$.

We've had him allergy tested for food and enviro, and I am leery of some vets like many are, but she mentioned sometimes you get a false negative with certain allergy panels. Changing his food will be an absolute last resort.

Thank you all for you suggestions and insight. It has DEFINITELY helped. Too much nonsense / uneducated owners in DDB Facebook groups.


At the end of the day, we seemed to calm down his itching with the Malaseb baths, giving him Allegra or Zyrtec (no D). Poor guy is not even 2.