But I don't know anything about mange!!

[StarFox]

A very odd thing happend today. My mom called me from work and asked me to give advice to her coworker about dogs. I hear my mom tell her coworker that I'm the "dog expert" so I should know about stuff like that. :o I'm thinking to myself "Stuff like what?!". The coworker comes on the phone and askes me what mange is and how to get rid of it, because she has a bulldog pup that is 5 months old with mange. And of course I know next to nothing about mange. So I tell the woman that Mange is a type of mite (it is a mite, right? :lol: ) and that she would have to take her dog to the vet to see what to do about it. She tells me that her vet has to give the dog 6 "dips" and the dog has already had two dips. She says, "well the dog has had this for over a month so it should be gone right?".....aggh! I don't know! I told her that she should still see the vet but if the mange dosn't get better she should seek the opinion of a different vet. I guess the sibling of this bulldog also has mange but the two dogs have never meet other then when they were togehther after they were born. Poor pups I feel so bad, they are loosing all there hair and have big welts that sometimes bleed. :cry: Anways my mom comes back on the phone and says "well you ask all your freinds on Dogo and see what they say, you guys all know more about dogs then us." Aggh it made me laugh but I guess I'm now known as the "dog expert" to my moms coworker. :roll:

So here are my questions:
Is it possible for them to have gotten mange from there mother but have it only appear a few months later? Also don't allot of bulldogs have skin problems? And are dips typical of getting rid of mange?

[Horsefeathers!]

It really depends on the type of mange. There's demodex and there's sarcoptic. From what I understand, generally all dogs have demodectic mites to some degree, but certain things can trigger the outbreak, like compromised immune system, stress, that sort of thing. Demodectic mange can be passed along from mother to offspring, so it is hereditary, but that form of mange is not contagious. Sarcoptic mange is very contagious, not only to other dogs, but can be passed along to humans (scabies). Dips are one method of getting rid of mange and seem to be the most common (though to me that stuff smells right like gasoline :-? ). Some people use ivermectin for mange and sometimes dogs are given Revolution.

[courtnek]

yes, it is possible to get it from the mother. A friend at work had a dog tht developed mange after being adopted, and it was determined to have ben spread by the mom.

It often takes multiple dips, not just one, to get rid of it. She had to have her dog dipped four times....

[Lokipups]

If the dog is going in for 6 dips, I have the feeling it's demodex :( , a lot tougher to treat than sarcoptic.
BTW, Revolution works wonderfully on Sarcoptic, we just treated several of the rescue dogs with it, and within a week, combined with some Bactroban for the scabbing, it cleared up very nicely. And sarcoptic mange scabies don't live in human skin for long, nor can they reproduce on us, but man, can they make you itch :crazyeyes: !

[StarFox]

Well I told my mom all this info when she came home and she told me that after I hung up with them that her coworker said that the mother also had mange when the pups where born, but the "breeders" didn't tell them that. Apparently they got the pups from another co-worker that is a total BYB. And they paid.........$1800 for one puppy!!!!!!!! :o And now one co-worker is complaining that she dosn't have the money for the dips because they cost $75 each time they go. What?! You had enough money to waste 1800 on a BYB puppy but don't have 75 bucks to take your dog to the vet?! AGGH!!!! :evil: :drinking: :wallbash:

[cdreid]

Im kinda wondering if anyone else has heard of done this. This ISNT a suggestion to your coworker! Im just asking out of curiousity.

When i was a kid we could barely afford clothes. Much less a vet. When one of our dogs (we had a lot) got mange we'd treat it with... motor oil. It worked every time that i saw and didnt hurt the dogs. Now there are probably 1000 reasons thats a bad idea but its all we had, was a 'folk remedy' and seemed to work for the type of mange that dogs around there got. anyone else heard of this?

[imported_Cassie]

Sounds to me as if the pup has demodectic mange which is a hereditary disease caused by a poor immune system, or it can affect an older dog with a depressed immune system.
The mites are transferred directly from the mother to the puppies within the first week of life. Transmission of the mites is by direct contact only. That is, the mother and puppy must be physically touching, as the parasite cannot survive off of the animal. This is important because it means the kennel or bedding area does not become contaminated, and therefore the environment does not need not be treated. Most puppies are immune to the mite's effects and display no clinical signs or lesions. A few are not immune and it is these that develop into full-blown cases of mange.

The most popular treatments of Demodectic mange are usually accomplished with lotions, dips, and shampoos. Fortunately, 90% of demodectic mange cases are localized, in which only a few small areas are involved and can often be treated topically. A treatment that has been successful for years has been a 1% rotenone ointment (Goodwinol ointment), or more recently, a 5% benzoyl peroxide gel applied daily. Bathing periodically with a benzoyl peroxide shampoo and feeding a high quality diet and a multivitamin with a fatty acid may also help some dogs. Most of these localized lesions will heal on their own and do not require overly aggressive treatment.
Its also a good idea to build up the pup's immunity, some people have had success with astragalus (a herb you can buy at a health store) or echinacea (this herb should only be used for about 3 weeks then give a break), you can also add vitamin C to the pups food as well. I would discuss this with the Vet who is treating the pup for proper dosages.

If a dog develops generalized demodicosis more aggressive treatment is usually required. Studies show that between 30% and 50% of dogs that develop the generalized form will recover on their own without treatment, but treatment is still always recommended for the generalized form. The treatment of choice continues to be Amitraz dips applied every two weeks. Amitraz is an organophosphate, and is generally available under the product name Mitaban.
Most dogs with generalized demodicosis require between 4 and 14 dips. After the first three or four dips, a skin scraping should be performed to determine if the mites have been eliminated. Dips should continue until there have been no mites found on the skin scrapings taken after 2 successive treatments.

Some dogs may not respond to this treatment, and the frequency of the dips may have to be increased or additional treatments may need to be instituted. Recently, two new products have been used to help treat demodicosis. These products are not FDA approved for the treatment of demodectic mange, but are being widely used by veterinary dermatologists and general practitioners with some good results. Ivermectin is a broad-spectrum deworming agent that is available in a 1% solution for cattle. Ivermectin is the active ingredient in Heartgard, however, the concentration in Heartgard is not high enough to be effective against Demodex. The liquid ivermectin is given daily and continued for thirty days after the mites have been eliminated. It should only be used under close veterinary supervision. Another drug, Milbemycin oxime (Interceptor), has also been given daily and been shown to be effective on up to 50% of the dogs that did not respond to Mitaban dips.

Demodectic mange is not an inherited condition, but the suppressed immune system that allows the puppy to be susceptible to the mites can be. Remember that all puppies receive the mites from their mother, but only a few have ineffective immune systems and develop the mange. This sensitivity can be passed genetically through generations. Individuals that have a history of demodectic mange, and their parents and siblings, should not be bred.
These mites are species specific, meaning we all have our own breed of mites.
As for Sarcoptic mange, this is highly contagious to ALL dogs...its usually self limiting on we humans we have our own type of scabes. I have handled dogs with Sarcoptic mange and have gotten only a red rash on my hands. I don't think the pup has Sarcoptic, it sounds like demodectic mange to me.

Just a last little bit of advice, instead of using home remedies stick with the dips provided by the vet...they do not work instantley and will require a few more treatments. Also advise this friend of your mothers to try to build the pups immunity.