Hi all, my 16 week American Bulldog was just diagnosed with Demodex. Has anybody else have a dog that has experienced this? I would really like some input as to what your Vets treatment plan was for this as well as did you have good or bad luck with this clearing up. About how long did it take until your dog was back to normal. I was a little nervous because of the strong medicine my dog has been put on for 30 days. Any input and information you may have on this is really appreciated. Thank you
It isn't uncommon for dogs under 2 years of age to get Demodicosis. The issue usually resolves spontaneously. It is worrying when the skin disease becomes generalised (versus just localized areas of lesions).
What medication has your puppy been put on? And how bad is his skin? You could clip his fur and bathe him with benzoyl peroxide shampoo (it has good follicular flushing activity) to help it resolve faster.
Thanks for responding. She is on Ivermectin liquid given orally. It is worse around her face and under her neck and then about 10 different spots down her back. Her fur is already very short and she is all white color. How do you do the benzoyl peroxide shampoo? Is it a pre-made shampoo or do you just buy benzoyl peroxide and mix with water?
Also, we had taken her in for her 16 week shots including her Rabies and because of the Demodex the Vet. said to hold off on giving her vaccinations at this time but the Vet. Tech misunderstood her and gave her all her shots. I am also a bit concerned about that. Is she going to have to be re-vaccinated?
Ivermectin is a great way to go and she should be back to normal before you know it. Yes, it is common for the lesions to be worst in the said areas as there are many sebaceous glands there, the Demodex mites love these glands. The shampoo usually comes as a pre-made 2.5% solution, I would recommend trying it after checking with your veterinarian about doing so. He/She may want to try other methods of treatment first. As for her Rabies shots, I would suggest speaking to your vet about this as well. The thing is, Demodicosis in young pups is a result of an immature immune system (which is why it spontaneously resolves in a lot of mild cases. There is however a genetic link to it, hence treatment may be necessary to cure it.). Whether a vaccine is effective or not depends on multiple factors - how mature the pups immune system is, if there there maternal antibodies (if the pup is still suckling) interfering with it, if the pup have other disease (a fever) that might decrease the vaccines potency... etc. Due to the above stated interference, I would think it's best to discuss whether or not to re-vaccinate with your veterinarian as he/she would have the whole picture while I have only a few pieces of the puzzle to work with.
