# demodectic mange



## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

Anyone else dealt with demodex mange in an older dog? 
My 11 year old has been battling it for a few months now and I'd like to hear from anyone else who's gone around with it.
How did you treat it?
How long did it last?
Did you find an underlying cause?
What tests did your vet do to look for an underlying problem?
etc. etc.
Thanks
It's sooo frustrating to deal with this.


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## Cam's Mom (Apr 13, 2007)

Hi, I have a 10 year old who had Demodectic Mange at 7. The number one cause in older dogs is hypothyroidism. My vets wanted me to treat the mange and gave no indication of finding the underlying cause. I don't think they knew thyroid problems could cause it.

All dogs have mange mites on their skin, in hypothyroidism the immune system becomes compromised and the mites take over.

We had Odin tested with a six panel test...he had virtually no thyroid activity, and it was autoimmune thyroiditis. Within a week of treatment the Demodex subsided. We did not specifically treat the Demodex, although Ivermectin does a good job of getting it under control while waiting for thyroxine to kick in. (Odin is Golden/Border Collie mix, and we couldn't use Ivermectin on him)

I picked it up quickly, asked some questions, did some on line research, got the test done and Odin treated with soloxine and recovery started within about two weeks. Within a month his fur had grown back. His case was not as severe as some I've seen though.

Odin has had one further bout of Demodex, when we lowered his thyroxine level after a yearly retest this past September. We put his meds back up and it cleared up. He runs better with his free T4 and free T3 at the high end of the normal range. If your vet only does the in office T4 test you could miss this sort of detail. I have another older Golden (13), who also does better with his free T4 and free T3 just above the high normal of the range.

My oldest guy (14) has free T4 right on the mid range, and does well.

I have done some Golden Rescue, and pretty much all old Goldens become hypothyroid at some point. Not all vets recommend yearly testing so it's not always picked up.

By the way, Odin had no other obvious signs of hypothyroidism,. His weight was great, his fur beautiful, lush, thick and shiny, appetitie good, etc. The vets swore he would not test hypothyroid!!!!

Good luck. If you want more info, I'll answer what I can.


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

Sorry, for some reason I missed your reply and just now saw it!!
We did test my Toby with the full Michigan thyroid panel, twice, and both times it was completely normal.
I've had to give him ivermectin for 6 weeks now, and it seems to be helping a lot but I hate the stuff. The first dose we had him on was apparently too high for him, although it was within the recommended dose range, because he acted drunk and had vision changes. He's on a lesser dose now and seems to be doing okay with it.
We've yet to find an underlying cause, and he's had mange since July. At first it stayed very very minor and we didn't even treat it, but then about 8 weeks ago it seemed to be getting worse so we started the ivermectin. He had a few patches on his head, and one on each of his front legs so it was never very widespread, luckily.
My vet can only *guess* at this point that it was caused by a flare up of his autoimmune inflammatory bowel disorder. We can't seem to find anything else wrong with him. I sure hope he's right!!!




Cam's Mom said:


> Hi, I have a 10 year old who had Demodectic Mange at 7. The number one cause in older dogs is hypothyroidism. My vets wanted me to treat the mange and gave no indication of finding the underlying cause. I don't think they knew thyroid problems could cause it.
> 
> All dogs have mange mites on their skin, in hypothyroidism the immune system becomes compromised and the mites take over.
> 
> ...


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## john martin (Feb 26, 2012)

My GR Bailey just underwent treatment. I saw those slugs myself under the microscope. apparently after 3 weeks, they disappeared. The vet asked me to keep her immune system in top top shape. Give brewers yeast or anything to improve liver function, vitamins and premium nutrition.


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