Pitbull Zone

Mange

Will He Outgrow It?

Maybe.

Some of what I've mentioned above bears repeating. When a pup is little, even the smallest deficiency in its immune system coupled with too many "stressors", becomes more than the immune system can handle.

Now, yes -- hopefully sometime in the first couple of years the dog DOES develop this immunity, but why the increase that I'm seeing? My personal assumption is that once this gets started, it's almost like a self-fulfilling prophecy. Just the biting, scratching and nervous licking that results begins this cycle. The more they itch the more they scratch and the more nervous it makes them. Then there's the secondary infections - this is all compromising the immune system further.

And it's not just a matter of "curing" it. The animal WILL encounter these mites forever! Yes, you must treat the present outbreak, but at the same time get the immune system beefed up enough so that the animal CAN withstand the next attack. Hopefully given time and good health, puppies twill "outgrow it" - meaning the instant case is defeated and you have a chance to settle the skin down and BOOST THE IMMUNE SYSTEM!!!!!

This sounds like a lot of hassle, can't I just wait and see?

There's no getting away from it - treating demodex IS a lot of hassle. And it's not short-term.

If typical efforts are made, the dog gets dipped a couple of times. Dipping can be a horrific experience in itself. It has to be done carefully and properly or the dog can get horribly sick (or even worse) - days of vomiting and diarrhea can ensue. So vets and people don't like to do it!! I can help with that - see the section on "dipping" - again it's long, but I've worked hard with Muffin to 'develop' a process that works.

Demodex is smelly and unattractive (tho NOT catching to humans). If you get it under control and learn what DOES trigger it, you can keep future outbreaks to a minimum or at least give the animal the best shot you can at DEVELOPING this all-important immune system.

The moral to all this is, if you don't take a pro-active approach once you KNOW that this animal is prone to this, the problems will snowball on top of each other and you won't be able to get ahead. DO treat the current problem. PUMP UP THE IMMUNE SYSTEM with herbals and supplements (yes, yes yes they WORK!!) Keep the animal as "stress free" as possible. Don't over-tax the system with vaccinations. Get them, but be a bit sensible about getting them. Please see the sections on "boosting the immune system" and "dipping" and "general treatment."

Yep -- this is a typical Callie-long-winded article! BUT, I hope it helps some folks AVOID problems with the demodex!!!

| HOME | BACK TO HEALTH |