how to deal with canine mange?

carlaeb

Hi I'm hoping maybe Birds or someone else who owns dogs in India can help me out here.

The strays and some owned dogs frequently have mange. (Some dogs in the US have it too, but it's pretty easy to keep my dogs away from mange there.) How do I prevent my dog from catching mange here? Is there something dog owners give their dogs to make them resistant to the mange? Obviously I can't keep her from going outside and I can't keep other dogs from coming up to us. I don't let her play with dogs who have mange, but I can't prevent contact altogether- there are dogs with mange everywhere.

She has a spot on her leg now which may be mange or it may be something else. If it is, I'll take her to be treated of course, but I'm wondering how to prevent it for next time. Mange is very contagious and we are going to be here a while...

Lil' MaGoO

HI Carlaeb,

Not sure as to how to avoid the mange, but here is a link to home treatment if that is what it is. I have researched previously and this seems to be a good treatment. http://www.earthclinic.com/Pets/dog_mange_cure.html We use neem seed oil mixed in our doggie shampoo instead of using flea/tick pesticides. Neem is also very effective for minor skin irrations. Hope this helps...

carlaeb

Thanks so much and welcome to India Mike!

I will read this all more carefully and also research borax. I thought it was more harmful than that and was surprised to read that the toxicity level is so low. Are you saying that you use neem seed oil in place of borax?

Thanks also for this website. I'd never seen it before, but it looks really handy. Looks like I will be on that site tomorrow for a considerable amount of time!

Lil' MaGoO

We use neem as an ongoing treatment with her shampoo. We use neem ourselves too. The treatment for mange should be used as outlined. Never had a need to use the borax myself but have read good things about it. Good Luck.

birds

Hi Carla,

To start there is no need to worry much.

There are lots of misconceptions about mange. There are several types of mange, the main ones being Demodectic and Sarcoptic mange. The first one is not contagious but the second one is.

The good news is that most dogs in India seem to have the first variety which is not contagious.

To get a sure diagnosis on the type of mange you need to do skin scrapings which is time consuming and the results depend on the skill of the analytical centre.
Luckily, the symptoms are quite different especially in the beginning. Basically demodectic mange is usually not itchy while sarcoptic mange drives the dog mad because of the itching.

Sarcoptic mange is contagious between dogs, other animals and even people.
Demodectic mange is caused by a mite which lives in the hair follicles of all dogs which are raised by their mothers in the first days. Although mites that cause demodectic manage are normal on a dogs skin, certain dogs are allergic to them which can cause problems.

These problems for both type of mange mostly occur:

- during puppy-hood (appearing at 3 to 4 months)but if the pup is healthy there is a very good chance that the body learns to deal with it and most cases disappear without intervention.

- during 'dog puberty' ( ) which is from about 18 months until about 3 years (a little less for females).

- when resistance is low due to physical or physiological stress

- allergy against mites is an hereditary problem so it can be passed on from generation to generation (especially a problem in pedigree dogs).

So, a healthy, happy adult dog with no history of mange is unlikely to get mange.

However, your dog may have been a bit stressed because of all the recent changes (moving from the US, moving house, etc.). It is also likely to feel your stress which is stressful for him. This can cause the immune system to be a bit weak and result in some localized mange. It is easy to treat with either a natural remedy (neem, turmeric, garlic, papaya) or if you want to make sure dab Ridd on it.

Ridd is nasty stuff but super effective. For pups I avoid using it if I can but if the mange goes from localised (a few patches) to generalised mange (more than 4 patches) it is better to use it.

If it get to that you have to wash the dog with Benzoyl Peroxide before applying the Ridd both easily available in India. Leave the Benzoyl ten minutes on the skin before washing it off and applying the Ridd. The Ridd has to dry on the skin and the dog should neverlick its skin until the Ridd is completely dry as it is highly poisonous. I use a collar to prevent this. Once the Ridd is dry there is no danger. Normally the application should be once a week

In the mean time try to make life for your dog. as pleasant and predictable (to avoid stress) as possible (free of fleas, ticks, vaccines up to date, extra fatty diet, add fish oil to his meals (you can buy Vitabest for pets at the pharmacy for this), make the same walks everyday, etc.)

Ivermectin is used for really, really bad mange. The best result I got with injections of Ivermectin for three weeks, once a week.

There are also Ivermectin tablets (called Neomec) but I have not had good experience with these.

If you use Ridd or Ivermectin do not use fleas prevention methods containing Amitrax or Mitaban. Also no valium or other tranquilizers as it can affect the nerve system really badly. In my experience Indian vets are not aware that these should not be combined and tend to be more interested in getting a result quickly by combining than in the long term health of the animal.

Lastly, it is very well possible that your dog has no mange but just another small skin problem.

Do let me know if you continue to have problems.


P.S.
Moderators I hope you do not mind the long details but since many people worry about the contagiousness I thought it may be appropriate information

Hal

I read that as

"How to deal with canine marriage"

Time for lunch....

birds

I forgot to mention that some vets prescribe Ivermectin (injections or tablets) as preventive drugs but this is absolutely not advisable.

Apart from the fact that it is really nasty stuff for their neurological system, dogs do get resistant to it which means so after a while it will not work and should you dog get mange later on you will be stuck without this as an option.

Nick-H

This is India. It happens.




.

carlaeb

This info is super helpful, Birds. Please don't worry about giving too much info. I believe that anyone in Goa with a pet would wonder about this, seeing all the dogs running around with those big bald spots!

My husband and I need to sit down and absorb all this info and look at what we've found out online and think about what to do. I don't want to overreact, but I hear mange is easier to treat if you catch it early. She is not itching, so if she has it, it is demodectic mange. That's sounds more rare, so maybe it is nothing at all?

Thanks again

birds

To show that treating mange is very feasible, herewith a Before and After photo of one of the dogs I treated for mange.

Attached Thumbnails

 

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Of the estimated 500 million dogs in the world, approximately 75% are strays, of which about 25 million live in India.

carlaeb

That's a great photo and great work, Birds!

My dog is doing great. I've improved her diet and used Neem oil, as you suggested, and her problems cleared up really fast. Now her coat actually looks better than it did at home! By the way, the vet gave me some anti-fungal cream that I rub on any new spots that appear. She plays with beach dogs and strays sometimes, so she sometimes gets what looks like some parasite or ringworm or infection. The cream works really fast, too. I've had to use it twice, but it cleared up the blemish right away.

Nick-H

What a great result, Birds: a happy, healthy dog!

Carla, nice to know that your dog is better and happy.

obione980

That's a 'cone collar' made from flexible semi-rigid plastic. The name's self-explanatory. very effective (and hugely frustrating for the dog).

birds

Good to hear your dog is doing better. It sounds like she is having a very enjoying able life playing on the beach etc.

You would not want to have new pup would you. I have the cutest little white one but nobody wants her because of her colour.

Also, can you let me know which anti-fungal cream it is, perhaps we can use it for others too.

Besides dogs, are you now happy in Candolim/Calangute?

birds

Forgot to mention that the cost to sort this out was less than Rs.200 (Ridd and Benzoyl Peroxide shampoo).

In total it took about 3 hours; 6 baths over a period of six weeks. So not expensive nor too time consuming, so not reason not to do it.