Halp plz?

[lathriel]

So when Rusty was dropped at the shelter, the droppers assumed the shelter would have him put down because he was riddled with mange. Sue, the director at the shelter, did the proper thing first, which is took him to a vet, had him dipped and medicated, and eventually the mange cleared up. By the time we picked him up, almost all of his fur had grown back.

But... I think the mange is coming back. :/ He has patches on his head where the hair is missing, and the skin is pink and irritated.

I'm not going to freak out about this because I have a plethora of information an resources at my disposal to handle this. A) I have a bunch of the pills that the vet originally gave him, and instructions on how he should take them. B) I have a bunch of cedar oil products that my father sells specifically for use on pets to treat things like mange. C) Mange is a lot like scabies, and if you recall there was a scabies outbreak at my husband's place of work so we learned all about how to prevent and treat that at home (sulphur!). D) Worst case scenario we break the bank taking him to a vet for medicated dips.

This isn't going to be a problem. It might be expensive, but he's part of our family now, and we'll do what we have to do.

I'm just wondering: have any of you ever had a dog with mange? Do you know anyone who has? Do you know how they treated it? If chemicals worked I'd be all over that, but it seems like they didn't work this time, and from what I've read around the internet it seems like they don't work in general, so home remedies are actually the better option this time (not just me being an anti-chemical hippie).

Thoughts?

Comments

[wldhrsjen3.livejournal.com]

Unless it gets much worse or looks as if he's developing a secondary infection, I would HIGHLY advocate at-home remedies. It depends on what sort of mange it is ~ if it's demodectic mange, which is the most common, then this most recent outbreak is probably related to stress. Dogs ~ especially young ones ~ are susceptible to mange when they're stressed, malnourished, or immune-compromised. Usually restoring the dog's overall health takes care of the mange, although a little gentle shampooing can help. You don't want to irritate the skin with a lot of chemicals, though, because that can cause even worse symptoms.

However, if he's really scratching or if the skin looks really sore and oozy, it could be sarcoptic mange (scabies) and then you'd want to be more aggressive in treatment.

(I've never had a dog with mange, but I worked at a humane society and a vet hospital, so I've seen my fair share of cases. :/)

Good luck! Poor guy. :S

[lathriel.livejournal.com]

I think its demodectic mange, it just looks pink/red, and he's not really scratching it (its on his head/forehead). We're going to shampoo him tonight, and I think I'll start giving him rescue remedy every morning before we leave for work. I *know* he's not malnourished, we feed him the best food we can find! We even give him brewer's yeast and raw organic cage free egg (virtually no salmonella risk for humans, let alone dogs). I hope you're right, it could just be a flare up from stress.

Thanks!

[wldhrsjen3.livejournal.com]

Oh, I didn't mean to imply you guys were malnourishing him. I know you're the best doggie parents! But if he'd been malnourished in the past, it could have made him a little more sensitive to stress. It sounds like you have a great plan of action, though. I hope Rusty gets better soon!

[costumenut.livejournal.com]

I have nothing helpful to add, but poor poochy!

[lathriel.livejournal.com]

Oh lol i didnt think you meant that, sorry!