Demodex

Hi guys!

So, I posted a bit in the "egg allergy" thread about Jax's skin. He had a bacterial skin infection a couple weeks ago (which is going away nicely thanks to antibiotics) but was beginning to chew his paws a ton... and developed two lesions, one on his neck and elbow, that were only getting worse. I took him to the vet today and they did another skin scraping to test for demodex (he was tested three months ago and was negative)... this time it was positive!! So he's now on ivomec to hopefully clear that up. Poor guy, he's been so itchy. I'm glad they've finally found some source for it though! He's on a grain-free single protein food, gets oils and healthy fat supplements, and I had been wiping him down after every walk - so I knew "allergies" weren't all there was to it. I'm relieved our new vet is a good one and didn't want to just throw him on steroids (like so many other vets have wanted with my previous dogs when they were skin inflamed). Just thought I'd give an update! We will see how these next 30 days on his new meds go!  

try adding organic extra virgin coconut oil to his diet, and rubbing it on the lesions and sores bits

I just bought a tub of that stuff a few days ago and started adding a little bit! It's awesome at helping the dryness around his sore bits.

Ahh good, it's awesome stuff!

Aww no poor jax hopefully now he has a diagnosis the correct treatment will help him get better. Keep us updated on his progress

Aww, poor little guy! Hope he's heaps better soon.

Aww poor Jax! Glad you have managed to find out what is going on - hope his itches are feeling lots better really soon x

Ivermec really works so hopefully he'll be right as rain in no time :-)

Glad to hear that your vet was able to find out the source of the problem and get Jax on the proper treatment! Rocky is currently going through the same thing, and I understand how horrible it is and switching between all the treatments and the stress it really brings you down! I hope Jax gets better really soon!

Hi how long did treatment take from start to finish ,diesel has demodex at the moment been on treatment since 13/12/13 ,got a clear scrape on 13/1/14 but now has more patches of thin fur

It took Jax 4 weeks on the medicine to get a clear scrape (he was on the medication for 7 weeks to kill everything though)... although it took about 2-3 months for his hair to grow back. Although, just recently I noticed he has some thinning fur in the same spots and so I'm trying natural remedies (apple cider vinegar, coconut oil) to try and prevent the demodex from taking over again. The vet said while he is young, it may come back, but that as long as his immune system remains healthy he should be able to clear it on his own. He was recently sick with a stomach bug and on antibiotics, so I think that aggravated the demodex again. The vet explained it as being kind of like the Herpes virus... the mites are dormant and don't take over while the dog is healthy, but if the immune system is compromised, there could be flare ups (some may clear on their own, while others may require medication). He said that this breed is just prone to having demodex, especially while young. Hopefully this last incident clears and he doesn't need to go back onto the meds!

Fingers crossed he stays clear   Neem bark powder is another good way of keeping the mites away, you can feed the power or add water to make a tea and rub it on any thin patches of fur x