11 week old puppy mange

hi needed some other opinions on my puppy peanut. i bought from a breeder in the U.S. and got him at 8weeks old. When he arrived he had little less fur on the top of his head, able to see the skin on top of the wrinkles but I didn't think much of it. Well at 10 weeks the area spread and thinned out more. i took him to the vet for a skin scrap and he has domoditic mange the vet said i should do a mitoban dip once a week for 6-8 weeks 85 dollars every dip. Every where else on the web says it should be every other week? i did the mitoban dip last week when he was diagnosed with mange. i spoke to the breeder who said that his brother who is the same color black & brown has the same issue but the black and white siblings are fine. i know all dogs have this mite but the immune system keeps it under control.the breeder offered me another puppy from an upcoming litter. The breeder was concerned about peanuts immune system being that he has this showing at such a young age. The breeder also said that it was her first time breeding the bitch, but the stud or any of her other puppies have never had this problem i have changed his diet to a raw food diet and started him on vitamins and salmon oil. i know it is treatable but i am worried about it returning , about a dog with a weak immune system or a genetic defect. I know it is not due to the new home due to the fact that the breeder kept his brother and he also has mange. I paid a lot of money to buy from a breeder and i just want a healthy dog that will give me many years of happiness without worrying is he going to be sick constantly. not sure if i should send him back, listen to the vet and do the dips or what

Sorry my first post here had to be a bad one.

8weeks

Peanut by lcooper1223, on Flickr

11weeks taken today with cell phone

Untitled by lcooper1223, on Flickr


Untitled by lcooper1223, on Flickr


Untitled by lcooper1223, on Flickr

Oh man, what a tough one. I'd consult the vet to fin out what they thought was the best option. Would the breeder be willing to help cover some of the treatments? I've also had dogs in the past with health issues. It's a really tough personal decision but some dogs get over it and are totally normal.

I agree with Ben that is a very difficult decison and would also advise you see if the breeder is willing to help some of the health care costs. He may very well be since he offered you the return option. I'd speak to the vet to see if there are any likely long term health concerns.

Hi & welcome to the forum.

As already said, the decision will be a very difficult one. Is there any way you could make a 3-way meeting between the vet, the breeder & yourself?

I am in New York the breeder is in Virginia. I can try to call the breeder while at the vets office. I plan to stop by the vet without peanut and ask about long term issue.

I really feel for you. Sadly that is a good distance apart but in the same time zone I think. If it were me to be honest I would think it would depend on how much I had bonded with the dog. I'm not a vet but I don't know of any long term issues with that specific condition.

I would check to see if you could see when everyone involved has free time and set up a teleconference or video conference and go from there.

Hi,
I'm sorry to hear about these troubles you and Peanut have!
I found out on internet that it could even heal by itself as the puppy grows up and the immunity gets better - this should apply for localized lesions only not if it was a generalised illness.
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+2101&aid=729
I'm not an expert, though, I just hope that it will get better, let's hope your wee dog will be the one which will overcome it, fingers crossed ><
xx

LordLen wrote:I am in New York the breeder is in Virginia. I can try to call the breeder while at the vets office. I plan to stop by the vet without peanut and ask about long term issue.

Where in VA? All three of mine came from there.

Hi and welcome to the forum Len , so sorry for you dilemma, hope you can get it sorted

bbimson wrote:

LordLen wrote:I am in New York the breeder is in Virginia. I can try to call the breeder while at the vets office. I plan to stop by the vet without peanut and ask about long term issue.

Where in VA? All three of mine came from there.

I can tell you via message, if i can figure out how to send you one.

went be the vet today right after work & they were closed they closed early at 2pm
but they open at 9am so i will be there first thing in the morning

I am going to take peanut to a different vet referred to me by a K9 officer after the holiday to get a 2nd opinion.
depending on what he says i will know what my options are.

Ah, pm doesn't work. I understand that you wouldn't want to post it. The breeder I got my three from sold Monte to me but he wasn't bred by her, he was one of her show dogs and she was making more room. Frosty and Piggie were rescues through her and she is flat awesome. Sorry that you have not been smooth so far, but I think getting that 2nd oppinion is a good idea. Steve can send you my email address if you want to contact me outside of the forum. We don't do email addresses on here as we don't want a bunch of bots emailing and such.

update i went back to my normal vet today. Peanut had one mitaban bath when he was diagnosed with mange on may 15 since then i have been reading up on it and speaking with the breeder. the mitaban is very toxic and being that he was given one at 11weeks even though it supposed to be used on dogs 16 weeks and up made me very nervous. The vet said i would have to do the mitaban bath for 6-8 weeks once every week. the breeder is against the mitaban due to it being verry toxic and harsh on such a small puppy and suggested i try ivermectin. i asked the vet for the ivermectin in stead of the bath which i did get a 3 week suppy for less than the cost of one bath.

Peanut is on a raw diet and receives NUPro supplements and salmon oil everyday all of which i started this week. as they arrived in the mail.

i am waiting on DermaPet" Benzoyl Peroxide Plus Shampo so i can use after i wash him with an oatmeal wash i got from the local pet store.

hopefully these thing will help clear him up and boost his immune system.

Oh, almost forgot the vet said stop researching so much online according to them your dog will have cancer. i found that a little weird, why wouldnt i want to gather as much information as i can about what he is giving my dog and what issues he has.

Let's hope that what the breeder has recommended will do the trick. I agree that the other stuff is far too harsh for such a young pup.

LordLen wrote:Oh, almost forgot the vet said stop researching so much online according to them your dog will have cancer. i found that a little weird, why wouldnt i want to gather as much information as i can about what he is giving my dog and what issues he has.

Why on earth would they tell you not to do research? I think that as long as you read things with an open mind & do the research properly, then that must be all to the good!

Maybe the vet has something to hide?

I think the vet would have said not to research to much online as there is alot of wrong information on there & so many different things you can worry yourself sick.. Hope peanut get better soon x

louloukk wrote:I think the vet would have said not to research to much online as there is alot of wrong information on there & so many different things you can worry yourself sick..

Maybe. But there's room for personal research & a vet should accept that. Nowadays we don't just slavishly not question a vet's decisions. We research & ask questions that result from that research. I for one have a good talking relationship with my vet. He listens & if I ask something or even disagree about something we talk it through. That can only be good.

Yeah Im not sure exactly how to take the internet thing either he is a busy vet but i will still research and ask here to gather as much info and then make a decision.
I hope this ivermectin works, everything i could find said very good things about it.

i will update this thread for progress with this issue

thank you everyone for your replies

Good to hear you have an alternative. I hope it works for him! Also, a bit weird to say stop researching. Never heard that before.

i decided to take photos while in the yard yesterday and i noticed there are much more patches then i realized! So with that being said i already bathe him twice a week and have him on ivermectin his condition is over our heads so i have decided to return him to the breeder I requested a refund for the simple face that the last two litters have produced puppies with issue. from the litter peanut came from 2 of the 4 have this mange issue making it a 50%. i asked for my money back being the finacial and emotion hardship and addition vet & medication costs. i only asked for the purchase price to be returned hopefully i get that being i have to drive 8 hours just to return him. He was diagnosed the 2nd week of ownership and i have only had him for 4 weeks. i cant keep making up excuses on why we cant walk peanut to my children any more

the first photo is how he looked when we got him so in 4weeks his conditioned changed & two of the 4 weeks he recieved weekly washing supplements
here are the photos from 5/29/2012

Sorry to hear you have had to make this decission it can't have been an easy one

Gazagem wrote:Sorry to hear you have had to make this decission it can't have been an easy one

no it wasn't i have lost sleep over it. the family and i just want a healthy happy staffy.
so ill be on the hunt again for one. I wish i could bring one home from over seas

My heart goes out to you. I can only imagine the broken heart! If you ever want to get in contact with another breeder out there, I can recommend one. Give Steve a note and tell him you would like to contact me via email and he can facilitate it. So sorry for you and your family.

How exactly would I contact Steve ? Would it just be using the contact us in your signature ?

Yes that would work.

I sent message from the contact

sorry he was such a lovely looking pup. must have been heart breaking to return him. hope you get the dog you are looking for

bbimson wrote:Yes that would work.

Email sent

Response sent.

Might not be the same but Roxi had a patch like that on her head, because she is white looked quite red and vets couldnt see anything particular wrong apart from losing fur after about 10 -11 months she was fine started growing perfectly. never did know why it started

Well as hard as it was deciding to return Peanut to his breeder I sent an email advising of my decision and the reasoning. My wife and I were concerned about the possibility that he would be put down if he didn't recover fast enough. The breeder fully understood and.suggested another option that would save me the 8 hour drive to return him. It was for us to keep him and keep working on his condition and still be refunded the purchase price which could be used for his vet bills.
Needless to say that was the best option in the situation! So we are keeping peanut, he is on Ivermectin once a day orally, & I give him a bath with benzoyl peroxide twice a week & apply nu stock 1-2 times a week.
I am keeping my fingers crossed that he can get this under control. I looks that my peanut may now even be considered a rescue dog
I am happy the breeder has helped get through this bad situation but has kept it from becoming a nightmare.

I'm so glad that Peanut has stayed with you. Hopefully the medication will get the condition under control very soon. Please keep us informed on how it's going!

Great News
Hope it all gets sorted. Upsets me when dog and owner are seperated.

Hope it all goes ok for you both now , you are very brave as I could never had made that decision with Tilly. All fingers toes and paws crossed for you from across the pond

hello there. Here is a link that may help you cure peanut. Hope he is on the mend.

http://www.earthclinic.com/Pets/dog_mange_cure.html#TEDS