Ringworm or Demodectic Mange? :(

Since getting our little Bailey (we were told him and his litter got ringworm from the mummy dog) we have been treating him for ringworm which includes bathing him every 2-3 days, bleaching the whole house, thank god i dont live in a huge house lol!

We were told the ringworm results were negative, which meant he was cured of the fungus before we bought him home, but we should keep bathing him - but its not getting any better!

I've called the vet again today, i feel like thats my second home, and they are now saying he could have Demodectic Mange........And they will have to do a skin scraping on him...maybe even a biopsy!!!

I have read up some stuff on it, but Im terrified my poor little pup has something awful

I feel so upset that we havent been able to properly walk him or socialise him due to the 'ringworm' that he might not even have and that this could be something else thats even worse

Going to the vet tomorrow but I cant help worrying and feeling really sad for my beautiful little pup, hes so little and gorgeous, i just want to make everything ok

I forgot to add if anyone knows anything or has experienced this I would love to hear from you, Im going out of my mind with worry over this  

It could be mange, as it has similar symptoms to ringworm, but the scrapes will pick up on it if it is! This type of mange can be passed down from the bitch to the puppies. Usually, this isn't a problem, but if the puppy's immune system isn't able to deal with it, the mange can spread. They're normally quite easy to locate with skin scrapes, so that isn't likely to be a problem.

If it's mange, the vet will be able to give you an ointment to apply to your puppy. He might also recommend using medicated shampoo to kill off the mites.

Good luck at the vets!

Aw  Good luck at the vets and let us know how it goes. Demodectics is very easy to manage

I hope the vet trip sorts everything out, keep us updated

Yes, it's quite easy to treat. Sometimes it will respond very quickly, sometimes it'll take a month or two to have effect, but it'll happen!

You can help him, though, by making sure he has a good quality food (grain free if possible) which will help to boost his immune system.

Don't worry, Daisy has had very bad demodex and is fine now, it's usually not serious at all and very easy to treat  xx

Oh thanks everyone for replying - i do feel better after reading your replies - will keep you updated once I have been to the Vets tonight!

Love my little pup so much

Hope all goes well tonight we'll be thinking of you both

Hope it goes well at the vet and good luck

Thank you!

I may be wrong but it sounds like the demodectic mange is easier to deal with than ringworm - RW is a nightmare cos it SO contageous! Am I right in saying that Dem Mange isn't contageous to humans?

Roll on going to the Vet, although Im slight worried what they are going to say!

Meanwhile Bailey is his usual happy/cheeky/cuddly/snuggly/sometimes naughty little self, at least it doesnt bother him which would be worse!

You're right to say demodectic mange isn't contagious to humans, while ringworm is. My pup Jax (25 weeks) has demodex and is on Ivomec orally once a day to treat it. It's clearing up very nicely and the meds haven't had any side effects! Good luck

The mange is caused by a canine-specific mite, so it isn't zoonotic. Ringworm, however, is a fungal infection and can affect a huge variety of animals, including humans.

Update on Baileys visit to the Vet:

So Bailey is just getting used to going for walks, a little later than other pups I believe as he couldn't have his vaccinations until he had his ringworm results....anyway, so we walk the 20 mins to the vet for the first time as he has now had both vaccinations and Bailey thinks everyone he sees has come out JUST to cuddle him lol..people walkimg past, people at bus stops, he just melts and goes all waggy tail and silly haha....god Staffies are the most adorable!!

Anyway, he has now had his skin scraping and definitely DOES NOT have Dem Mange.
The previous test for ringworm came back as negative, although he HAD had ringworm but that seems to be under control.......VERY FRUSTRATING.....

The vet took some other samples....which had to dry out? not quite sure what that was, but she said that came back normal too???

So she is now sending some photos she took and the microscope pictures to a dermatologist to have a look a over the weekend.....

So very frustratingly, still no closer to knowing WHAT it is.......  

We have been advised to keep using the Malaseb shampoo as we have been for the ringworm and keep doing everything that we have been doing until we know anything else.....

I'm just getting really frustrated by it all, not to mention the cost

Can I ask what food you are feeding? The brand as well as the type?

Strange! I hope the dermatologist can figure it out!

Could it perhaps be an infection of the hair follicles (folliculitis)? This can produce a scaly texture to the skin, similar to ringworm and demodectic mange symptoms. It can often present itself after other skin conditions such as ringworm. It might be worth asking your vet about this!

Caryll wrote:Can I ask what food you are feeding? The brand as well as the type?

Also, what colour were his parents?

I will def ask the vet about folliculitis...(I'm kinda guessing the dermatologist will or should rule this out?!?..)

He eats Purina Beta, puppy food, the chicken flavour which he has been on since he was on solids. The vet has asked about the food and said this was fine!

oh his parents were both blue staffs.

Yes, it's likely that the dermatologist will consider it.

Jules&Nick wrote:He eats Purina Beta, puppy food, the chicken flavour which he has been on since he was on solids. The vet has asked about the food and said this was fine!

I would strongly advise you to change to a grain free food. Purina Beta is very high in cereals/grains and very low in meat content (only about 14% meat). Try and find a food that has no grains and has meat listed as a first ingredient. Wainwrights, James Wellbeloved, Fishmongers, Fish4dogs are just a few. You can probably get a good deal if you search around the internet for lower prices.

Jules&Nick wrote:oh his parents were both blue staffs.

Whislt I'm not saying that your pup will develop Colour Dilution Alopecia (CDA), the fact that he has two blue parents will make him more susceptible to skin conditions. He may always have a tendency towards allergies & skin problems, so a good diet is essential.

We had a similar story with our new pup, turns out he had food allergies to wheat, soya and rice.
People are very knowledgable on here and have recommended certain brands of foods and also a 'raw diet'.
The vet currently has the dog (also blue and from 2 blue parents) on Atopica, Piriton and anti biotics plus a dermatosis fp diet but we hope to get him off the Meds and once we find a food source that agrees with him.

From what I can see it seems quite common especially with blues, if you any questions about what we have had done/tried please feel free to ask.

If he's having lots of antibiotics, I'd advise giving him a couple of spoonfuls of live probiotic natural yoghurt with his meals; it'll help to replace the good bacteria he needs for a healthy digestion.

Don't use the low fat or no added sugar ones.

Wow this is great information. We are still waiting to hear back from the dermatologist, I think we will give it till tomorrow and chase them.

Thanks again for all the advice and I'll certainly keep you updated.

Moll has been through a hard time with her skin. Long courses of antibiotics also led to her having a yeasty ear infection!

I wish you all the best with your pup and her skin. You always feel so helpless when you can't do anything Big hugs

Well everything Bailey has been tested for has come back negative.  

So the vet said the only thing they can do for him to investigate further is a biopsy! I really don't want my boy to be put to sleep unnecessarily and for £500 odd forget it!

His patches that were originally ringworm are looking really good and are all starting to grow back now. I think what we are going to do is change his diet gradually and see how we get on going down that route.

Meanwhile Bailey is completely oblivious of my worry and as long as he gets his cuddles etc is a completely happy little pup :0)

Poor lad! Let's hope a change in food helps.