Carlie has some red, hairless spots...

Um, no.

We went through demodex twice and the first time was really bad. The second we did a holistic approach and we've not seen them since. However, treatment is necessary and it can get worse.

Demodex can pop up when the dog is under stress- when their immune system is compromised. Buddy had a compromised immune system to begin with and the mites took a toll on him.

We've talked about this several times on the forum.. and we just had another member that had another case of it... you can search the forums for threads.

In addition, these are helpful:

http://www.marvistavet.com/html/demodectic_mange.html

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1589&articleid=729

http://www.canismajor.com/dog/mange1.html#Demodectic


Good luck with Carlie and if you prefer to go the holistic route, I'd talk to Mordy.

This may be the case for dogs who are pets. My youngest dog had demodex when she was young. I took her in to the vet and he advised me (which is what I have heard elsewhere too) that if I was interested in breeding her in the future I would NOT treat the demodex. The reason being, if it would not clear up on its own or turned from localized to generalized then she should not be bred. If I would have treated the demodectic mange without giving her immune system a chance to fight it off, I would risk passing on a compromised immune system to the puppies. When you treat it with medication you don't know if the dogs immune system can fight it on its own.

DO NOT DO THE DIPS!! They are very toxic and can have some very horrible side effects. Yes they are effective, but if you have to go to a more serious treatment then find a vet who will prescribe Ivomec. It's much more effective and although not labeled for demodex treatment in dogs, much less toxic than the Miteban dips.

We did Miteban dips the first time around- they are toxic (but so is doing oral Ivermectin) and Buddy was fine.

I would work on boosting her immune system as well as bathing her. The Goodwinol is not enough to get rid of it, in my opinion. *grumbles* Vets drive me nuts.

This may be the case for dogs who are pets. My youngest dog had demodex when she was young. I took her in to the vet and he advised me (which is what I have heard elsewhere too) that if I was interested in breeding her in the future I would NOT treat the demodex. The reason being, if it would not clear up on its own or turned from localized to generalized then she should not be bred. If I would have treated the demodectic mange without giving her immune system a chance to fight it off, I would risk passing on a compromised immune system to the puppies. When you treat it with medication you don't know if the dogs immune system can fight it on its own.

This may be the case for dogs who are pets. My youngest dog had demodex when she was young. I took her in to the vet and he advised me (which is what I have heard elsewhere too) that if I was interested in breeding her in the future I would NOT treat the demodex. The reason being, if it would not clear up on its own or turned from localized to generalized then she should not be bred. If I would have treated the demodectic mange without giving her immune system a chance to fight it off, I would risk passing on a compromised immune system to the puppies. When you treat it with medication you don't know if the dogs immune system can fight it on its own.

What do you recommend bathing her with and how do I boost her immune system? I'm going to give the Goodwinol a chance. It might work for Carlie. I'll use the Goodwinol and work on boosting her immune system (if I find out how).

The name of the shampoo escapes me at the moment, but I'll do some digging to find it. I think you should use the Goodwinol on top of other things. In the email I sent you, there are some probiotics listed, but since she is on antibiotics, it's going to be kind of tough for a little bit. Do you have her on any supplements?

That seems like so much to start giving her. I'm not sure if I want to do that.

I am planning on using the Goodwinol on top of some supplements and the antibiotics she is on (in case she has any infection within the spots). The Goodwinol may not have worked for Buddy because his mange was worse than Carlie's is, so that's why I'm still giving it a chance to work.

No, I think you need to consult a professional that can tell you what would be appropriate to give her. Buddy's case was extreme and he already had a compromised immune system to begin with, so the measures to help him were above and beyond. He was on colostrum, zinc, msm, vit a, vit c,vit e, astragulus root, milk thistle.. i could go on and on. Many of those may not be necessary for Carlie. I really recommend talking to Mordy.

Yes, I realize that, which is why I think you should continue to use it.

Good luck!