Something weird is going on with Tybalts fur/skin

[nicoles94]

Ok, so I took Tybalt in and he has demodex mites, the vet called it the red mange. Vet was a little worried about the demodex because it could mean Tybalt's immune system is a bit wonky since he isn't under any stress or anything that could suppress it. But hopefully it's more likely that the wonky immune system is just due to his hormones changing, he is right at that age where they start to transistion over to adult. That's the bad news.

Vet gave him a shot of ivermectin to jump start getting rid of the mites and also gave me Promeris to place on his skin and a two week course of anti-biotics.

I am also going to start him on his heartworm preventive after this course of medicine and the vet said the ivermectin in it will help contain any future flare ups if he has any. That's the good news.

Also, Tybalt's heart sounded good! Dr didn't note any murmurs and was very reassuring to me that he understood Cavaliers were high risk for MVD and that should be our top priority to look out for and gave me the numbers and address of the closest animal cardiologists (there are just a few in this area and pretty far away) and said at least once a year, I need to have Tybalt checked by one. Does that sound about right?

And the entire office just loved Tybalt. He slept almost the whole time, I kid you not. They couldn't get over it. He got passed around and loved on. He ate it up.

So yay! Nothing that can't be fixed with a little TLC.

[pippa]

So glad it's nothing too serious.

[karenc]

Hope he is better soon. He is lovely.

[Denise G.]

I was just reading on another list about someone who's dog had this type of mange as a puppy and this is what they used in addition to whatever your vet prescribes, of course:

If you are speaking of dermodectic mange, I can tell you what worked for a rescue pup that we got. First of all, consider it an immune system problem. We fed a very natural dog food that was chemical-free, preservative-free, etc. and added immune-boosting supplements. If you are energetic enough, you could use the raw diet. The most effective for our dog was Transfer Factor Plus from 4Life. We just opened a capsule onto his food each day. Topically, we applied Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree oil) mixed in some olive oil to kill off the little critters that cause the problem. We also bathed him in a Melaleuca shampoo. We would probably use Young Living's new pet shampoo now. If you use chemical dewormers
and/or vaccines, please don't give them until the dog has conquered the mange.

It took maybe 6 months or so to completely overcome this in our dog. Be patient and persistent. Since the dog you speak of has been on antibiotics, it is extra important to add probiotics to its diet.

[Cathy T]

I just pulled Jake medical file....and boy did we go through a lot when he was a puppy!!! I thought he'd had demodex mites and sure enough he did. We used an antibiotic and goodwinol ointment. From what I can read on his charts that cleared him up.

Glad you took Tybalt in and found out what was going on. Hope he's all better soon.

[Cathy Moon]

I'm glad you got a quick diagnosis and treatment plan. Let us know how your little guy is doing!