Demodex

[dragona]

Hi I am new here to post but have been reading for a while....
I have a nearly 4 year old black Labrador Retriever. In January of this year he had his rabies booster, a fortnight later he had his annual booster jabs. A week after that he had to have a surgery to remove a fatty lump.

A few weeks after that I noticed hair loss around the eyes and elbows.Anyway vet has confirmed demodex, and he was treated with Ivermectin - one injection a week for three weeks. Vet also gave me the Mitaban dip to use at home.. All the research I did showed that the two should not be used together, so I didn't use the dip at all.Three weeks have gone by since the last injection,and it seems to have got a lot worse, it has now seemed to have spread to the tips of his ears too, and what was there before looks even worse. There are now pustules under his muzzle which the vet gave me Fuciderm gel for. I did use the dip last weekend, and this past weekensd also, but I am gettting more and more worried now.
I am aware that Mitaban is very toxic - Vito is eating breakfast and dinner, but reluctantly, and this morning he has refused his food completely.
Obviously I am going back to the vet ASAP but any extra suggestions would be extremely welcome!

[pung-yo]

Dragona-----working as a vet tech, we never used the two together, maybe they have changed the ingredients? Labs seem susceptible to skin problems but I would say something is amiss. Your dog is losing ground instead of getting better. don't want to scare you but did the vet give the annual shots at the same time as the rabies? I was wondering if this could be the problem. A few mos. back I had to detox my Shepherd because of this, so none of my dogs get any shots anymore. If you do a bit of research you will see the results of these shots, especially the rabies. This is something vets don't tell clients because of the money side of it. I would certainly have him rechecked or even get a second opinion. Good Luck.

[dragona]

Originally Posted by pung-yo

Your dog is losing ground instead of getting better. don't want to scare you but did the vet give the annual shots at the same time as the rabies? I was wondering if this could be the problem. .

No, the jabs were given two weeks apart - due to my concern of *overload*
I have researched demodex for weeks and weeks and am now starting to go mad with worry.

His appetite has picked up a bit though.

I did wonder actually if the stress of his jabs and surgery could have brought it on.
He has had no health problems other than this.
Any suggestions as to what to do now that nothing seems to be working? What sort of timescale are we looking at to see some, any ,even teeny minor imporovement?
What else can I do about the pustules around his lips and under his chin?
Instead of using the Mitaban dip initially, I was using Neem Oil on the dry bald bits, but even after a month nearly I see no difference, in fact the whole thing seems to be getting worse.
He is getting omega-3 capsules daily, and is fed a premium dry dog food with supplements already added, so I'm not sure if it is beneficial to give him more.

God I love him so so much but any way...... He is having daily:
Pro Plan Lamb and Rice (not keen to eat )
Omega 3 (fish oils)(130mg x 2)
Vitamin E800iu
Vitamin C 800mg
Zinc20mg
Neem oil rubbed into his bald bits
He has been sponged with the Mitaban (called Taktic here) twice in the last two weeks- as I say I was reluctant to use it

I really am at a loss

[pung-yo]

Well, the first thing I would do is change his diet. I still feel there's a connection between the shots and his condition, but it's hard when not seeing the animal. Did your vet do a skin scraping to make sure it was in fact demodex? The pustules will have to break before he can dry and heal. I would tell you to switch your dog to the "barf" diet but it's not for everyone, but in any case I would change his food. I have seen mentioned a dog food called "eagle " something I think, they seem to really like it. I can't say anything about it because we don't have this food out here. I do know Pro Plan though and I myself don't like it. If someone else on this forum spots your post I'm sure they will be glad to give you more info on different foods.