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What to do with ‘red mange’
Stephanie Myers - Thu, Nov, 26, 2009
Q: My puppy was just diagnosed with ‘red mange.’ Should I be concerned about my other dog? Anything else I should know? A.M., Farragut
A: “Red mange” is caused by a mange mite called Demodex canis, and only under rare circumstances is it ever contagious to other pets. You do not need to separate your puppy from your adult dog or other pets. Demodex is not contagious to you either, as some types of mange are contagious to people. Veterinary researchers believe that all dogs may carry Demodex, but only in dogs with suppressed immune systems will the mite reproduce and cause disease.
Treatment consists of weekly dips, daily oral medication, or in very mild cases, a topical ointment. Which ever type of treatment your veterinarian has started, remember to follow instructions for treatment and rechecks, as some dogs need to treated for 6-12 weeks. Some dogs will get a secondary skin infection, so if she doesn’t seem to be improving or is getting worse, have your veterinarian recheck her skin.
Dogs can have localized mange, which means there are 4 areas or less of hair loss. They do have a better prognosis than dogs with generalized mange, in which the mange mite causes more hair loss and affects multiple locations. Prognosis is dependant on many factors, such as age of diagnosis, severity of disease, and other concurrent diseases that could be affecting his or her immune systems. Although some dogs will spontaneously clear the mite without treatment, a small percentage of dogs continue to struggle with the disease throughout their lives and are unable to be controlled.
It should be noted that stresses in the dog’s life, such as pregnancy and whelping, can unfortunately cause relapses to occur. Since there is also a hereditary component to this disease, it is generally recommended that dogs with Demodex be spayed or neutered.
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