BEVOLASVEGAS
I don't have much background info. Her owner turned her in to animal control on Friday because she smelled bad, & peed on the floor. Obviously, a very legitimate reason to dump your puppy...
Sounds like how Tinkerbell was only Tink got pitched outside in 105 degree heat (she was at Ft. Hood). I got your email and sent the article -- just the bathing does SO much to heal up the skin. Most of her coat will actually slough off in the first few bathings -- I assume they put her on antibiotics? That and the bathing does SO much and will lessen the bleeding big time. The scabs from the staph crack and cause the deeper bleeding.
Tink's infection was "wetter" and she was more swollen (for those of you who are new, Tinkerbell, my pug, was a major demodex baby about the same age as this one when she was taken in - if you go to my photos section you'll see several of her, altho her name was "Lulu" then).
What does her belly look like Amanda? I'm seeing some involvement on the elbows, but how about the knees and the underbelly? It's SOO easy for demodex to morph into secondary stuff. Like contact allergy or fungal infections like ringworm. The tips of the ears and toes look ok -- so probably not ringworm, but life will be easier for her if there's no contact allergy (fine 'rash' more than the crusty of staph -- sometimes just red skin -- look at the picture of Tink in my photos that shows her underbelly -- THAT was 99.999% contact allergy from having been banished outside.
Tink's soreness was worse on the face/head/neck -- this pup's is simply more fully generalized equally all over the body. Actually THAT is good -- Tink's was so deep in spots it actually scarred her -- this is widespread but it's a bit more surface so once you get it under control you'll have an easier time getting a full coat.
EXPECT 99% of the coat to fall out when you begin the baths. The mites actually "kick" the hair right out of the follicles so it looks startling BUT it regrows (because the hair follicle itself isn't damaged).
Amanda - I've got tons of the exfolliating gloves I'd send if you want. Actually in the long run, my **favorite** soap/shampoo is PanOxyl's 5% bar soap.
Why? Because you actually go really minimal with it -- with shampoo or face wash you tend to use MORE of it even if you dilute it. With the bar soap you simply work up lather on your gloved hands and just massage it in with lots of warm water. As I said in the email -- don't try to 'scrub' (the skin is sore enough) -- mostly you're just knocking off whatever scabbing comes off easily (some of that old scabbing denies air to the wounds and needs to be debrided anyway) but you aren't **trying** to be harsh at all. To be honest, in as many zillions of baths that Tink got, I only used ONE bar of PanOxyl 5% soap once I started that in August. And in July alone I think I went thru 2-3 bottles of shampoo and face wash. I really wanted to minimze the chemicals and the bar soap let me do that.
I sent you the article -- it gives you a grocery list of herbs and homeopathics I used. I like your idea of the homeopathic thuja tho -- that's a good idea. **Particularly** since she'll have had vaccines to get her out of "jail". The other really *good* homepathic -- just use it a day or two -- would be Ledum. (Dr. Demers had me use that after Tinks Rabies vax at a year old and we had NOT A BIT of demodex come back as a result)
miranadobe
I think Revolution is an Ivermectin derivative, but I've heard it's gotten good results.
Revolution really doesn't do much at all because revolution stays in the bloodstream and demodex mites eat *skin oil* so they literally never touch the bloodstream.
The mainstream vets are using Advantage-Multi -- which has moxidectin in it (can anybuddy say "ProHeart 6"???? ugh) and no WAY would I use that.
Also they're using ProMeris -- which is another spot on that goes systemic -- it uses the stuff that was in Mitaban dip (a/k/a amitraz) except it literally pushes it into the bloodstream to STAY there for a mont. Again - -not something I'd use in a million years because of the huge systemic effects it can have.
What Amanda and I are talking about is a method where you avoid the chemicals as much as possible, while boosting the immune system so the body learns to function as it should. The only reason for using the benzoyl peroxide soap/shampoo (which is rugged stuff and not something you want to use forever) is because it specifically opens the pores like a carburetor so you literally wash mites down the drain rather than putting a pesticide on the dog to stay there.
This will resolve well -- and it won't take Amanda long to make a HUGE difference in this dog.
And just FYI -- mirandobe is absolutely correct -- this looks beyond heinous, but don't envision someone deliberately "doing" this to a dog. This sort of skin response blows out hard and fast, particularly after use of the DHLLP vaccines (and if the breeder vax'd and then the owner vax'd and vax'd it happens FAST). Or it is also possible this is more just plain neglect than anything else.
It's a strange thing that happens -- the dog's skin begins to fall apart fast, but then people get scared to even "dump" the dog in any kind of rescue because they're afraid of being judged. So they wait longer and the skin gets worse and worse and worse FAST.
The other thing going into play is her age. At close to 4 months, the body is beginning to undergo serious maturing -- BIG TIME teething (or she should be -- but may be developmentally stunted a bit because of lack of proper nutrition) but also the body is starting to prepare in earnest for sexual maturation and that is probably the *biggest* trigger for demodex. Although it's not the optimum choice, usually it's best to give them their critical vax and spay *now*. (hopefully with a vet who is an excellent surgeon). So you get ALL the triggers dealt with at one time.
Normally waiting to spay is a good idea, but with demodex THIS bad, if you don't stop sexual maturation it becomes a runaway freight train and you can't get ahead of it to really commence healing. When I got Tink here from Texas on July 9, 2008, I met Dr. Bailey at his office and he gave her ONE round of core vax (distemper, parvo & adenovirus). She'd had the rabies vax before she left Texas on July 5. And also on July 9 he spayed her. ALL at the same time.
They can only break out so much as a result of trigger events. And getting ALL the triggers over with so the body can concentrate on healing is the big deal here.
But THEN she began to heal and heal FAST. So will this gal --
I have to emphasize -- this isn't your typical "wait to spay" situation ... this is pretty much medically necessary to stop the sexual maturation so the body *can* catch up with itself.
I'm tickled her ears are natural. She is going to be a gorgeous gal!!