Demodex and Ivermectin - Kallee 16wks Old

Welcome to the board!

Demodex is actually fairly common in young GSDs and often goes away on its own with good nutrition and care, especially when you're only dealing with a small spot. There are lots of people on here who can offer you great info about natural supplements that may help. I'm sure they'll be weighing in.

I've used liquid ivermectin to treat demodex in several foster dogs and if you're going the medical route, I definitely prefer it to dips. Some of those dips are harder on their skin than the mange is! One thing you've got to watch out for with ivermectin is that it can be toxic at high doses and can actually cause vision problems - although these are typically reversible. Depending on the recommended dose, that might or might not be an issue in this case.

you can also use invermectin like a heartguard since invermectin is the active ingredient in heartguard. im not sure of the dosage and wouldnt advice using it on a pup but it is a cheaper alt. route than speding 50+ on heartguard. one bottle usually lasts a year.

It should resolve on it's own--it is not serious at all. Rafi had it and I treated it with Neem Oil and apple cider vinegar (applied them separately on opposite days) on the spots and also boosted his immune system using Ester C and some immune supplements.

Honestly, with your puppy being so young I would really wait and see if it will resolve on its own before using the Ivermectin.

Kodee had this when he was about 9 weeks old or so, but it was in multiple spots (started out on his muzzle, then under his eye). My vet had me use a medicated shampoo daily for a month (yes, a MONTH!) It had benzoyl peroxide in it. I had to lather him up (ended up doing his whole body, b/c during the first bath I realized his hocks were completely bald!), and leave the lather on for 10-15 minutes before rinsing. Within about 4 days I could see the fur growing back in, but I did the treatment for the whole month. I used a good conditioner and started him on Salmon Oil and Vit E to help his skin not to dry out too much. This treatment worked great.

My dog had this (non-gsd) and I used the Goodwinol cream that my vet recommended with great success. Check out this link for more information.

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

Eli had Demodex about 3 months ago (round his mouth). The advice of the dermatologist I spoke to was to do nothing so long as there were no more than 5 small patches and they weren't rapidly increasing in size. He did great for a few weeks but then he became more patchy so Eli was prescribed Ivermectin at the increasing dosage that your vet is recommending for Kallee.

Eli responded well, his coat starting to grow back in within a couple of weeks. Eli was never bothered by the Ivermectin - I had thought that he would get smart and run away also.

I've decided to let it go and not do anything for now, and just keep a sharp eye on it. The spot under her arm is looking better and I would say the spot above her eye is unchanged. Unchanged, so better than getting bigger.

We'll see how it goes, like Spritsmam says, if it gets to growing everywhere, then I'll think about using the medicine. Just seems like serious medicine at this age.

Bowwowwow thanks for the recommendation as well. I picked up some multivitamins for her, hopefully boost that immune system a bit.

I use advantage multi for the dog that had demodex. It is approved in Europe for demodex mange mites, but not in the States. Still it is the same formula. So I use that monthly as a preventative, and no further problems. This is since we cleared it up with the demodex mange baths.

Good luck.