It is currently Thu Mar 28, 2024 12:14 pm

All times are UTC - 6 hours




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 5 posts ] 
Author Message
PostPosted: Wed Aug 06, 2003 1:32 pm 
Offline

Joined: Tue Apr 29, 2003 11:09 am
Posts: 1
Does anyone have any info on a natural treatment for demodectic or puppy mange that occurs in dogs? Our 4 month old Lab puppy
has this skin disease and I am searching for any help!


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Aug 07, 2003 6:57 am 
Offline

Joined: Sun Apr 06, 2003 10:59 am
Posts: 277
I believe I would start with tea tree oil on the dog. Demodectic mange can be hard to clear up, but the obvious first step is to rid the dog of the mites. This passage from a dog owner that I saved some time ago in a Google search seems like a reasonable approach:

"... bathe the animal thoroughly with mild soap and warm water. Clip away any excess hair or shave the area. Combine one teaspoon of tea tree oil in a cup of water and put mixture into a spray bottle shaking with each use. Spray the animal down thoroughly and allow them to stand for up to ten minutes. Use a paper towel to dab off the excess moisture, then dispose. Saturate a cotton ball with tea tree oil and dab onto the stubborn areas. This treatment should be repeated daily for at least one week or until signs of the mange are gone. Keep the animal isolated during treatment and disinfect the kennel or pet carrier as well."

I believe Neem extract would work also, and I would think that LiceBGone and/or FleaNtick Bgone also should work. Orange oil might be too harsh for broken skin spots, so I think I'd try the tea tree, Neem, or the Bgone enzyme products first before the citrus. Because it's a puppy, I'd watch for signs of irritation or adverse reactions with anything you try. That may be even more of a reason to use the mildest possible effective treatment.

As for the environs, I probably would wash what softs I could in hot water, spray the hard areas with an orange oil or d-Limonene solution, such as diluted Orange TKO. I can't say from memory whether beneficial nematodes can help with this type of mites in the yard/lawn or whether predatory mites can control the demodectic mites in the outdoor environment. A little Web research should help answer that question, or mabye someone on the forum knows that answer immediately. Finally and obviously, take a look at the dog's diet and evaluate whether a change might be in order; you probably already did that. Good luck.

_________________
In theory, theory and practice are the same; in practice, they aren't -- lament of the synthetic lifestyle.


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sun Aug 31, 2003 1:16 pm 
Offline

Joined: Tue May 20, 2003 9:49 pm
Posts: 66
Location: ,
Hi -

I had a couple of thoughts that you might want to explore. First, you might want to consider feeding your dog garlic (fresh would be best but powder sprinkled on food will also work). Garlic is a vermifuge (natural wormer) and sometimes reduces the incidence of external parasites. I had a dog once that was very bothered by fleas. I found that by liberally sprinking their food with garlic powder that the fleas all but disappeared. The dogs didn't seem to mind the taste. You might wonder about their breath. They did have a bit of garlic breath immediately after eating, but it wasn't any stinkier than their normal breath.

Garlic is a wonderful food and is well known for it's healing properties. It is both anti-bacterial and anti-fungal as well as anti-parasite/insect. It can be taken internally or used externally in a poutice or skin wash.

Another thought is sulfur. It is often beneficial for skin ailments, both topically and added to feed. Sulfur deficiency is often linked to exterior parasites in farm animals. I'm not sure how much you would add to a puppy's food. A full grown goat would get about 1 teaspoon a day......

By the way, garlic is a natural source of sulfer, so you might want to dust the puppy with sulfer or use a garlic wash topically and feed the garlic.

Regardless of the approach you take, you should probably focus on what you can do to improve the puppy's immune system. Almost all dogs and cats have the mites that cause this condition. They only become a problem when the animal is under some sort of stress that lowers it's ability to fight them off. So solving the problem is not just about killing the mite.

Good luck!

Marlyn


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: puppy care
PostPosted: Sun Aug 31, 2003 5:34 pm 
Offline

Joined: Sat May 10, 2003 5:48 pm
Posts: 806
Location: Weatherford,TX
I'm not sure about all of the previous messages but I would switch to Muenster Natural dog food ASAP! It makes a great defense against a lot of problems. Use what you think is right to get rid of the problem (hopefully organically) but think of curing the source or you will fight this yearly.

_________________
The "soap" you use is normally chemicals, etc. Use real SOAP !!


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Demodectic Mange
PostPosted: Sun Aug 31, 2003 8:00 pm 
Offline

Joined: Mon Aug 04, 2003 9:40 pm
Posts: 7
Location: The GREAT State of TEXAS
Howdy Ya'll. All of the above suggestions are great! But being a breeder of German Shorthaired Pointers, I might suggest getting a hold of the breeder of the Lab. This is a genetic problem that might go deeper than just clearing it up with tea tree and citrus. This could be quite serious and you could end up with an unhappy end to the story.

Please contact the Breeder to find out if the Parents or the Puppies have any signs of demodectic mange. Lab's tend to have skin problems and allergies. Try changing your Dog Food if the breeder has no signs of Demodectic.

We use Diamond Dog Food and Premium Edge. It is a Great Dog Food and we get NO kick back from the company. We have had offers from Pro Plan, Nutro and Iams to sponser our Kennel but we choose to stick with what we believe is the Best Dog Food for our Dogs. Good Luck! TR

_________________
Anytime spent Outside is time well spent!


Top
 Profile  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 5 posts ] 

All times are UTC - 6 hours


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
Powered by eWeblife