Had a friend call and her pup has this. I am not familiar with it. Not a Lab, but should I stay away until treatment is done ? Sounded like it would go away with treatment.

That is a type of MANGE. Yes, stay away until you are sure it is cleared up.

MK

EVERY dog has demedectic mites. Some are not healthy for whatever reason and the mites can create an infestation and then there will be visible symptoms. Demodex is not contagious because your dogs already have it

Might still be a different type than what is normally populating your dogs--could infect pups or older dogs with compromised immune systems.

I would play it safe and stay clear.

MK

Demodectic mange is NOT contagious. Demodectic mites live on all of us - humans, dogs, cats, etc. When the immune system is compromised for a variety of reasons the mites overpopulate and begin to cause a reaction - hair loss, scratching, scaley and/or graying of the skin. Typical sites for the lesions are around the eyes, muzzle, and abdomen. The immune system could simply be immature or there could be other reasons such as poor nutrition or a genetic condition causing auto-immune reactions. Treatment is with steroids (oral and/or topical) to suppress the system until it can build itself up.

Thank you Sharon. You sure do know alot of good information. I do appreciate the facts. Immune systems can really cause some trouble for pups it seems. Hate all the stuff for the pups.

A friend just had this flare up on her English Bulldog. Dozer is 6 months old and is almost pure white. He is also showing signs of partial deafness - poor guy. He also seems to have allergy issues and is really racking up those vet bills.

There are only one type of demodex mites(for dogs) and they crawl onto the puppies from mom in the first few days of life. They are a normal inhabitant of dog skin. There are 2 forms, generalized(more than 5 lesions) and localized(less than 5). Don't really know what causes the localized, most will clear up on their own when the puppies immune system matures and kicks in. Generalized demodex is considered heritable and should be treated. Numerous ways to treat it but steroids are never to be given to a dog with demodex (or sarcoptic mange either). Steriods suppress the immune system and will allow the mites to flourish even more.The dog's own immune system does much of the work getting the mite numbers back to normal. We help with miticidal treatments and when necessary, antibiotics and shampoos for dogs with skin infections. There is also an adult onset demodex, usually middle aged and older dogs, and it is usually due to a serious systemic or immunosuppressive problem.Is not contagious but sarcoptic mange is!!

Thanks, great information. What will a lesion look like. She said it just look like some hair was missing on a couple of spots. Leg 2 spots and head lighter looking hair in a spot ? Is missing hair a lesion ?

The lesions are just missing hair, thin at first and then progressing to bare skin. The size of the lesions vary from dog to dog but usually no bigger than an inch and a half in the localized form. May be round, may have a very irregular shape. Sometimes by the time the spot is almost hairless there are small, pinhead sized bumps on the skin. Often these bumps are the best places to scrape.The mites look similar to little alligators on the slide and can still be moving. The looks on peoples faces when they look through the microscope can be priceless.The dogs with the generalized form can have much larger spots to the point of being almost hairless, often have nasty pyodermas, and have a characteristic odor to them. More info than you may have wanted but I hope it helps. Debbie