Demodectic Mange (also called Red Mange) is a non-contagious skin disease. It is caused by a tiny parasite (mite) that lives in the hair follicles and skin glands of the dogs. Puppies are infected with mites from contact with the skin of their mother while nursing.

Red Mange is seen in two forms:
1) Localized mange which is confined to a few small areas such as the face or front feet, and is relatively easy to treat.

2) Generalized mange is one of the most severe canine skin disease, and treatment is NOT always successful!

Since a hereditary predisposition is suggested. Affected dogs should be spayed to prevent passing the disease on to their offspring. Even though all pups in the litter may not show signs of Demodex, they still may be a carrier capable of passing on the disease to their offspring. Dogs should also be spayed to reduce the stress of the estrus (heat) cycle which may cause acute flare-ups of this disease.

The mites are present in the skin of many healthy dogs and do not cause disease. It is thought that pets diagnosed with Demodectic Mange are immuno-deficient--not able to fight off the mites as a healthy dog would do. This allows large numbers of the mites to appear.

Demodex occurs almost exclusively in young dogs (3 months to 1 year of age). When the disease is seen in older animals it is often the sign of another more serious problem and is often more difficult to treat. Animals with small, local lesions of Demodex usually recover well without recurrence.

 Diligent, time-consuming therapy is required for full recovery in the severe, generalized cases. Because a defect in the immune system plays a part in this disease, some dogs DO NOT recover! If the skin infection spreads to other parts of the body, the dog may become systemically sick and even die.

Severely affected animals that do recover seldom show signs of the disease again. However there are some dogs that require a periodic treatment for the rest of their life to keep the disease under control.

Symptoms:
The skin may become infected with bacteria--eventually allowing the hair follicles to rupture expelling pus. The skin may become dry, crusty, brittle, and ooze serum, blood, or pus. A strong, offensive skin odor may be present due to the secondary bacterial infection.

Treatment:
Medication must be individualized to your particular pets stage of disease and clinical signs present.  Your veterinarian will prescribe the appropriate anitbiotic, shampoo, dip, ointment, and insecticide.

The dogs hair must be clipped as short as possible to allow the medication to reach the skin properly.

Be sure the dog's immunizations are up-to-date and that the dog is free of internal parasites. This is especially important since the dog's immune system is already not working as it should be.

Be prepared to diligently treat your dog for 6-12 weeks minimum. YOU will be the major reason your pet recovers.

 Your dog usually will look WORSE for 2-4 weeks after treatment is begun because of the hairs that are already affected when treatment is begun. Recovery takes a minimum of 6-12 weeks in most cases. Many cases fail to respond due to a lack of proper treatment by YOU--the owner!

The recovery rate is approximately 85% with a 6-8 treatment procedure. An additional 6 treatments will increase the recovery rate to about 95%. 5% of affected dogs do NOT respond to treatment and will NOT recover.