Not sure what could help.

[Semtex]

[MENTION=2092]JAKEISGREAT[/MENTION]
[MENTION=2291]cowsmom[/MENTION]
[MENTION=959]kazzy220[/MENTION]
[MENTION=4225]Twice[/MENTION]

 

[Twice]

Abby was 6 months old when her immune system took a vacation and she got demodex mange (mites). From what I was told these mites are with the animal their entire lives starting from birth. They only get out of control when the immune system is weakened. She had a bad reaction to the Ivermectin so we took her off of it after the first few days. I posted all about it at the time, I'm sure we can find it here somewhere.

The mange cleared up on its own by vitamin supplements, weekly neem oil baths, baby oil on the raw crusty spots and my trusty apple cider vinegar.

 

[izstigspunks]

Hiya! Gotta say first that Gilbert is one handsome boy and really love his name!

Now down to the nitty gritty. When my Stig had mange/mites, it was a secondary reaction to his allergies. Like the members mentioned before me, they live with the mites their whole lives and only when their immune system is compromised that it becomes an issue. It looks like Gilbert's red wrinkles are from his allergies too. Stig's also turned red and raw, and had lumps that would scab. The only thing that really cured him was changing his food as he was allergic to something in it. They're currently on the raw diet, but when we did a food trial, I found that he did best on Fromm Salmon. If it existed before, we would've tried a grain-free, chicken-free one, which is the beef frittata.

The vet prescribed 6-weeks worth of interceptor to fight the mange, but stopped in the middle of treatment when we found the right food for him.

 

[kazzy220]

He is such a beautiful boy. Those do look like inflamed wrinkles ... I would start the treatment for the mites and see how that goes then you can start to look for ways to boost his immune system and also maybe look at switching up the food he's eating.

 

[izstigspunks]

To continue (I had to leave for a bit to eat dinner :D), everyone gave great advice. Start with the mange meds, try to boost his immune system, and research for good food.

What we realized after with Stiggy was that the store bought treats that we were giving him were the main culprits. Most of his symptoms subsided when we gave him fruits, veggies and his kibble instead.

 

[Semtex]

[MENTION=1209]savemejeebus[/MENTION] We have definitely looked into the FROMM dog food and were really interested in buying it. We are gonna start giving him fruits and vegetables to help boost his immune system. Would you recommend that we change his food while he is taking his medication?

 

[izstigspunks]

@savemejeebus We have definitely looked into the FROMM dog food and were really interested in buying it. We are gonna start giving him fruits and vegetables to help boost his immune system. Would you recommend that we change his food while he is taking his medication?

Hmm, it can go both ways I guess. We got lucky and found the right one for Stig so it worked out for him. Changing foods may cause a little more stress to the system if it's the wrong one. To be safe, I'd go for chicken-free and grain free. How long is the treatment plan for Gilbert? If it's 6 weeks like it was for Stig, I think it should be safe to change his food seeing it's such a long course.

Another alternative is to feed him the bland diet for a couple of days and see if there are any obvious changes. I'm not an expert on the bland diet though, and don't know if it will cause more stress to the system. I don't believe so, but let's wait until more people chime it.

 

[LoveMyBully82]

He is beautiful! I hope you get to the bottom of this and find a solution that works.

 

[bullmama]

We have never had mange mites but we have had skin infections which I believe are quite similar in symptoms. For Molly all the baths and medicines I was giving her was only helping a little bit, it was not until I changed her food that a miracle took place. She was on antibiotics, special shampoo and antihistamine and steriod pill for 3 weeks with little imprivement. Note she had just had pups so her immune system was low. Seriously within 24 hours of just a slow switch of the new food she was better. Mind you this was only 1/4 of her food, and it made all the difference to her health. By the time she was fully switched over she was a whole new dog. Salmon oil helped a LOT too!

If it were me, I would wait a week or two to see if the meds help, if not... I would certainly be trying a new food.


Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

 

[Semtex]

Thank you all for your concerns and helpful suggestions
These demodex mites really have us pulling our hair out. We are some worried parents.
So far, we've started to give Gilbert some oranges and carrots and bought some oatmeal shampoo to help his irritated skin.
We also went this afternoon to buy him some "Fromm" dog food hoping that this will help out.
I've been keeping an eye on the swelling and making sure that his tear drops stay dry. I've been using baby wipes to clean his face and using tissues to dry it out. Do you have any recommendations on what to use to clean and sanitize his inflamed wrinkles?

 

[kazzy220]

I've been using baby wipes to clean his face and using tissues to dry it out. Do you have any recommendations on what to use to clean and sanitize his inflamed wrinkles?

Are they just inflamed or are they infected ... and how raw do they look??

 

[Semtex]

[MENTION=959]kazzy220[/MENTION]

His under eyes have been a little swollen and teary. I've posted a picture that shows where his wrinkles are infected. His face is the only part of his body that looks red and infected.

 

[JAKEISGREAT]

If you are going to try a new food..be sure and do a slow transition. Over a 10 day period..start with 1/4 new ..3/4 old.. Do that for a few days. Then increase new to 1/2...and old 1/2. Do this for another few days. Then increase new to 3/4 ..old 1/4. Do again for a few days. After that go ALL in! You cn add canned pumpkin to help his tummy during the transition. Make sure its 100% pumpkin..NOT the pie filling! A spoonful over the kibble..will help ...What Fromm did you get? Grain free? What Protein?

I might suggest you try not to clean his wrinkles too much. They look very raw. Are you using unscented baby wipes? You can add a Tiny dab of desitin on a Qtip and apply to those red raw places. Poor baby...good thing he has you!

 

[Twice]

@kazzy220

His under eyes have been a little swollen and teary. I've posted a picture that shows where his wrinkles are infected. His face is the only part of his body that looks red and infected. View attachment 22715

You can try putting some bacitracin or neosporin on that.

 

[Semtex]

[MENTION=2092]JAKEISGREAT[/MENTION] We got him the beef frittata... Should we also get him Protein? What kind?