Apple Cider Vinegar....help!!

All dogs have demodex mange mites. The mites don't usually cause a problem. When the dog's immune system is weakened, the mites have a chance to start doing some damage. It's kind of common for adolescent male Dobermans to have outbreaks of demodex. Puberty plays heck with their immune systems, whether they're neutered or not. In a puppy with a good immune system, the mange should stay localized to just a few small spots. That's called localized demodex. You can leave it alone and it will usually go away on its own.

If the dog's immune system is too weak, the mites will spread, that's called generalized demodex. That needs to be treated. There are various ways to treat it. Mitoban dips are often used for cases of generalized demodex, but it can be dangerous to the dog so needs to be done by a competent vet.

OTOH the other common mange mite is sarcoptic. It's important to take the dog to the vet for skin scrapings to find out what is causing the itching before trying to treat it.

Here is a picture of how bad coco got last summer...we never found out for sure if it was mange or allergies...but it showed up in the spring and went away in the winter...so were hoping it doesnt come back this summer...but if it is allergies...it might...hopefully not as bad atleast...he didnt itch...he just licked his legs all the time. yuck it got so bad but its gone now so it went away on its own...just whether or not it is going to come back...for the summer I dont know...



notice the hairloss around the eyes but he had no problems at all with his ears...

we got coco the winter before this outbreak...and he was only about 10 months old when we got him...so he is probably about a year and a half here...he had a bad home...abused and alittle skinny...we he began to live with us...he shedded like crazy one time and grew silky hair in place of his coarse dry hair...it also changed color a little. then that summer is when he started to look like this. his groined area was red too...and redder on the days he was outside playing a lot...he didnt like walking in the grass...but we found some supplements that my mom would give him...neither a traditional vet nor our holistic vet even suggested it was mange...and insisted that it was allergies...

Possible mites? No offense, but that doesn't make sense to me. Mites, like fleas, leave evidence that you can see in the ear (dark, coffee-ground-looking flecks). Furthermore, a cotton ball swab would confirm their presence, certainly under a microscope at the vet's office. Mites are tiny, but you can see their movement w/the naked eye and may even see be able to see the mites themselves with a magnifying glass. Perhaps you swabbed his ears out before you took him to the vet and inadvertently destroyed the evidence? Yes, IF your cat had mites they could have transferred to Bruno. There are many different kinds of mites but they're all nearly microscopic and they are located everywhere their food source (flesh) is. There are mites in YOUR bedding and in your pet's bedding and floating in the air all times of year, not just warm weather. When they find a comfy, warm place to live with a built-in food source, they congregate there--a good reason to clean the dog's outer ears regularly. You can't prevent mites--they're everywhere--but you can make the environment less desireable for them to want to stay and proliferate.

Are Bruno's ears stinky? That would tell me there's an infection deeper in. Does he shake his head like he's got crawlies way down in there? Or is he scratching only the skin of his eyes, nose, face because it itches on the outside? Don't discount the possibility of a food allergy yet. The breeder had Oscar on Science Diet but he can't eat it now w/o scratching and, believe me, I know how that will drive anybody crazy. I don't know where you live, but in my area, even a bag of super-premium dog kibble is cheaper than a basic office visit with the vet, so personally, I was glad to try that avenue first.

Also, consider an airborne allergy. Since it's his eyes, ears and nose that are bothered, could it be something he's breathing in, like some product you're cleaning with, or spraying in the house; or even pollen in the air when he goes outside?

LMB, I'm just giving info that I know from experience and making some suggestions because God knows how miserable Bruno must be and I'm sure you're looking for the fastest relief possible for him. Nobody likes to see her baby suffer. Good luck and I hope you both get relief fast.

Thanks everyone

No I did post a picture of Bruno where his eyes and nose are very evident to having something going on.

No his ear's are not affected and we didn't clean them before the vet. The vet checked them and said they were very good. The reason I'm thinking his ear's are getting sores is because he's trying to scratch his face, but is hitting his ears all at teh same time. Because his ears look great. No stink or anything. It's mainly his eyes and nose.

The vet did see him last week. She said that it looked like mites and gave me something for it. So I'm wondering if I should wait it out till she said? Or bring him back this week ASAP? A skin scraping is what she wants to do if it doesn't stop.

I also understand the bedding and stuff has to be washed. Which it is I just wasn't sure where he could have gotten the mites. Because they weren't evident when we got him home in late November. But only started to affect him late January/beinning of Febuary. Which is when my cat had died (Urinary Tract infection, nothing to do with mites lol Don't even know if he HAD them, just thought it could be a possibility). And only NOW has it gotten as bad as it is. Which is why I brought it to the vets attention.