Well we still havent had the results from Gus's skin scrape back yet but after doing some reading I came across Demodectic Pododermatitis .
Now I havent a clue whether it could be due to this or not but I was wondering whether anyone on CD had ever had a dog with this before ? How long did it take to diagnose as it seems the mites can be buried quite deeply - If this was  diagnosed was it relatively easy to clear up or not ?
Lesley

Demodectic mange is not that uncommon in young dogs, especially short coated ones and it is caught from the dam whilst feeding, the outbreak starting on the head and/or feet, the parts that were in close contact with the dam. All dogs carry the mite but it only seems to cause problems when the dog is suffering low immunity. It is easy to cure but requires determination, it can recur and you will be advised if this is the problem not to your the dog for breeding as a tendency to low immunity is thought to be hereditary.

Thanks Jacki
I just want to be able to start asking the vet whether it is likely to be this or that . They havent taken it very seriously up to now and keep dishing out Pednasone (sp?) but I believe they can lower the immune system ? Anyway shes given us different tablets this time.

Most Vets will have a microscope adequate for looking at a scrape for the Demodectic surprised if the vet sent it away to look for that mite only, they are probably having a full investigation done.

She hasnt even mentioned that paricular one to us - I'm just searching around for clues I suppose :(

Not my first dog but my first Elkhound had it and I went to the vet and she thought it was Ringworm and treated him for that, I did what you did and read a book and asked if it was Demodectic mange. No she said, dogs with long coats don't get it, only breeds like Boxers. But it did not improve within a few days so back I went, is it demedectic mange do you think, no, is he scratching, no he is not, I'm sure it can't be I'll change his ointment and give you some tablets and a hood. This went on for 3 weeks and in the end she said you madam have all most convinced me it is Demodectic mange; I'll do a scrape. When I went to collect him she said come in, do you want the good new or the bad news, I said 'cut it out' and she said well the good new is you were right and the bad news is he has demodectic mange. So go for it girl, mother does sometimes know best.

Jacki
Did you treat it with a dip ?
and did it take long to clear ?

Can't remember what was used on his first attack but remember being told it was something that was used on pigs, it took about 6 weeks to clear the first time he had it. Later in his life it became more and more difficult to deal with, we used Ivermecti in the end but his immune system was shot by then as an indirect effect of his being castrated.

We have a rescue dog in at the moment, a gsd who's now 14 months.

She had dreadful demodex when she came in, complicated by secondary infection and ringworm.

We're still treating her, and making slow progress (six months on), will email you photos tonight.

If it is demodex,then giving any steroids will just cause it to multiply as they are contraindicated for demodex.

We used imaverol dips to start with, plus antibiotics for the infection and fulcin for the ringworm.

We've now gone the homeopathic route with a vet who does both homeopathic and conventional vet treatment, as we were given the option of high doses of invermection for -4-6 weeks which I wasn't too thrilled with

We have a rescue dog in at the moment, a gsd who's now 14 months.

She had dreadful demodex when she came in, complicated by secondary infection and ringworm.

We're still treating her, and making slow progress (six months on), will email you photos tonight.

If it is demodex,then giving any steroids will just cause it to multiply as they are contraindicated for demodex.

We used imaverol dips to start with, plus antibiotics for the infection and fulcin for the ringworm.

We've now gone the homeopathic route with a vet who does both homeopathic and conventional vet treatment, as we were given the option of high doses of invermection for -4-6 weeks which I wasn't too thrilled with

I have a Bullmastiff that I rescued and hand reared at 3weeks old.
My Mastiff bitch helped to rear him although she was speyed.
He was fine until we neutered him at 6mths, literally.
Within a month he had started to lose hair around his neck and face.
We took him back to the vet who treated him with, a-somthing or other, sheep dip.
I'll remember eventually.
Anyway, the vet said that if the condition was 'stress' related, it would go away.
It did. Vinnie only suffers if he gets stressed, like when Robyn gets his head on.
Every time his hair grows back he looks gorgeous then he gets stressed and he looks a state.
I now use T-Gel on him and it works excellently. His hair grows back no bother. Once a fortnight and he is beautiful.
D4wn

With some dogs low immunity can be triggered with stress, and it is in dogs with low immunity that the demodetic mite increases in numbers and causes trouble. My dog started after castration and continued a intervals throughout his life. This was not helped because he had to take HRT a couple of years after the castration also for the rest of his live and the male hormone he had to take to replace those his testis would normally produce were steroids. Steroids produced by the body seem to cause no troubles but those introduced are known to cause lowered immunity, so the whole thing became a vicious circle.

I have contacted the vets this morning for the results of the scrape but she says they normally take 7-10 days to come back . I'm sure she told us it would only be a few days when he was having it done :rolleyes: