[Nicky10]

Hi,

I have a question about Demodectic mange.
I bred my Rat Terrier. Got 3 beautiful puppies. When the pups were 9 weeks old, I notice some hair loss on one of the pups. Brought her to the Vet. She was diagnose with Demodectic mange. I had to dip all the pups with Mitaban every 3 weeks. I did it a total od 4 times. They are all doing good now. My question is, is Demodectic mange a inherited problem or is it just brought on by stress to the immune system?
We also had a problem with diarrhea. First they had Coccidia. Treated them for 10 days on Albon. They still had the diarrhea. Brought in another stool sample to the Vet. Now they have worms. Even tho I have been worming them since they were 2 weeks old every 2 weeks. So now they are on Panucar for 3 days. Still more diarrhea. It was getting very frustrating. The Vet checked them for giardia. That came back negative. But he put them on a antibotic for 5 days anyways. Which finally took care of it.
So could have all the diarrhea caused their immune system to let the mites become active? Or is it only broght on by the mom?
I emailed the breeder, but have not got a responce yet.
I'm just wondering if I should breed her again or not. I don't want to have to go throgh this again. Thanks.

[pinsnpugs]

Demodectic is the type brought on by a weakened immune system, stress, etc. It is not genetic and not contagious. The mites are present on all dogs, but are generally kept in check naturally.

Which came first, the diarrhea or the hair loss? When the Albon didnt work did he give you Flagyl? That will usually be the next med and works very well.

What type of worms did the vet diagnose with? Tape, hook, round, whip?
Depending on the type and the severity could explain the mange mites increasing also could explain them having worms even though you wormed them.

What type of wormer do you generally use on your pups? And what type did the vet find?

[Nicky10]

They were treated for the coccidia first. Then we did another stool sample. The Vet found Round worm. The wormer I was using was from a online store. It was called pro-wormer(pyrantel pamoate) to remove large roundworms and hookworm.
The Vet then put them on panacur for 3 days for the worms. Then they were diganose with the mange inbetween the panucar and the Vet putting them on the Flagyl for 5 days. They had diarrhea for a while, poor puppies.
They went to their new homes when they were 14 weeks old. I had done 3 dips by then and the mites were gone. The new owners brought them back to me a couple days ago, so I could dip them one more time, just to be on the safe side. They both looked good. And they got great homes.
My concern is should I breed her again or not. I don't want to have to put more pups through that. And I don't want to go though that again. I know the Coccidia is in the house. Hard to get rid of. So I will have to treat the next litter with the Albon right away, before the diarrhea got out of control. And get a different wormer.

[pinsnpugs]

Coccidia can be gotten rid of through cleaning. Wash all bedding, all areas of floor, walls, etc that the pups and mom were near throughout the house, and also treat the yard where she goes out at. Use Ammonia...bleach will not kill it. A minimum 10% ammonia/water solution will.

For worming. First be sure to worm mom prior to breeding and then her and pups at 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks etc.....and I would use Panacur liquid.
You can get a small bottle at the vet or go to the feed staore and buy a bottle for goats...same med, just a smaller size bottle and cheaper than the vet unless you want to buy the giant bottle for cattle at over $100 bucks a bottle, lol.

She should be fine to breed again, as this is not a hereditary issue and not contagious. If, in fact the next litter has the same issue, I would have mom checked out as well as pups for immunity disorders to see if it is making them more prone.

Is the dip they gave you a sulfer based dip? Smells like rotten eggs and stains everything? That is what works best, unfortunate it is so gross to smell.

[Nicky10]

Yeah, the dip did smell pretty bad. It was called Mitaban. I don't know if it was sulfur based or not. But, it did work.

I will get the wormer from the vet next time.

Thanks for all the information.

[Yogi]

I would note also, de-worming the dam the same time as you de-worm the pups. As noted, the dam should be de-wormed prior but also at the same time as when you start with the pups.

[pinsnpugs]

"First be sure to worm mom prior to breeding and then her and pups at 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks etc....."

Yep...thats why I posted "then HER and her pups at 2 weeks", etc, etc.....

[Yogi]

Originally Posted by pinsnpugs

"First be sure to worm mom prior to breeding and then her and pups at 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks etc....."

Yep...thats why I posted "then HER and her pups at 2 weeks", etc, etc.....

OOPS! sorry, I missed that....

[mightymite]

I am a little worried about all the things your dog came down with. I have many close friends who are Yorkie breeders who just about NEVEr need to deworrm their bitches or pups because they simply do not come down with worms. Both the dogs and the bitches are worm free. Did you send your bitch to the dog's owner? What do you know about the dog owner and his/her kennel conditions?

[Nicky10]

I have the male here. I don't know why I had such bad luck with these last two litter of puppies. Never had these problems before. All my dogs are house dogs. I don't have kennels. And the house is kept clean. This whole year had been nothing but bad luck for us. I don't get it. But, thanks for your concern.