About a month ago my dog (14...

Question
About a month ago my dog (14 month old Malamute) got a blackish mark under
her eye.  She had been playing with some dogs easrlier in the day and I
assumed it was a little nip mark.  The area got progressively bigger so my
wife took her to the Vet.  The doctor confirmed that the problem was mites
(after scraping the area and examining under a microscope).  The vet said
there is no treatment and that the problem MAY fix it self.  He gave us
some ointment to apply, charged us $90.00 and sent us on our way.  We have
been appk=lying the ointment and the spot, although not getting smaller is
at least soft.  My question then is what do you know about this and what
can we do to help out dog?  Thanks for your help on this matter.  

Answer
If the vet saw mites, then they are Demodex mites, sometimes known as red mange.  In real young puppies, this may go away on its own, but in a dog 14 months old, I would recommend systemic treatment because it is probably not only where you can see it, but in other places on the body where the hair has not fallen out yet.  There are 2 ways to do this.  One is by dipping the dog in an insecticide called amitraz every 2 weeks for 6 dippings. The other way is to give a drug called ivermectin every day by mouth.  You need to ask your vet about these 2 treatments.