QuestionI recently took my pitbull to the vet and was given mitaban and antibiotics for mites that they stated was causing her to itch and lose hair. I have only given her one treatment. My neighbor suggested that I give her Ivonmic(?) Any suggestions, I was told that is a common problem with red nose pitbull with mange.
AnswerThe mitaban was a one-time dip, I assume. The vet should have first taken a skin scraping to determine what type of mites (they probably did). I don't know if the vet thinks it will go away after the 1 dip, or if they gave you an appt. for a re-check in 2 weeks another skin scraping to see if it lowered the amount of mites, they usually repeat the dip again.
Your neighbor is talking about Ivermectin, a common treatment for mange, this is what most dogs I've seen get treated with. Ask you vet about it so they can get the dosage and duration correct. Mange is an immune system problem- the mites live on the skin normally but have overgrown in this case, and it has a genetic link, it's common in all Pit Bulls, from Blues to Reds.
Another thing that can help is better nutrition, either a very high quality dog food or a balanced raw diet, both known to help boost the immune system.
For further reading: http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=630
