Demo Mange

Question
Dear Kristen,
I have a 22month old Bernese Mtn Dog who as demo mange,he is castrated and weighs about 57kg.The mange is on one side of his face near his lips,under his chin,and on his neck,all these areas are white fur.My vet gave him etiderm shampoo which I have to use twice weekly,sometimes it lessens only to reoccur at a later date. Is there a product I can buy with all the supplements in you recommend,or can you suggest anything to help.I did use the mitactin lotion but this seem to make it worse , it got very red and angry looking and hot to touch.
Thanking you in anticipation
Susan

Answer
Susan, demodectic mange is caused by the demodectic mite, which inhabits the hair follicles of ALL dogs. We even have a species of them living in our eyebrows! Yuck, right! *laugh* D. Mange occurs when the dog's immune system is compromised or suppressed for any reason, and allows the mites to proliferate out of control.

What I would recommend is giving him immune-boosting supplements. These include B-Complex (not high potency), Vitamin E, fish oil, zinc, and ester-C. You can use the vitamins that you can buy in the supplement section of K-mart and Wal-mart. If your dog will take them straight, you can give them to him straight. I found that grinding them up usually works best. You can give 1 of each per day, with the exception of the zinc. Zinc can be given once every 3 days, or even once every week, depending on the potency of the pills you get. You may be able to ask your vet for exact dosages. Your dog's mange is considered to be localized, and should be pretty easy to treat.