Why is my dog not eating during mange treatment but still energetic?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding the stray dog. It is difficult to say why his appetite is a bit decreased. I recommend continuing offering him food as you have been doing. If he demonstrates other signs of illness or seems to be losing weight, then that would be concerning. In this case, I would try to seek veterinary care for him if possible. Otherwise offer him food as normal and monitor his intake. He could be finding food elsewhere and appetite can vary with environmental temperature and stress levels. Good luck!

A decrease in appetite is a general sign of illness. If Deke is being treated for heartworm and is showing new signs of illness, it would be best to let your vet know so they can examine him and make sure there aren't any complications from the medication or his treatment that need to be addressed. A complete exam is also a good idea to rule out any other health issues that may be causing it.

Hello, sorry to hear about Tyson. It looks like his condition is improving. There are other recent medications that can be used to treat this disease such as heartguard, nexgard, and interceptor have been used. Recently, Nexgard has been used more often due to the ease of use since it is given orally. This will likely improve the demodex, but will likely not treat the decreased appetite. He may need to have bloodwork to make sure that there are no concurrent conditions that affect his appetite such as liver disease, anemia, or kidney disease. If his appetite continues to be poor, contact your veterinarian immediately to have him evaluated and to discuss the use of alternative medications for his demodex. Hope this helps and best of luck.

It depends on which type of mange you are actually treating. You are supplementing his skin well. The only other thing you can add is a weekly bath to help the skin and clean the coat. For demodex mange it is best to use a benzyl peroxide shampoo while scabies mange can be treated with any shampoo as it does not have to treat the deep hair follicles

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is likely due to mange which is contagious. However, other skin conditions such as allergies cannot be ruled out. It is concerning that he is not eating. Loss of appetite can be observed with many conditions such as gastroenteritis, dietary indiscretion, kidney disease, pancreatitis, among many other possibilities. I recommend that you have Yoyo evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to check for these possibilities and others depending on the findings on exam. Treatment would be based on findings. Good luck and have a great day! Hoping for a speedy recovery!

Sometimes it takes more than one round of treatment to treat mites. If your dog has demodectic mange your veterinarian will have to look at the underlying cause of the repeated outbreak as demodextic mange usually lies dormant until the dog has a compromised immune system. If it is sarcoptes mange then your dog may have reinfected himself. Your veterinarian can prescribe Bravecto, a chew that covers fleas, ticks and all types of mange, even demodectic mange.

It isn't uncommon for dogs going through mange therapy to initially get itchier as the mites die and cause inflammation. However secondary infections are also very common with mange. It is common for a dog to be on antibiotics and perhaps an anti-itch medication in addition while being treated for the mange. You could call the veterinarian that prescribed the mange treatment to discuss antibiotics and/or medication to help with his itching. Sometimes a topical shampoo helps but often oral medications are needed.