How safe are mange treatments for my 12-pound puppy's immature body?

Hello again. I am glad that you got her tested and got to the bottom of her skin problems. The veterinarian will have to give you specifics on how to give this medication because by law we are not allowed to give out the very complex dosage regimen for ivermectin without having first physically examined Pushinka. We are bound to the rules of the veterinary client patient relationship act, which prohibits this or we fear disciplinary action and even a loss of our license. If you ask your vet they will likely give you the dosages that she needs based on her weight. She will need to be on this for roughly 4-6 weeks. She needs to have 2 negative skin scrapes before being taken off the medication and skin scrapes should be done every 3 weeks. I would also continue the shampoo we discussed to also control the secondary bacterial infections that are occurring on her skin. I would then discuss with your vet about prescribing dosages for an antihistamine to hopefully help control the itch. Best of luck with Pushinka!

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Bella. Bravecto can be used in puppies under 6 months but it's considered off-label or extra-label use. Puppies under 6 months are now treated with Bravecto for demodectic mange so it's safe. Just make sure you use the correct dose for her current weight. Here's part of a thread I copied from a veterinarian only peer-reviewed site- Bravecto should be safe to use, as would be Simparica or Nexgard. Nexgard is labelled for puppies 8 weeks or older, but with either of these drugs you would be using it off label based on using it for treatment of demodicosis, as well as based on the dog's body weight and/or age. If I were to use one of these products, I would go monthly with either Nexgard or Simparica, and every 2 months with Bravecto for this little guy. Another option is Advantage multi even though the dog is not quite 3 lbs - use every 10 days topically. This is a labelled option though not as effective as the off label treatments in my opinion. If/When the dog gains some weight over the next couple of months, you could always switch to an Isoxazoline drug if the Advantage multi isn't benefitting adequately. Good luck

No Ivermectin is not safe, if your vet chooses to use ivermectin he must do an MDR-1 blood test prior to that, this test will reveal if your dog has the gene that causes sensitivity to ivermectin (and other drugs). if you dog is MDR-1 positive there are alternatives, personally i use Bravecto to treat Demodex in all dogs, it's very effective and works better than ivermectin in my experience, it is also safer than ivermectin.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Personally, I no longer use Ivermectin to treat Demodex. I stopped about a year ago. I started using Bravecto (flea and tick preventative) that is used to treat Demodex off label. It is not marketed for use in cases of Demodex but many vets, including myself, have been using Bravecto to treat Demodex cases with very fast responses to treatment. I would discuss this as a different treatment option with your veterinarian. Rather than using Ivermectin injections, the Bravecto is given as a treat and lasts for about 3 months for one single dose. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

The only way to definitively diagnose mange (Demodex) is by skin scrapings which should be repeated every 2-3 weeks during treatment until 2 negative skin scrapings are found. Make sure that the flea and tick medication prescribed will also treat mites (milbemycin or moxidectin) and keep in mind that the dosage frequency is different for mite treatment than it is for flea preventative. Treatment needs to continue for 1-2 months after there is a negative skin scraping. Steroids are usually contraindicated in treatment of Demodex. Demodex mites are not contagious to other animals so your other dogs may not be affected.

Prescription monthly Nexgard flea and tick preventative also kills mange and is approved for a 4 month old dog (monthly Simparica and Bravecto every 12 weeks also work off label to kill mange but are labeled for dogs 6 months and older). She can be just on monthly Nexgard without the ivermectin therapy but both are safe as well. I recommend inquiring with your vet about monthly Nexgard for Winter and seeing if she may have underlying allergies as well which can predispose dogs to getting mange. Prescription Apoquel pills or monthly Cytopoint allergy injections Injections are both very effective in treating itchiness from environmental allergies (typically characterized by paw licking, scratching, chronic anal gland issues, chronic ear infections). Good luck!

Mara needs the medications to treat the mites. Some dogs do need lifetime treatment. The good news is that many dogs will respond to the new oral flea and tick medications such as Nexgard and bravecto which may clear or keep demodex in check. Mara should also be spayed- demodex has a genetic component so she should not have puppies but beyond this each heat cycle stresses her immune system and makes an outbreak more likely. Grain free is not necessary, while it shouldn't hurt her it is a marketing gimmick by food companies and not based on medical research. Please schedule her a veterinary visit asap to get her treated, the skin infections that accompany demodex are severely painful. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A