Demodex Mange

Mange is common in dogs and some types of mange are highly contagious. I got 3 different Pit bulls of shelters at different times and all of them had mange. Pit bulls are prone to skin disorders so it can be a real pain when you dog contracts mange.

The first type is Demodex mange and can also be called "Red Mange". Demodex mange is passed from the mother to the pups. All dogs have small amounts of mange but it when their immune system becomes weak that is when it can flair up. This type of Mange is not generally contagious to other dogs although it has been known to happen on some occasions. Demodex Mange mites live inside the hair follicles where it is hard for the medicine to reach. There is 3 types of Demodex mange which include:

General, localized and Demodectic Pododermatitis.

General is where the whole body of the animal can be affected. They can lose their hair and become infected with scaly skin. They can get secondary infections which can make their skin itchy or smelly.

Localized happens in isolated areas like around the face and eyes. This is common in puppies and sometimes can clear up as the dog grows up with proper nutrition.

Demodectic Pododermatitis happens in the paws of the dog and usually is accompanied by a secondary infection. This is one of the hardest forms of Demodosis there is to treat.

Don't breed animals with this disease as it looks like it can be hereditary.

The best treatment that I have seen for this is Invermectin. You can not give this medicine to certain herding breeds like Australian Shepherds and Collies.There is also the Dips that your vet will usually do because they have such strong chemicals in them.

If you are noticing symptoms of hair loss or itchy irritated skin then take your dog to the vet right away so you can find a coarse of treatment for you and your pet.

DONT DIP YOUR DOG IN MOTOR OIL!!! IF SOME ONE GIVES YOU THIS ADVICE TELL THEM TO GO FLY A KITE!