Demodicosis - Red Mange Episode

I wanted to get this information out there about Demodicosis which is also called Red Mange.  We finally got rid of the ear mites and all of a sudden about a month after we rescued Bella (the end of Feb 2010) she started to loose her hair on her belly and sides.  It was very patchy and you could tell that something was going on.  We took Bella back to the vet (this is a new vet we tried for Bella) and they informed us that Bella had Demodicosis.  Demodicosis or Red Mange is diagnosed by scraping the skin at the level of the hair follicle in various locations.  If mites are found, then the dog can be classified as having one of two types of mange: localized or generalized .  Localized mange is a mild disease. This is the form that Bella had fortunately.  Generalized mange is a severe, debilitating disease that can involve hair loss and skin infections of the entire body.  There is a hereditary predisposition to developing the generalized form: these dogs should be neutered as soon as their skin clears up.

Red Mange is caused by a microscopic mite (Demodex canis) that normally feeds and reproduces in hair follicles and oil-producing glands of the skin.  Most of the time it lives in harmony with your dog.  However, when your dog's immune system is not working properly they seize this opportunity to reproduce uncontrollably and cause inflammation and secondary bacterial infections within the skin.  There are numerous factors that can trigger suppression for your dog's body defense mechanisms such as breed predisposition, stress, hormone imbalances and cancer therapy.  Puppies and older dogs usually get this mange as their immune systems are new or shutting down.  Pit Bulls are one of the breeds that tend to have a predisposition to this.

This mite is transmitted from the mother to her nursing puppy and is NOT CONTAGIOUS to humans and other animals.  This means that neither you nor your other pets have to worry about contracting this from your dog.

With all that being said, the new vet prescribed a product called Promeris which is in the form of a frontline or flea product which you snap the tube and put it in between your dogs shoulder bones.  She was also given puppy shots that day along with a sheet letting me know that she could be experience side effects from the shots.  We put the promeris on her and it smelled so bad it took your breath away.  We noticed that she was acting funny but chalked it up to the puppy shots.  We were to do the dosage that day and then do it again two weeks later and then once a month.  Two weeks go by and she looks to be kind of improving but we were told it would take a while.  Second dosage almost put Bella into a coma.  As soon as we put it on her within 5 minutes she looked like she was going to die.  She stood with her head against the wall to help hold her up. She started drooling like crazy and she was just not the same puppy.  Needless to say we were washing off this horrible product at midnight and praying that she would be ok by morning.  This stuff is like poison and they don't even put warnings or adverse reactions on the packaging.  I found out how bad this stuff is through a google search at midnight trying to do what we could for Bella.

Next day we took her to Boo Boo's vet and started treatment on her with IVOMEC which we had to give her nightly for 45 days.  This is a cow de-wormer and we were told it tasted nasty but that it would work and not make her sick.  She did not like the taste but she got a big treat every night after she took it.

It has cleared up and her hair is mostly back now.  We might have to put her back on it for a few weeks as she was spayed two weeks ago and the vet said that the surgery could possibly make it come back.  So far so good as we just got the stitches out on May 14th 2010 from her spaying. You have to keep watch in of the changes in your dogs skin and try and catch anything out of the normal as quickly as possible.  If you catch things soon enough then you can get them back to health quicker.  It has been an experience.

Moving with your Dogs

We decided to get Bella about a month before we were moving.  There is a lot to consider when you are moving into a new house and you have a dog.  It is important to have some extra understanding that your dog will be anxious during a move.  My dogs knew something was going on as they saw the boxes getting piled up and things around them disappearing.  If you are able to bring your dog to the new home before the move it will help the transition.  We had access to my new home about a month before we actually moved in so we brought the dogs out there as much as possible during the month before we moved and everything went seamlessly.  We just needed to pick out the dog's sleeping arrangements.

Boo Boo already sleeps in with our son so Bella will be sleeping in the guest bed room.  It is important to pick out a spot for the crate and try to leave it there to do the crate training.  We purchased a new crate for Bella that had a movable divider inside it. I made sure the crate was big enough for her as she grows.  I bought a large size crate since she will be a pretty big dog when she is at the end of her puppy stage. 

Just leave enough room in the crate for your puppy to be able to turn around in.  If the puppy has too much room you will end up with accidents in the crate.  The crate will help potty train your puppy. As Bella grows I will move the divider and make the crate bigger for her.  I have taught Bella that her crate is where she goes to sleep and where she goes when we leave the house.  I taught her to go to her crate when I say "crate Bella".  Boo Boo learned to go to her crate with Night Night.  Whatever it is you want to say to get them to understand that when you say the word they go into the crate.  Boo Boo was out of her crate around the 9 month mark.  I think that Bella will not need as long in the crate as Boo Boo.  Bella is not as much of a spaz as Boo was when she was Bella's age.  I wash the bedding in the crate once a week. 

I had a friend tell me that she read that the crate could be viewed as a punishment to the puppy.  The crate is not any form of punishment unless you make it that way.  I gently coaxed Bella into her crate and had her lay down and would pet her for a few minutes.  The crate should be a place they go to wind down as well.  Puppies need down time as much as play time.  Don't forget to make sure you take off your puppy's collar before putting it in the crate.  It is very dangerous to leave the collar on and it will be more comfortable for the puppy without it on in the crate.  Crate training is in my opinion the best way to train your puppy.  It keeps your puppy safe while you are away from the home and it also keeps your belongings intact.  It is great for your sanity as well.  I will talk about more crate training tips as I go and as I get Bella to do different things I will update on that.  Bella is not giving me a hard time at all with the crate.  She is happy to go to her crate when told and it looks like the crate training with Bella is turning out to be a success.

Rescuing Bella a Pit Bull Puppy

I decided to start this blog to help raise awareness on the Pit Bull breed.   We rescued Bella from a farm when she was 14 weeks old.  She was rescued on Sunday Jan 24th 2010.  We have another rescued dog who is three and a half years old and she is a Lab mix.  Her name is Boo Boo and she welcomed Bella into our home with open paws.  Bella is now only six months old and I will get up to speed with her progress as quickly as possible so that anyone who is training a Pit Bull or any puppy can read to see her progress. You will also be able to gain helpful tips on training a new puppy as Boo Boo is a great dog as she can do all of the tricks and some really cool ones too like she can count and I shoot her with my fake finger gun and she drops and puts her feet up.  Tricks are one thing but crate training, leash walking, potty training and all aspects of raising a puppy will be covered.  We had great success with our first puppy Boo Boo and I am certain that we will have the same success with Bella
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First thing Monday morning Jan 25th we took Bella to the vet for a once over and to make sure that she was given her shots correctly and all the other fun stuff they do to new puppies.  Turns out that she needed to have additional worming medication and she had a bad ear mite infestation. We were given all the medication needed to cure her and we were back home to get used to her new surroundings.

We had crate trained our Lab mix so we were very prepared to get Bella used to her new sleeping arrangements.  Bella had spent all of her previous life outside in a pen and only had a blue tarp that was on top of the pen to try and keep the rain off her as well as a small dog house she called home.  Bella went through the very cold Central Florida winter months outside and I was amazed that she made it through all those continuous cold night and days. The first night in the crate was not a very good one as well as the first week in the crate. Bella ended up with bad diarrhea due to the worming medicine that they had put her on and probably had a nervous stomach since she was in new surroundings  Life was not good at our house the first week as Bella would explode at least one to two times a night and her bedding had to be changed in the middle of the night.  I felt like I had an infant but the infant did not have a diaper on so it was not a good scene.

The next few weeks got better as Bella was no longer on the worming medication and she was getting used to going outside kind of.  It is funny how she spent the whole first 3 months of her life relieving herself outside and the first month with me going in the house on too many occasions.  Needless to say we got through the rough spots with that but it took a lot of patience and a few tricks that I will share with you.

Bella will be raised with a ton of love and understanding and no knowledge that she is a Pit Bull.  She will think that she is just another dog unless someone tells her but I have sworn my family to secrecy.  She will learn the good habits of her elder Boo Boo and be taught that she has a place in the family and that she is not a scary dog that should be feared.  She will be raised to be balanced and have boundaries as Boo Boo does.  She will be a great family dog and she will not be treated as if she has a disease because she is a Pit Bull.