Itchy Skin--Dermodex Mites?

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CocoLeBear
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Itchy Skin--Dermodex Mites?

Post by CocoLeBear »

Hi All--

As you may know, Coco suffers from itchy skin from time to time. She is generally an itchy dog--allergic to beef and chicken and had a variety of skin issues when adopted from the SPCA including secondary infections from her food allergies.

For the last year (I adopted her in 1/2013), she has had a high quality salmon kibble. No beef or chicken. On heartworm preventative and flea and tick. I've never seen a flea on her. Every month or two, she tends to have a major itchy episode which I notice because she itches so much! Sometimes, she'll get a little crusty patch on her, and as it grows out, it flakes off like dandruff. Very odd. Almost like rain rot for any horse owners out there.

Was looking online and it could be an occasional over population of dermodex mites, which can apparently happen to dogs with weaker immune systems, especially if they encounter a stressor.

Has anyone else encountered this? Any other ideas to try/rule out? I find bathing her with medicated shampoo and conditioner every three weeks works well. She already had a high quality diet with fish oil supplements.
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maikinda
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Re: Itchy Skin--Dermodex Mites?

Post by maikinda »

Have you tried doing a apple cider vinegar rinse when she has a problem? Here is some information http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues ... .html?pg=3

Might be worth trying.

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sara
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Re: Itchy Skin--Dermodex Mites?

Post by sara »

Its exactly as Maikinda has said, providing a good link too
Apple cider vinegar is a must have for dog owners.
You want the unpasteurized type though, the one containing "the mother" as its called not the type of ACV you get from a store for your salad.
I always have it at home, a nice organic ACV from Devon.
Trust me it works magic on a number of conditions, itchy skin, itchy paws, ear cleaning, over active yeast on skin, paws, ears and the main thing i have ever used it for is developing hot spots. I used to have a dog that would develop nasty skin irritations and hot spots, i would apply apple cider vinegar and within a few hours it would start to heal, and after two days it would be gone.
No nasty steroids or antibiotics were ever needed thank goodness, just nice natural goodness originating from natures medicine cabinet.
Please note. Anyone thinking of giving it daily to a dog to ingest should research this as it could be detrimental to some dogs, it could cause stones from what i remember, however its perfectly safe to use topically.
siewchingan
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Re: Itchy Skin--Dermodex Mites?

Post by siewchingan »

Sara,
Just saw your post about ACV , would you mind to tell which brand you use? I have been searching ACV for a while nòw, but still not sure where to get it from or which brand is better, by the way I am in UK . My boy has environment allergy , food allergy , so itch all the time . He is on homeopathic therapy at the moment , it helps, under control at the moment , but thinking to get some ACV ( heard so many great things about them ) for topically use.
Thanks in advance !!

Jackie & Aslan x
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Pinoy51
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Re: Itchy Skin--Dermodex Mites?

Post by Pinoy51 »

I adopted Sally December last year.
she had dermodex mites to the point that there was not much fur left on the poor girl.
Since I'm living in the Philippines, I'm maintaining her now with virgin coconut oil, capsules and rubbing it on to the body.
She is absolutely relaxed now, no itching and the fur is growing even on areas i was very worried about as the skin was already heavily affected to the point that she had blood crusts behind the ears and around the face.
Obviously the emergency procedures involved antibiotics and Amitraz baths, but I'm off the antibiotics for several weeks now and the amitraz is now bi-weekly and will end in March.
I fully understand the benefits of ACV, but virgin coconut oil is a very good alternative for Chow owerns in areas where it is easily available.
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kuma_chan
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Re: Itchy Skin--Dermodex Mites?

Post by kuma_chan »

My chow has the same problem as well. He's lost a great deal of fur on his leg coz he kept biting it every time it itches. I've heard about VCO, so you just apply it on the affected area? How about fish oil, does it help?
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Pinoy51
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Re: Itchy Skin--Dermodex Mites?

Post by Pinoy51 »

fish oil, is a good maintenance supplement. But it can't cure acute problems like the one you described.
If your dog keeps pulling fur it will take more than ACV, VCO or Fishoil.
I had to give antibiotics and still having an amitraz bath every second week now.
I give VCO as a capsule and at the same I rub as pure oil on affected area. It really supports the healing very well, but I'm not not sure if it can cure by itself acute cases of dermodex, I doubt it.
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arlenabart
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Re: Itchy Skin--Dermodex Mites?

Post by arlenabart »

I think it is important to make some practical changes in the diet of your chow.You can solve this itchy skin problems within few weeks like with us.A survey has shown that 99% of all dog food include ingredient that makes their skin itchy as they contain some extremely toxic and harmful contents.
CocoLeBear
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Re: Itchy Skin--Dermodex Mites?

Post by CocoLeBear »

Hi All - It has been a while since I posted, so I thought I'd give an update. A few days after I had posted, I took Coco to a new vet that my sister had been using for her dog. I really like this vet. She said it certainly wasn't mites. She has been just fine since January, but just today I noticed that she has a wet spot on her side from her itching it. I'm beginning to think it is or related to the weather, as she always does so well over the winter, but now that it has been warmer/more humid this past week, perhaps something is irritating her.
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DrewBear
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Re: Itchy Skin--Dermodex Mites?

Post by DrewBear »

Glad to hear it wasn't mites/mange. Warm temps & higher humidity are just a couple of factors that could contribute to itchy skin. I also look for various plant debris: foxtail, burrs, needles, etc. Some can be very hard to find, especially once they've burrowed deep into the undercoat or sometimes into the skin itself. Sometimes a scratch from a bush or tree can cause irritation. Any one or a combination of these things will get a Chow licking and scratching, which of course can make things worse. Hopefully you'll be able to identify one of these more obvious causes.
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Ursa's daddy
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Re: Itchy Skin--Dermodex Mites?

Post by Ursa's daddy »

I can tell you that Malachi has issues when the weather turns warm. I am guessing it is insects that bother him, but really don't know. The other day he chewed off a large patch of fur on his side, and I took him to get a steroid shot. I try to avoid the shots, but about twice a year he get to where he will chew different place, and the topical sprays and creams do not give him any relief. I may give him a Benadryl tonight, since he again was licking himself.
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