Mange 101 and the Joy of "After" pictures

One of the most rewarding sights for anyone involved in animal rescue is the "after" picture.  A happy, healthy dog with a forever family that loves him.

Hansel- scroll down to see "before"

Thanks to Facebook and other social media, one picture of a dog in a shelter that is short on time can create a frenzy of activity.  "Please help." "Time is up." "Has to be out today." "Has pledges, needs foster."   Oh, that last one is the one that gets ya.  A rescue is willing to go get this baby and put it into their program.  It will have a second chance!  It doesn't have to DIE!  It just needs somewhere to go....  So we post, tag, share, wheedle, arm-twist, beg...  We send a pitiful picture to our husband/boyfriend/girlfriend/partner/roommate with "can we please?" at the bottom.

Oh, honey, can we pleeeeeeze?

If the answer isn't automatically, you-have-really-lost-your-mind-if-you-think-we're-bringing-another-dog-into-this-house (not that I know anyone personally that this has happened to *cough*) then it's, "*sigh* what's wrong with it?" There's the rub! Until we get it to the vet, we don't know exactly.  So now we've got 200 people commenting on this picture desperate to get the dog out, but without any idea what the next step is. 

Folks, we're about to go see the elephant.  This mystery of how to help a mangy puppy in the shelter is about to be unraveled. Keep in mind that I am not a vet, I just stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night.  I kid, I kid-- this info is based on my experience as a foster.  First, there are two kinds of mange: Demodex and Sarcoptic.

Demodex:  These mites live on all dogs all the time.  I liken a demodex infestation to a yeast infection in people--it's part of the natural flora of beasties that are opportunistic.  If a dog gets sick, is undernourished, has a compromised immune system (especially puppies, whose immune systems aren't even fully developed) then the demodex mites seize the opportunity and run wild.  This causes fur to fall out, skin to swell, secondary infection to set it.... it gets messy.  Demodex is NOT contagious.  Your other pets, kids, etc will NOT get mange from a dog with demodex.  Also, it is not usually itchy.

Sarcoptic:  This is the contagious one.  HOWEVER it's really not that big of a deal.  I've had it.  We are not their preferred host, so even if we get bit, it's a one-time thing and then they die.  End of story.  Would you refuse to foster a dog for a couple of chigger-like bites?  Didn't think so.  What about your dogs?  As long as you don't crate them together and don't let them share any bedding, it's actually pretty unlikely that your dogs will ever be affected.  These mites aren't like fleas (oh, how I loathe fleas).  Once treatment has started, the foster is no longer contagious after two weeks.  That's it!  Two weeks!  If your own pets do happen to get a mite or two, guess what!?  You can get one dose of a medication called Revolution and *poof* it's gone.

Fraggle before

This is Fraggle.  She gave me sarcoptic mange.  It itched for a few days.  I would do it again 1,000,000,000,000 times again to save her.  She had both types of mange, which is rare, and we let her sleep in the bed with us before we found that out.

Totally worth it

If you're thinking you want to give fostering a dog like this a shot, here's how it will most likely go down.  The vet will scrape a couple places on the dog's skin to see what kind of buggers you're up against.  Sometimes it isn't mange at all--sometimes it's something as simple as a flea allergy or nutritional deficiency because the dog needs a few good meals.  The bottom line is, no one can tell just by looking.  If it turns out to be mange, the vet will likely give you a liquid called Ivermectin to give daily by mouth for a few weeks.  If there are scabs and possible secondary skin infection, then you'll also be given some type of antibiotic and/or something like Flagyl (ketoconazole).  A fecal exam will be done, because they usually have internal beasties too.  That means you'll get some type of pill or powder to get rid of worms.  The picture above with Hansel and Gretel shows their sad little swollen worm-bellies.  Those went down after a couple of days.  They'll also need to be bathed every few days to help get rid of that scaly skin.

Recap:  You'll have to give meds every day for a few weeks.  Baths every few days.  The length of time you'll have to do all of this depends on the severity.  You'll have to do things like crate-train and leash-train just as you would any foster.

As an aside, know that our eyes roll back in our heads it's a little frustrating when people on Facebook ask "is he friendly with other dogs????"  If the dog is less than a year old, it is friendly with everyone.  It's a puppy.  Puppies have to be socialized.  That's how they become friendly with other dogs.  These dogs are in so much pain and have been so neglected and/or abused that the gratefulness oozes out of them.  For the first week or so, they mostly sleep because their bodies are healing and they are so relieved to finally have someone that is kind to them and gives them regular meals.

Obviously this is a simplification, but the point is this: It is a LOT easier to foster one of these mangy babies than it looks.  You have to be able to see the potential.  Plus it's fun to guess what the dog will look like when the fur grows back!  What color will it be?  Will it be long or short?  You get the satisfaction of knowing you have saved a life that most other people would look at, say, "how sad" and move on.  You can do it.

In fact, you can do it right now.

These two puppies, both about three months old, are at a shelter right now.  This is your chance to make your own "after" pictures.  One is male and one is female.  The white one has "cherry eye".  It is also treatable.

Are you ready?  Email us at foster@maziesmission.org to take the next step.  We realize that not everyone is in a position to foster, but everyone can share this to find someone who is.  Thank you for your help!


xoxo,

---the Mazie's Mission family