Pet Corner - Charlie & the Mange Outbreak

Charlie and the Mange Outbreak

Resident Submission by Mele Miyasaki

Meet Charlie, a white Cavapoo I received for my birthday in May. He was purchased at a park in Mapleton. He was so full of life and energy and the fuzziest chunk ever! Little did we know the crazy trials this little guy would be dealing with for the next few months. I'm hoping his story will bring more awareness to sarcoptic mange (canine scabies) and hopefully help the rest of Charlie's litter find relief and healing as well, wherever they may be.

When we purchased him, Charlie had a concealed issue that would soon come to light: sarcoptic mange (canine scabies). By the end of the first 24 hours, however, it was clear something was wrong. The poor little guy began scratching at his ears much more than would be considered typical.

He’d scratch nonstop until he moaned in pain. Each day it worsened until he was spending most waking moments trying to scratch himself everywhere, even to the point of making himself bleed! He would cry out, he couldn’t sleep, and preferred to stay hidden in his kennel!

The only thought that came to my mind was allergies. And so did others I talked to, including the vets I had been taking my other dog to. Over the next few weeks, they suggested other possibilities and prescribed some medication/ treatment which I would try.

Nothing worked.

Charlie’s scratching required keeping a cone on him around the clock in addition to wearing little booties so his claws wouldn’t break his skin! SHEER TORMENT!

Eventually, my other dog, Fifi, and both of their playmates began exhibiting the same symptoms. What allergy on earth could cause this?? I prayed for intervention but things just got worse.

Charlie with his new big sister Fifi

Finally, months later in August, the answer I prayed for came in the most unexpected place. I was on vacation in Cancun, and happened into a vet! I told her Charlie’s situation, and she quickly identified the symptom: sarcoptic mange, or canine scabies. With no time to waste, I Immediately messaged my friend who was dog sitting. We both began investigating and learned quickly that canine scabies was indeed what Charlie (and now our other dogs) had!

Sarcoptic Mange is a type of skin mite that burrows into the flesh and quickly spreads over the body as well as passes easily to other dogs. Their fur might thin and fall out, but the number one trait you cannot miss is the merciless itch! These mites can even transfer briefly to humans, causing an irritation to the skin before dying.

The parasite must be taken more seriously than fleas or any other potential cause of itching that a dog might have. If you catch it quickly and early, you can save your puppy and yourself a mountain of torment.

Together with my friend, we read every blog and vet article we could find. Unfortunately, some of the medications can only be used on puppies older than 6 months, and Charlie was not old enough. Still others had several possible severe side effects (even death), so I looked into alternative measures.

A completely miserable Charlie, in booties and a cone

The most successful solution we found was to combine an internal attack (using Ivermectin), with a topical attack of essential oils which are insecticidal to sarcoptic mange. These were clove, palmarosa, and geranium essential oils diluted in a spray bottle (2.3 mL per 8 oz of water).

It took us weeks to come to this, however, during which time Charlie and the others showed very slow improvement. Once the Ivermectin was introduced, their recovery increased dramatically! Just over 2 months have passed since finding out that what Charlie really had was canine scabies, and he’s finally living a normal puppy life. I wish the vets would have thought to rule out canine scabies; it would have prevented so much hurt, heartache and sorrow for my little puppy Charlie!

Charlie hiding in his kennel for refuge

By now, Charlie’s poor littermates might have been tormented for months if they have not been properly diagnosed (which is highly likely considering that it wasn’t even on the radar of my vets or anyone else I spoke with around here).

Please spread the word if you can. If you know anyone who purchased a Cavapoo around May/June from Utah county (the owner of this litter is in Mapleton), they may have bought from this litter and their dog will need to be treated! Sadly, the breeder has refused to acknowledge all my attempts to communicate the problem and it’s solution so she could pass the word on to others who purchased from her.

If your puppy or dog struggles with similar “allergy” symptoms as Charlie did, I recommend looking into canine scabies as a possible cause and begin treatment right away. I would love to give any advice I can from our experience. Feel free to contact me (especially if you have any leads on any of Charlie’s littermates!) at meleskulls@gmail.com.

Charlie’s progress through fighting scabies

*The photos are from when I got him, when it became very bad, when we found out he had scabies, when we started treating him, and now the present day!

Charlie and Fifi finally back to their happy selves