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Demodex In A Dog

by plewis - November 13, 2014 View Case Report

8 yr old MN Shih Tzu w/ a 3-4 mo hx of progressively worsening severe dermatitis involving both back legs and tail. Severe hyperemia of skin,mild swelling, and multiple painful oozing lesions of affected areas;
Generalized oily seborrhea;not eating well (o feeds a lot of breaded chicken, tablet food); hiding and not very active;nervous temperament
Here and at times aggressive; lesions improve w/ abx (baytril and amoxicillin currently)
T4: 0.7 (0.8 - 3.5). Dog was trt w/ depo medrol about 1mo. Prior to testing
Skin biopsy: Demodex and cocci in follicles
C&S: staph schleiferi sens. To most abx
Tongue: pink-red
Pulse: I am not good @ evaluating this parameter,yet
Conversation w/ a dermatology specialist indicated this breed is prone to developing adult onset Demodex (although I have never seen it)
Current trt: Baytril and amoxicillin
Baths in essential gold--a soap that is anti-fungal,bacterial,
And anti-parasite
Std. Process thyroid support
Carprofen

I have been concerned about nocardia/actinomycetes because of severity/appearance of lesions and response to abx,but no dx evidence of it. I am preparing to start the dog on ivermectin, but wondered if you have advice about other alternatives for trt of Demodex. Thanks so much for your help.

by naturevet

November 18, 2014

Hi there,

This sounds like a case where there may need to be a succession of formulas to move the dog towards being lesion free. At present, the nasty nature of the lesions; response to antibiotics; the late summer onset; and the suggestion of a Wood Metal imbalance in the dog's behavior have me thinking of Qing Ying Tang (Cool the Blood from Kan; Clear the Nutritive from NPHC).

The formula should take the edge off the lesions and behaviour. Undoubtedly something else will be needed down the road. Pulse assessment helps a lot in deciding what to do. The main thing to look for is whether the pulse feels toned like a tube and/or lifts your finger when you touch it lightly; or whether it slaps against your finger tip, or feels like it's rolling from one side to the other of your finger tip. The latter calls for acute acting anti-inflammatory formulas like Long Dan Xie Gan Tang or Si Miao San, while the former calls for Qing Ying Tang and Wind Expelling formulas.

Hope that helps,

Steve

Qing Ying Tang

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