Re: puppy with demodex

In Reply to: puppy with demodex
Category:   Medical
Posted by:  Monica A. Chavez
Posted on:  March 29, 2002 at 22:38:20

: I have a new pup born early Dec. and noticed when I picked him up at the breeder-reddish paws. Recently my vet did a skin scraping and found mites. Friends say breeder should pay all vet bills. Vet said to let breeder know because the mites is passed through the female during nursing. Has anyone ever experienced this with their JRT's? What should I expect from the breeder, I just want my little pup to get better. I am treating him with Mitaban dip and returning to vet for another skin scraping and follow-up checkup. Is my pup uncomfortable??

Response:

Hi, Monica,

Your vet must not have explained Demodex very well. I hope he/she knows that the problem is not that the mother passed the mites to the puppy. Nearly ALL dogs have Demodectic mange mites naturally on their bodies. They only become a problem with the dog is lacking immunity to them and becomes infested. A healthy dog has immunity naturally, and can keep them in check.

The lack of immunity is due to genetics, and the puppy should never be bred, and indeed, the breeder needs to be made aware that his/her bitch is passing this weakness on to his/her pups. If you were given any kind of guarantee for genetic disease, then indeed the breeder owes you some monetary assistance. Your state may also have a puppy lemon law that would leave the breeder at least partially responsible for vet bills or a partial refund on the price of the pup.