Saturday, March 21, 2009

No Big Deal

Someone commented to me the other day that "it was no big deal" that Pixel has mange. I was too shocked to say much, but after thinking about it more- obviously that person doesn't know much about me and what I do with my dogs.

So far, here is the fall out.......how long it goes on will depend on how miss Pixels immune system deals with this, and how quickly she responds to treatment.

anyway, here goes...
Exposed Sarah's dogs- who now have to be treated and hopefully not affected
Exposed Cindy's dog and Cat- who now have to be treated and hopefully not affected
Thank God I did not let Pixel play with anyone at Puppy Class on Monday, or Agility on Tuesday.

  • Just over $100 for initial Revolution treatment for all four dogs
  • Just under $100 for Pixel's exam and antibiotics
  • Staying home all weekend- had to change plans to go to a funmatch tomorrow
  • Withdrew from Agility trial next weekend- thankfully I get to keep my entry mone- but still really, really annoys me that I had to pull.
  • Will not be attending any classes this week with any of the dogs- puppy class, agility class, and obedience. Nothing. I will still train at home of course, but I have no agility equipment at home- and all of those nights *I* still have to go and teach which means that my dogs are going to be left at home.........................
  • Pixel will not be attending any classes for three weeks- hopefully not longer. As long as it goes away in two weeks she will be in the clear.
  • No off leash dog park walks
  • No daycare for any of my dogs for three weeks- Pixel is spending far too much time in a crate.
And finally it just makes me really, really unhappy. I am grumpy. Like, really grumpy.

I don't blame anyone in particular- these things happen, and are bound to when dogs spend time with other dogs. But in this case it could have been prevented. And that makes me mad.

Some people just don't get it. Decisions and Choices that one person (or a group of people) make can effect not only themselves, but also a whole bunch of people. It just doesn't seem really fair. In writing this I feel like a whiner- which isn't really who I am. But I am pretty pissed off about the whole thing and this is my blog and I can whine if I want to....

Frankly I feel badly for my friends and coworkers who have to deal with me being so grumpy....

Starbucks will be on me on Monday. It might make up for my grumpiness.

11 comments:

Paws on the Run said...

I'm sorry it happened to Pixel.

We can do lots and lots of leash walks these next few weeks - with Starbucks in hand of course. We'll maybe you can have the Starbucks, I don't think I can juggle a drink, a leash, treats and a pulling, bark-screaming dog all at once.

Brittany said...

I feel your pain! Hobbs got mange when he was a puppy, and it was no fun at all! It frustrated me when people said the whole "no big deal" thing. It was a big deal!!

Hopefully she gets better quickly, and that none of the other dogs show symptoms.

Nicki said...

What a bummer. Try as hard as we can to keep them safe and then this happens. But she should fully recover which is the important thing to keep in mind and you deal with all the inconvenience! At least you know she was exposed-those dudes are hard to find on a skin scrape and we often just have to treat for it to rule it out in an itchy dog. If they get better then we assume it could have been sarcoptes, if not, move on to the next step in diagnosing or treating (darn itchy dogs).

Anonymous said...

I think I'd be sending my vet bill to the mangy dog's owner. Stuff happens but that doesn't mean the person responsible should be off the hook.

Of course I work for the insurance idustry and I see a lot of people who get "off the hook" and it makes me grumpy.

^..^Corgidogmama said...

That was a very irresponsible person to bring their infected dog to daycare. Pure stupidity!
Vet bills, cancellations, what a bummer for you and the dogs!
Good luck, and hope that your lives will be back to normal soon.
Go get coffee now!!!!

Joanna said...

When you tell people she has mange, I'm sure they're thinking she has demodectic, not sarcoptic.

Demodex really is "no big deal"--every dog has some demodex mites on his or her skin and it's only when stress levels are very high or the immune system is shot that they take over. I'd never keep a dog with a few demodex spots out of normal activities; it's something countless puppies have a tiny bit of until their immune systems mature. And it's not "contagious"--all dogs have it and just keep it under control.

Did your vet actually find a sarcops mite or show you one of the tunnels? I just wouldn't want you treating for the wrong thing, and spots on the face are more like demodex in my experience. The Revolution won't hurt her, but if it's demodex you want to consider changing her diet and supporting her immune system, not relying on meds.

manymuddypaws said...

Joanna- I was going to email you actually! You seem to know lots about things like this!

The person who made the comment knew full well what kind of mange she has. It was just a thoughtless comment is all.

I have seen demodex before- and know quite a few puppies who have had or have it- this is definitely different- the skin is super inflamed, and looks sore- there are also crusties, which is a sarcoptic mite thing (from what I've been told) She was definitely exposed to Sarcoptic Mange- and we are mostly just assuming that it what kind she has. Skin Scraping doesn't always result in being able to see anything- and I told me vet if she thought it was SM that we would treat it as such.

I am however going to start with some immune boosting supplements, and have started research on that. Any suggestions?

Joanna said...

Sounds like you are on top of it! Revolution is great for sarcops, it kills the mite, but remember that the infection and itching is caused by the burrowing and the eggs. So just like you can kill a mosquito and the bite still itches for a week, it'll take her a while to recover. I assume the vet is going to have you give Revolution in a month just in case it missed an egg or two.

In terms of supplements, it depends on her diet right now. What is she eating?

manymuddypaws said...

Yes, I am going to give her a second dose in two weeks.

She is eating kibble- Acana Pacifica
http://www.championpetfoods.com/acana/show-product.php?formulation=pfd

Joanna said...

The following is, of course, my opinion, but I am not wild about fish-based foods for dogs, or about grain-free kibbles for puppies. I do feed my dogs fish occasionally, but it's not a major part of their diet.

If you don't want to switch her to raw (which I will always advocate) I'd switch to a red-meat (not lamb)-based kibble or to a high-quality canned food (Canidae, Solid Gold, etc.--those canned diets can be largely grain-free but aren't so nutrient-rich that puppies grow too fast) and supplement with a daily "fill in the gaps" product like Nature's Logic or Berte's Daily Blend or similar--you want one that has a lot of liver and eggs and other carnivorous things; Missing Link is mostly ground flaxseed, but it's much better than nothing.

I've been told many times that the B vitamins are essential for immune support and for skin issues. So a good B complex may be a good idea for her.

Anonymous said...

Amanda I am so sorry to hear this. Hope that the meds work and everything is back to normal quickly for all the dogs and you.
Deb & Zed