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ITCHY
& SCRATCHY'S STORY
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These
pictures were taken on the day we received them
at the Shelter
8th September 2005
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These
two little girls were advertised in a "free
ads" paper by the people who had bred them
and sold at 5 weeks of age in this condition for
£150 each. Little did the people who bought
them know these pups and 7 others in the litter
were suffering from Demodex Mange. The term "mange"
is used to describe a dog skin disease caused
by a variety of microscopic mites. This follicular
mite lives in the hair follicle where it occupies
the space between the hair shaft and the lining
of the hair follicle. The mite is believed to
feed on fluids present in the hair follicle. It
causes inflammation in the hair follicle. This
inflammation damages the hair follicle and the
surrounding skin causing the hair to fall out,
(as you can see from the pictures of Itchy and
Scratchy above). As the infection progresses,
secondary bacterial infection occurs which results
in formation of pus and drainage from the skin
surface. It is believed that susceptibility to
mange can also be inherited. We think these two
pups inherited the disease from mum and it is
not recommended to breed from dogs that have had
Demodectic mange.
These two little pups were handed into the Shelter
as the people that had bought them, if the truth
be told did not want the hassle of having them
treated, but on the other hand at least they gave
the pups to someone who would have them treated!
These two were only five weeks old and with their
immune system already being low, we decided a
foster home would be suitable for them so we phoned
up Mel at Fireside Bull Breed rescue and told
her about these pups and she promptly offered
to foster them. We arranged an appointment with
one of our Vets and they confirmed Demodex Mange
and they were started on treatment straight away,
they were given an injection to help kill the
mite and Aludex shampoo to be bathed in once a
week. Well it's 3 weeks down the line and Itchy
and Scratchy are looking 100 times better and
have grown into cheeky little mischief-makers.
Mel has done a wonderful job on these two pups
and will be looking for a home for them shortly. |
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And
here they are again, on the left they are
playing with one of Mel's husbands socks,
yuck! This is 2 weeks after treatment started,
and on the right is a picture taken on 28th
September looking like the healthy little
pups they should have been when sold
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P.S Itchy & Scratchy have fully recovered and they both have new homes
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