Dog has Demodicosis (Red Mange), can I expect reoccurances of the mange if he stays off of the steroids?

Dog Question: My dog was just diagnosed with Demodicosis (Red Mange), I've been doing some research about it online. He is an adult 3yr old male who has never shown any symtom of it before. I recently had to put him on a steroid therapy, which after researching I've found to be the cause. It also said that in an adult occurance that recurrance will be common due to the underlying illness. However I couldn't find anything concerning steroid therapy. My question is: can I expect reoccurances of the mange if he stays off of the steroids? And do I have to worry about this spreading to my puppy who has had alot of close contact with?

Hi Larry,

Sorry to hear about your dog.

The animal's immune system keeps the mite population low enough so they do not cause skin problems. However, if the immune system is weak, the mites can reproduce in high numbers and cause disease. Conditions that cause a weak immune system include inherited immune deficiencies, poor nutrition, internal disease affecting the whole body (cancer, hormonal imbalances, etc.), and certain drugs (chemotherapy, steroids).

If you dog is otherwise healthy after stopping the steroids the mites should not come back, but sometimes they do in adult dogs but again this is rare.

Your puppy has demodex mites on him already.  All dogs do.  Even humans have demodex mites living in our eyebrows.

The difference is for some reason our immune systems are strong enough to keep these mites in check.  It is only when the immune system is not working well that there is a problem.

As long as your puppy is healthy there should not be a problem.