Mange in Bully Breeds

Mange in Bully breeds is no different from Mange in other dogs.  Their skin is simply very sensitive to certain environmental issues and I’m here to touch base on the Bully breeds specifically.

It started with a bald spot in the fur next to my dogs eye, just her one eye and it started about 2 weeks ago, not really paying it any mind at first. I simply figured maybe she scratched it, or maybe she was bitten by something.

Noticing that over the course of the two weeks, it hasn’t gone away though. Today, she had a vet appointment to get some updated shots. While there, I mentioned that she had a weird bald spot next to her eye and asked if they could check it out.

After about an hour of Atlas being in the vet’s office, I received a phone call from the vet. Atlas has mange and it started there. The vet then went to mention a few things about the Bully Breeds getting mange.

What is Mange?

Mange is a skin disease that animals can get when a parasite that they’re born with is out of control. I didn’t know this when I took Atlas to the vet, I’ve never had a dog get mange.

I thought that mange was something only dirty dogs get or cats that aren’t taken care of. Apparently, that isn’t the case.

Animals and humans are born with a parasite that lives on us and this parasite feeds off of us. It’s called an ectoparasite because it lives on the surface, not inside of us.

Now that we know it’s caused by a parasite, what is this thing?

Demodex Mites.

What is the Demodex Mite? Well, it’s a parasite that most species on the planet Earth are born with. This parasite attaches itself to the skin near any hair follicle and feeds on dead skin cells.

This parasite is called the Demodex mite. It’s part of the arachnid family and it has eight legs. Humans have these mites as well, they live near our hair follicles; eyelashes, eyebrows, hair on our head and any other places that have hair.

Most people don’t know these creatures live on us because they’re so small in numbers that we never realize it. The only time you would know about this parasite is if you have a skin condition and the doctor diagnoses you with Demodex Mites.

The only time they make skin flair up is when their numbers are extremely high. Same as with dogs, cats and other animals.

Once you know that your Bully has mange, what can you do about it?

Mange in Bully Breeds Specifically.

When speaking with the vet about Atlas getting mange, she had mentioned that I had caught this early on. Bullies are prone to getting mange because they have sensitive skin, as well as other skin conditions.

The doctor stated that a lot of Bulldogs get mange, and it can spread rapidly. Catching this quickly with Atlas she stated, is a saving grace. Bulldogs that get this can lose massive amounts of fur and get sores all over their body. Because the parasite causes extreme itchiness in dogs, they can scratch at the sores erratically, and this can cause bleeding or seeping from several wounds.

Often, this will lead to infections and massive loss of fur. Had I not caught this so early with barely a small patch of fur that looked irritated, the mites would continue to spread across Atlas and cause symptoms such as those explained above.

She also stated that many dog owners will feel that their dogs are simply allergic to something, like their food, and the owners will only change up their diets.

There is no way to kill this parasite off by simply changing their food diets. The only way is through medications.

Treatment Options for Mange.

This is the controversial part of this article. Some people believe that there are home remedies for this parasite. They claim that if you use lemon boiled in water and spread the cooled off water over your dog that it will kill this parasite. The problem with this method is that it can take months to cure, if at all.

Within months of attempting this home treatment, your dog will most likely go through extreme discomfort while this parasite is feeding on their dead skin cells. Extreme itchiness, irritation and fur loss will occur while attempting this home remedy.

The treatment that I received from the vet is a one time treatment that lasts 90 days, however, the vet said that once mange is treated, it rarely comes back. Even with the Bulldog breeds that are prone to skin irritations, once mange has been treated, they have a 99.9% chance of no recurrence.

The Bravecto Treatment for Atlas was a whopping $67 USD to treat her. This is a very small cost for your Bully to be healthy. I would simply buy this treatment and have it cure your dog versus the supposed home treatments that can take months.

Conclusion

Mange is Bully Breeds is prevalent, they’re simply a breed that is prone to skin issues. While you might think it’s allergies to food, or something they ate, if they start having skin irritations, rashes, loss of fur, excessive itching, you most likely have a problem with mites.

Taking your Bully to your local vet will determine the cause of the rash and can easily be treated. Not all vet clinics are ridiculously expensive, and while I understand we’re in hard times with many people out of work due to COVID-19, finding a vet that isn’t crazy expensive is your first step to ensuring your Bully is healthy.

I go to the VCA Animal clinics wherever I’ve lived. They are some of the most reasonably priced and I know all the vets there (my local one). They actually love animals, and I’ve watched how they handle the pets.

Observing the vet you take your animals to will allow you to make sure that they actually like the animals they help. Having any vet handle animals inappropriately can cause your pets to be afraid of that vet. If Atlas showed signs of fear going in there, then I would find a new clinic. Fear means she’s been mistreated and I couldn’t handle that.

But all fear aside, if your dog has skin issues, get them checked out. The parasite can spread and cause massive infections which can be fatal for your dog in the long run. Untreated infections definitely aren’t good, no matter what the cause is from.

Has your dog had mange? What did you do to get them treated?