K9 German Shepherd

Use of Ivermectin for K9 Scabies question?

Ok, my 9 month old German Shepherd supposedly has Scabies. He is on Ivermectin right now. He has taken 1 dose already almost 2 weeks ago, and he takes he 2nd and final dose of the medication this Wednesday. He is NOT getting well though. In fact, he is starting to get worse and has many more itchy, pus filled, red, with hair loss spots on him. You’d think that since he has already had 1 dose of the medication already, that there would be some improvement. He is my baby and it hurts to see him in so much agony. I’ve called my vet to get advice, but he’s out of the office of course and I wanted to see if there are any of you out there that can give me some advice. Advice from a vet or retired vet who has seen this before would be awesome! Should I try the next thing, or should I find a new vet? I don’t want my baby hurting anymore!

The proper name of this type of mange is sarcoptic mange. Ivermectin is a good treatment protocol. The final dose will often be the one that is visibly effective, and the build up of the medication is necessary for it to become effective. I’d try this next dose and see what happens before giving up on the vet and the treatment. Just for the record, any breed related to the collie (i.e. shelties, border collies, beardies, aussies, etc.) should be tested for the MDR1 gene before being treated with ivermectin. The ivermectin can kill a dog carrying the MDR1 gene.

German Shepherd K-9