When it comes to dogs, Jim sure knows how to pick ’em!
He found a puppy under a dumpster near his work… took him to the vet to get checked out… and brought him home for us to nurse back to good health (and keep).
We named him Destin. (Because we were SUPPOSED to be heading on a beach vacation to Destin this particular weekend — but because of the new puppy, we couldn’t go!)
This photo shows how well our rescue dog cleaned up and grew into a happy and healthy Black Lab / Golden Retriever mix.
When we found him, the vet diagnosed Destin with 2 health issues:
- Sarcoptic Mites (aka Mange or Scabies)
- Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (a blood disease)
You can see in Destin’s puppy photos the effects that the Mange / Scabies / Sarcoptic Mites had on our sickly little pup. For the most part, he was very weak and losing his fur in big chunks.
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever is a blood disease obtained from a tick bite, similar to Lyme Disease. For the most part, its effects simply linger in the dog’s system — as is similar with Lyme Disease. So we may never know how it eventually presents itself in Destin’s health, aches, pains, or behaviors.
By the way, I have Lyme Disease. We later had Destin checked for Lyme Disease (yes, dogs can get it too), and he tested negative. Whew! We were so happy that we didn’t have to add yet another issue to this poor dog’s health history.
We’ve had so much fun with Destin ever since the day Jim brought him home, that we find it hard to believe this cutie was just a “dumpster dog”!
We All Got Scabies!
Fast forward a couple weeks after we brought Destin home and started him on treatment, and I too was diagnosed by our family doctor as having Scabies!
It’s not all that surprising that I got the same rash from the mites as our mange-infested, itchy new puppy — especially since I spent every day and every night holding him and bathing him and caring for his itches and ailments from the day we brought him home.
Jim was a little more hands-off during this time. (Smart!)
Sarcoptic mange is highly contagious and can spread from pet to pet or from pet to human… Although mites can only survive a brief time off the dog, clean your dog’s living quarters and wash or throw away the bedding. If your dog has sarcoptic mange and anyone in your family has red and itchy skin bumps, consult your family physician. —Veterinary Partner
Unfortunately, Destin passed this dreaded itch onto our other dog, Jersey, as well.
So at one point, all 3 of us were each receiving different phases of the treatment — over the course of 2 long months. Ugh!
Some interesting facts:
- The mite known as SCABIES, SARCOPTIC MITES or SARCOPTIC MANGE are highly communicable little bugs that actually dig tiny tunnels into the skin where they cause intense itching, inflammation and hair loss.
- The microscopic mite that causes scabies can barely be seen by the human eye. A tiny, 8-legged creature with a round body, the mite burrows within the skin. Within several weeks the patient develops an allergic reaction. This results in severe itching, often intense enough to keep sufferers awake all night.
- The rash and itch are much more widespread than the location of the mites.
- The rash is extremely itchy (and often called “the itch ” or “the seven-year itch”) and can be difficult to diagnose. It can affect both humans and animals.Â
Here are 5 skin conditions that dogs can pass onto humans.
Our Scabies Treatment Summary
Destin battled the dreaded itch mites from the day we brought him home (May 21st) until a week after his last of 3 shots to rid his body of the tiny mites on June 13th. Throughout the process, he lost a lot of hair and was forever scratching.
Then, I caught Scabies from him and had to go to the doctor on June 12th to begin treatment. (There’s a body cream that makes it better almost overnight.)
Finally, only 2 weeks later, Jersey came down with Scabies on July 1st.
And then, believe it or not, Jersey passed the itch mites back to Destin again! So that meant yet another round of treatment was in order for the poor little guy.
It was a miserably itchy summer…
However, we are fortunate that no symptoms ever appeared in Destin from the blood disease (Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever). So he might just be a carrier rather than being inflicted with the painful disease.
