I have a 17 month old German Shepherd who for whatever reason gets itchy and
the symptoms of sarcoptic mites whenever she goes into heat including ear
shaking and ear scratching. It eventually clears up after a month or two but
before you know it she is in heat again and the problem crops up again. I am
feeding her Canidae and Missing Link and have tried changing her diet.
Nothing seems to work. I take her to the vet where they give her medicine
for sarcoptic mites but this didn't seem to make any difference the last
time I took her to the vet. ANy advice or opinins are welcome. Thanks.

On Mon, 24 Apr 2006 12:12:00 -0500, "GYT" No Email Address, clicked
their heels and said:

I have a 17 month old German Shepherd who for whatever reason gets itchy and
the symptoms of sarcoptic mites whenever she goes into heat including ear
shaking and ear scratching. It eventually clears up after a month or two but
before you know it she is in heat again and the problem crops up again. I am
feeding her Canidae and Missing Link and have tried changing her diet.
Nothing seems to work. I take her to the vet where they give her medicine
for sarcoptic mites but this didn't seem to make any difference the last
time I took her to the vet. ANy advice or opinins are welcome. Thanks.

If there isn't a specific reason for keeping her intact, it would seem
kind to spay her. Have you spoken with her breeder about this
problem? It could be something common to her line. Hormones do weird
things. My asthma flares up more during hormonal fluctuations as well
(and many women have severe allergy problems when pregnant).

How many seasons has she had? This COULD get worse if you breed her -
are you prepared for that? Without knowing what's really going on,
breeding her wouldn't seem prudent anyway. Is she being campaigned
currently? Have you queried other people in the GSD world to ask if
anything similar has been experienced?

--
Janet Boss
www.bestfriendsdogobedience.com

On Mon, 24 Apr 2006 12:12:00 -0500, "GYT" No Email Address wrote:

I have a 17 month old German Shepherd who for whatever reason gets itchy and
the symptoms of sarcoptic mites whenever she goes into heat including ear

A little late but... Has the vet looked at her during one of these
outbreaks? I'd ask if she has DEMODETIC mange, from the demodex mites.

Demodex is common, I've read that most dogs have at least some of
these mites, and they don't usually cause mange in healthy
individuals. Some dogs break out under stress, and for intact bitches
that can mean, during heat.

Having the mites is normal, breaking out in mange from them is not.
Would you consider spaying her? She should not be bred from as the
puppies may well inherit her sensitivity to demodex. Eliminating the
heat cycle would solve the problem for her.



--------------------------------------
If you really need to email me, mow the lawn.

A little late but... Has the vet looked at her during one of these
outbreaks? I'd ask if she has DEMODETIC mange, from the demodex mites.

Actually, although Demodectic mange *can* result in itchy skin, it's much
less likely. Sarcoptic is the culprit of the typical itchy mange.

However, the age is more consistent with demodectic. You are right that most
beings (us included) have some sort of these mites taking up residence in
our skin and that it is not normal for outbreaks. That's why younger dogs
get demodectic mange outbreaks since their immune system is immature.
Sarcoptic is what we have to worry about since it can easily jump hosts to
us and result in scabies.

The fact that it's inconsistent and appears during heat makes me think that
there may be something auto immune related going on. That, or she is having
such anxiety that it's a nervous condition.