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Because this condition is caused by a suppressed or weak immune system, it is considered genetic and hereditary, and dogs that develop generalized demodectic mange should be neutered or spayed, and never bred, because they would pass along the weakened immune system to their offspring. Likewise, female dogs that produce puppies that develop this condition should not be bred again, and should be spayed. Responsible breeders have no problem doing this. Zoey's breeder refused to acknowledge that Zoey's condition occurred as a result of poor breeding practices, when he was contacted by Zoey's previous owners, and is likely still breeding Zoey's mother.
Zoey 
was about 15 pounds underweight on December 23rd, weighing only 55 pounds.
HVGSR's Veterinarian did three skin scrapings on that day, which each contained hundreds of demodex mites of all ages. He said it was the worst case he's ever seen, and felt her prognosis was grim because of the condition she was in.
For the first week, Zoey spent 99% of her time sleeping, and when we would wake her up to take her out to potty, she was only just going through the motions. She was very depressed and in a lot of pain. Whenever she was awake, she was rubbing her face and front legs. Her bedding had to be changed at least twice-a-day because it would quickly soak up the blood and pus from her broken skin, and she smelled absolutely horrible from all the infection.
She was reluctant to eat at first, so we began by offering her cooking boneless chicken and rice. At first, she did not want to eat that, either, so we hand-fed her piece by piece for several days. It would take her 20-30 minutes to eat her meals.
A few days later, she was able to eat on her own and was put onto a raw diet.
For the first three weeks, Zoey had to have a benzoyl peroxide scrub/bath every 3-5 days, which is akin to what burn victims must go through during their recovery process. It is very painful, but was prescribed in order to flush out her hair follicles and help kill the bacteria in and on her skin. After her 2nd Vet visit on January 13, the baths were decreased to once-a-week because her condition was greatly improved.
Zoey is such a sweet, sweet dog who deserves much better than what she has been through. She was knocking at death's door when she was brought to us, but is on the road to recovery now. We
 will do everything we can to ensure that she makes a full recovery and is able to lead a normal life with a loving family of her own. It will be several months before she is ready to be adopted, but once she's recovered, she should be fine as long as her new owner keeps her immune system strong by keeping her on a high quality diet and not vaccinating. This is not a long-term disease in that respect.
If you would like to help Zoey by making a donation, you may do so thru
PayPal by clicking here.
Or if you would prefer to mail a check or money order,
please send
Hominy Valley German Shepherd Rescue an e-mail for their mailing address.
Donations may also be made to AGSRA for Zoey's care. Please note: DONATION
FOR ZOEY. Everyone who donates and provides a mailing address will get
a personalized, frame-worthy, photo card of Zoey when she has fully
recovered, as her way of saying thank you.
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