Expert: Dr. Louis N. Gotthelf - 7/1/2010

Question
my longhaired retriever has been suffering a highly case of mange and let me tell you it is really bad. she has hair loss, red scabs,she is allergic to the fleas. and i cant watch her suffer any more. i am very poor i cant go to to the vet. do you have any advice for me?

Answer
If you cannot afford to take care of your pet, then you must re-think pet ownership!!!

Oral ivermectin is not terribly expensive and can be effective for demodex mange.  If the dog has a flea allergy, there are wonderful flea control products available to help keep the fleas down, like Comfortis and Frontline Plus.  There is one product called Promeris that helps treat both the mange and fleas.