1000. Follow up: No smoke without fire - No scabies without mite

I phoned the owner today, May 16, 2012 to enquire about the female shih tzu, one year old with only one scabies mite shown in the microscope to her. The friend had the sibling but its ears were the only area affected.

"A scratch or two, short while in the morning and evening," she said. "Not like the furious scratching earlier. Do I have to consult you 2 weeks later?"

"No, if the hairs grow back," I said. "Some scabies dog need a 2nd injection 2 weeks later. Wait and see." I was glad that the ivermectin injection had worked and the owner had bathed the dog's skin lesions thoroughly. It was very stressful for her to see her young dog scratching for weeks."


Blood test was taken on May 14, 2012 as the dog had generalised chronic skin infections.
"Normal blood test results, except for increased liver enzymes," one vet told me.

RESULTS are normal for the total white cell count but if you analyse the cell types, you will see that this dog has a chronic infection as evident by increase in monocytes to 11% and eosinophils to 8%. Normally the values are below 2%.

Total WCC  11.9 (6-17)

Neutrophils  71%      8.47 absolute
Lymphocytes 10%    1.15
Monocytes    11%    1.27
Eosinophils   8%       0.96
Basophils      0.3%    0.04

LIVER PROFILE
SGPT/ALT     95  (<59)
SGOT/AST   158  (<81)

Did the owner's mother use medication on the skin over the past months, affecting the liver?
Overall, this has been a chronic skin disease for a young puppy. Was it ringworm first, yeasts inside the ears and then scabies spreading from ear edges to face and paws? Or was there scabies in the first place? It is hard to say. Blood tests can be useful and in this case, there was no bacterial infection as Vet 1 had given the antibiotics. Antibiotics don't kill scabies mites and that was why the dog kept being itchy and worrying the lady with reddened eyes.