new puppy has mange should i worry

[midland moe]

the vet said it doesnt affect humans and it isnt passed from dog to dog, Demodex canis, or red mange. My puppy has it and is being treated for it but now Im am itchy and probably freaking out.  I asked the vet if it is a concern for children who have been around the dog and he said it isnt contagious to humans or other dogs...but i didnt tell him i was hiv positive. anyone ever have any experience with anything like this? am i worrying over nothing?

[Nashvegas]

I'd say listen to your vet.  He or she would undoubtedly know whether mange from a dog is transferrable to a human, and your HIV status isn't going to change that.  Probably just sympathetic itching for your pooch!   

[Ann]

Moe,

This reminds me of whenever people start talking about headlice or crabs. Nine times out of ten, at least a few involved in the chat will start scratching. I've even seen people talk about crabs in the pub, just to have a laugh at those who start itching. It's mind-induced, nothing more.

If the vet says it isn't communicable to humans, including children, then it's not going to infect you either just because you're poz.

Hope your pup feels better soon!

Ann

By the way, the reason it's called Demodex canis is because it will only infect dogs. Canis is from the Latin for dog. It's semantically similar to hiv, in that the H stands for human, because it can only infect humans.


on edit...

In addition, all dogs  have the mite that causes this condition, but it only causes a problem for some. Wow, learn something new every day. Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?
 

[Inchlingblue]

I have dogs and regularly rescue dogs and know a few things about dogs, your vet is right. If you are able to help this puppy out you're a hero since nowadays shelters are so overcrowded and don't have the money or staff to care for many totally healthy dogs, let alone any dogs with any sort of issue, however minor.

One of my dogs used to run around at the dog park with another dog that had demodectic mange and at first I was very worried as well. But I researched it and learned it is not contagious to other dogs or to humans and can be controlled and cleared with medications.

It's kind of nice that someone with HIV would care for a dog with demodectic mange since  it's generally a disease of young dogs that have inadequate or poorly developed immune systems or older dogs that are suffering from a suppressed immune system. And as Ann said, Demodex canis only affects dogs and so it is not transmittable to humans.

Make sure the animal is spayed or neutered. Not that this directly affects the mange condition but it's a good thing to do for many reasons and if the puppy does have a weak immune system there's no point in passing that trait along.

I hope you can keep the dog and help him or her out with this.