Dr Hsu is highly recommended by Auntie Hilda. Her Rocky's sudden-went-lame-yet-claimed-no-hope hind leg was eventually cured by him. Other than this miracle, some other dogs in the neighbourhood were also cured by Dr Hsu for different problems. I thought MM had already given up hope on seeking an answer from those vets. Well, maybe she saw no harm in getting another set of opinion on my already-90%-improved-yet-not 100%-cured skin problem. Furthermore, my endless scratching is really driving everyone up to the walls. Let's cross our fingers and hope this new vet is my saviour after all.
A skin scrape test was done. Though we were hoping to find an answer to my endless scratching, we did not expect to hear mites found in my hair follicles (which was denied by the four vets we had visited in last two years)! Mites... those little eight-legged creatures living on my skin... How come they were not detected in the past skin scrape tests? Unless Dr Hsu's microscope is much larger and powerful than the other vets'!
A living demodex mite through the microscope
While our brains were spinning from the new discovery, Dr Hsu claimed to see only one or two such skin parasite under the microscope. That could mean only a few mites were holidaying in me currently. Dr Hsu further explained that they were demodex mites. Demodex is generally less severe than Sarcoptic mites (often called scabies). Actually all mammals, including humans, have demodex mites inhabit in their hair follicles. This is common and usually the immune factors would keep the mites suppressed. It is when immune related, or nutritional or environmental stresses impact the dog that visible skin lesions from mite infestations become noticeable. Too bad for me, such a case is difficult to be totally cured. Furthermore, since I might have developed such immune disorder (IF it is) at adult stage (after 2 years old? Or perhaps at 3 years old?), it is most probably a life-long condition. We could only control it via oral medication or via an external rinse that acts similarly like Frontline.
After much discussion, MM decided to let me go for the external treatment. With that, Dr Hsu took out a small disposable bottle of brown liquid, which is known as ProMeris Duo. He applied the solution slowly onto a skin portion at the back of my neck. That was to be absorbed into the skin and spreaded to the whole body to kill off every possible mite in me! As the process should take a while (at least 24 hours) to be effective, I was told not to bathe till next Monday. YES! Finally some good news... Luckily the smell of the solution was bearable. Other than that, Dr Hsu assured MM that such condition was not contagious. But to play safe, I would suggest to MM not to let Wynn Wynn come near me. With this reason, that girl would have no excuse to come disturbing me! :P
As the effect of the application is to last for a month, my next review appointment with Dr Hsu shall set in a month's time. We quite like Dr Hsu as he sounded very confident in his diagnosis and the treatment given. Unlike in the past when I was always told to have poor immune system or I was allergic to this, allergic to that... *Sighz*, we had finally identified a cause which we could work on to improve my current condition. Dr Hsu had also allowed me to continue with my current diet. He commented that except for the mildly irritated areas of hair loss around my muzzle, I did look good and healthy in general. If the current diet is ok, that means I am not allergic to meat after all! Before we left, Dr Hsu told me I would be a handsome and happy maltese again by Christmas. That sounds very positive. Let's hope this promise would come true. :))
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