Back in the day, forty years ago, a diagnosis for Red Mange or, more correctly, Demodecosis was devastating. Essentially, there was no cure. Oh, we tried everything and, some of them worked. What we didn't know was that some dogs with demodecosis cure themselves spontaneously when their immune system kicks in. So, some of the weird drug protocols we used got credit for the cure when, if fact, they had little to do with the dog's skin becoming normal.
The good news is that, nowadays, we have excellent results with newer treatments. Now, there are two types of Red Mange: the "localized" kind and the "generalized" kind. Localized is normally discovered on puppies and appears as several circular or patchy lesions that are not connected. This is the kind of demodecosis that often self-cures. The problem is that we cannot tell early on if the puppy will clear up on its own or will become the dreaded "generalized" form. So, we end up treating them all aggressively.
The much more serious "generalized" form is characterized by multiple lesions usually covering large parts of the dog's skin and often with a secondary bacterial infection on top of the mange itself. These cases present a much more difficult challenge but are still quite treatable if the owner is willing to go the distance.
There are one or two drugs available to veterinarians that effectively treat demodecosis, i.e. kill the actual mite that, burrowed into the skin, is causing the problem. Additionally, we often have to treat the secondary bacterial infection, usually a Staph infection with antibiotics and topical treatments. The treatment course can be long....several weeks....but, unless there is an underlying health issue in other organs in the dog, the prognosis is good.
I think the key for hunting dog owners is to realize that home treatments just waste time and money. And, as a general statement, the tendency to get demodecosis is hereditary. Don't ignore any skin lesion on a puppy. Early treatment is cheaper and faster.
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