Sarcoptic Mange!!!! Help!!

[mommyoffive]

Do any of you have any experience with this?? I am in need of help.

My husband and I took in a puppy about two months ago. We didn't notice anything wrong with her. She stayed at my house for almost a month, until we brought her down to my mother. She's been wanting a puppy for a while, and since it needed a home, we brought it to her.

We are all itching now. Specifically, Dakota, my husky, is chewing at his tail, paws, and is scratching his stomach constantly. Chibi, my pomeranian, is also chewing his paws, and scratching his ears and stomach. Come to find out, this pup that we brought to my mom also has the same symptoms.

We are also itchy too. Everywhere...and it seems to get worse when we're in bed.

It's not only these three dogs and us. My mother-in-law came to visit at the beginning of the year with her lab mix. He's now itching too. He frequently visits the family's other dogs. I'm afraid they now have it too. It's getting crazy.

I already dipped them with LymDyp two days ago. They are still scratching. I've read at many places that Ivermectin is supposed to be the best treatment (injection), but it's supposed to have plenty of risks involved, including coma. I don't know what to do. The directions on LymDyp say that you're only supposed to dip every 5 to 7 days, but I'm about to dip again tonight, unless somebody can give better advice.

I've already got an order placed for the Paramite dip, but that may take a few days to come in. I've also cleaned ALL of our bedding, including dog beds. I've vaccuumed the entire house, mopped floors, scrubbed the dog crates...and I don't know what else to do. They're still here, we're still itching...

Help!

[linnie]

ivomecton is a dangerous drug especially for some breeds.
what makes you think it is the mange mite???
It could as easily be bed bugs that came home on the puppy and they are the hardest things to get rid of and bite you with a nasty little nip.

Take one of your pets to the vet and get a scraping done to make sure
If it isnt then I would use frontline or advantage on your pets and bomb your house ( not literally ) Air all your blankets and vacumme your beds.
I saw a documentary on bed bugs and it is so easy to get them into your house. Just one visitor with a suitcase can leave behind these pesky little blighters

[britishbandit]

I agree with Linnie, check with the vet and make sure it is actually the mange mite before proceeding with any treatment for it. All pets in the household would have to be treated, and specific breeds do not tolerate the medication well. I've never experienced it, and hope I never do, just reading your post made me itchy. But I wish you luck getting it sorted, it must be aweful.

[Crossfire Bulldogs]

I agree with Linnie if a skin scraping have not already been done. A formal diagnoses from a qualified veterinarian should be given if not done already before any specific treatment should be tried.

Sarcoptic mange ( scabies ) is not only very contagious but can also be fatal if not treated right away, even then treatment may not be effective and can cause death depending on how bad the infestation is on the animal. Sarcoptic mange is much different than Demo and requires a more extensive regime of treatment.

Ivermectin is said to be the most effective treatment however, it has not been approved for use on domesticated animals by the FDA due to it's side effects. Ivermectin should not be used by anyone without the assistance and continued care of a licensed veterinarian. Many refuse to even give information on proper dosage since it is illegal to use this medication on a canine. The wrong dosage can and most likely will have ill effect and possible deadly results. I would not suggest anyone using this medication on their own.

[TribalRats]

Please let us know how it goes at the Vets

[mommyoffive]

I forgot one critical piece of information...I was sure thinking it, I guess I forgot to type it...OOPS...

They've already been seen by the veterinarian. They've been scraped and it's already been confirmed. She's the one that suggested the LymDyp. She won't use the Ivermectin unless the LymDyp won't work. I won't let her use Ivermectin on my babies.

Here's a picture of Chibi's ear...it was taken a few days ago...



And Dakota's tail...he's eaten it up really bad...




Is there anything else that could be done before Ivermectin has to be used?

[britishbandit]

From what I've heard, the Ivermectin is really the only option left, but don't do this by yourself. It is critical for the lives of your dogs. Keep us updated, and wait for other replies, I'm no expert on the subject.

[Crossfire Bulldogs]

LymDyp is usually one of the prefered treatments and usually a anti-bacterial or anti-itch shampoo is used in conjuction with the LymDyp treatments for better coverage.

Something else also showing great promise is the addition of Selamectin which is an ivermectin derivative. This is typically found in Revolution and when a additional is given two weeks after the first it has been shown to have some fairly promising results.

Many have had results using Milbemycin Oxime which is commonly found in Interceptor and Sentinal.

[mommyoffive]

Thank ya'll so much for your help. I really appreciate it. Interceptor and Sentinal sound like good things to try if all of the other stuff fail.

Don't believe for one moment that I will do the Ivermectin treatment myself. I don't inject ANYTHING in my babies. I let the professionals do that...

Looks like I'll have to do the second LymDyp treatment today after the husband gets home. Dakota hates taking a bath, and he's usually known as "the cookie man". I usually bathe them with an oatmeal flea/tick shampoo, followed by an oatmeal medicated rinse, then the LymDyp gets applied with a spray bottle. Oh, such fun! That smell should kill those mites alone...

[Crossfire Bulldogs]

Interceptor and Sentinal sound like good things to try if all of the other stuff fail.

Actually, you may want to talk to your vet about starting one of them along with the current dips, it works along with the dip rather than by itself.