Has anyone dealt with Sarcoptic mange?

[IceyBlueSibes]

Well, unfortunately Taffy, Onyx, Skittles and Wizard have contracted mange from somewhere. I believe it came from Angel/Koala (one of our foster kittens). She had some slight hair loss on her ears, but now all of a sudden the others have started to have scabbing and hair loss on their ears and face.

Poor Onyx has it the worst out of all of them. They've been treated twice now with Ivermectin (as well as the rest of the pack just in case), and I think I'm going to treat them on the 5 day mark (after the second dose) as well.

But I was just curious if anyone has dealt with it before and how long they've had to treat an animal for it. The other three seem to be clearing up. It is not spreading anymore, but it seems like Onyx's is spreading, or either her hair is falling out in those spots now so that's why I notice it.

Any info appreciated, and thoughts are welcome too! I hope they can get over this quickly enough before i get too attached. We skipped adoptions this weekend because of this, and I don't think they'll be able to go next weekend either...

[Doglover1988]

Goodness poor babies. Don't let them near anyone else. I haven't heard anything about it besides the fact that it's easier to cure than the demodectic mange. Good luck with them. I hope they heal up for you.

[Dangels]

I've never dealt with Sarcoptic Mange before, but I have treated a dog with Demodectic Mange. The dog was a rescued Harlequin Great Dane named Tucker. He was a very severe case... his condition had gone untreated by his previous owners. When he come to me, he had hair loss on 50% of his body. It took over 2 months to treat, and I had to give him daily baths with medicated shampoo for the first months, baths twice a week after that. My vet told me to apply the shampoo, then leave it sit for 10 minutes before rinsing. He was also put on some meds, but I can't remember exactly what he was put on. It was a very long process to treat him, but he was the worse case of Demodectic Mange that I have EVER seen. His condition got to be that bad because of the horrible neglect of his former owners. My vet said that it must have taken months to get that way. You're kittens don't sound like they have the mange nearly as bad as he did, so it shouldn't take too overly long to treat.

The good thing about Sarcoptic Mange is that it's treated easier than Demodectic Mange, and it is not a genetic condition. So, once it's treated it shouldn't return. The bad thing about Sarcoptic Mange is that it is VERY contagious.... not only to other cats, but also to dogs and even people. In fact, it's more common to be found in dogs more than anything else, but it can potentially infect ANY furry creature. It is very important to keep the kittens that have the mange mites away from all other animals to prevent them from being infected.
Below are some links that I found to contain some very helpful information about Sarcoptic Mange.

Sarcoptic Mange in Dogs
Sarcoptic Mange

I wish you the very best of luck!

[Sheltiemama]

I say get them to the vet. I have heard that heartguard heartworm prevention is good for mange as well. You might want to check with him about that. I brought in a foster with mange and they had to check him for heartworm before they gave him a shot for treatment. it cleared it right up. But be sure to tell the vet if you are giving Heartguard (ivermectin). Because if he doesn't know he may overdose the dog and cause a toxic reaction.

[dogs4life]

Oh, poor Onyx. Maybe you can talk to the vet about a sulfur dip or Revolution, I've heard they can be helpful.

Is Onyx a cat? If so, this site might be helpful...Feline Mange Information For Veterinarians It states that Ivermectin should only be given on a weight corrected dose at 7-10 day intervals for upto 3 doses, might be worth checking.

Here's a quote regarding the the Mange mite (Sarcoptes scabiei and Notoedres centrifera) lifecycles, if Onyx had lots of viable eggs on her before her first treatment, then the mites will just be hatching and going on with their lifecyle. Unfortunately you have to wait for the next generation to be hit with the Ivermectin since it inhibits egg viability. Keep us posted.

DNR - Mange

Transmission and Development

Sarcoptic and notoedric mange mites spread to new hosts through direct body contact or by transfer from common nests and burrows. Stages in the life cycle include the egg, larva, 2 nymphs and the adult. The parasite lives and burrows in the skin layers. Fertilized females deposit eggs as they tunnel through the skin, and the eggs hatch in 3 to 4 days. Males complete their development in 13 to 16 days, females in 18 to 23 days. Fertilization apparently takes place when the female is in its final stage of development.

[IceyBlueSibes]

Originally Posted by Sheltiemama

I say get them to the vet. I have heard that heartguard heartworm prevention is good for mange as well. You might want to check with him about that. I brought in a foster with mange and they had to check him for heartworm before they gave him a shot for treatment. it cleared it right up. But be sure to tell the vet if you are giving Heartguard (ivermectin). Because if he doesn't know he may overdose the dog and cause a toxic reaction.

We were given the ivermectin per the rescue vet. We wouldn't medicate the animals without first consulting our vet.

Yes Onyx is a cat.

Dosing is .1 mL per 10 lbs body weight. The kittens aren't even 3 pounds yet, so it was more like a drop of medication. We had a scale to weigh all of them before giving any type of medication. First dose was done on Wednesday, second dose was Friday and we can treat again in 5 days if we notice that it hasn't cleared up yet.

They have been staying out in our garage away from the others. I just wonder where on earth it came from. They don't go outside, so it had to be from a foster somewhere down the line. We had the one puppy that was treated for sarcoptic, but she was given the ok that she was no longer contagious and that was a couple months ago. Could it take that long for a mite to infect another animal?

[dogs4life]

How's Onyx doing?

Originally Posted by IceyBlueSibes

Dosing is .1 mL per 10 lbs body weight. The kittens aren't even 3 pounds yet, so it was more like a drop of medication. We had a scale to weigh all of them before giving any type of medication. First dose was done on Wednesday, second dose was Friday and we can treat again in 5 days if we notice that it hasn't cleared up yet.

I'd be concerned about ODing the little guys since Ivermectin is a neurotoxin and can cause lasting neurological damage. Maybe you can talk to the vet about the information on the Feline Mange site above. If the dose is difficult to measure, I'd ask the vet to dilute the solution so you administer a more accurate dose.

I might also look into sulfur dips for the little guys, it's teadious since you have to dip 1-2x per week for 6 weeks, but from what I've read it's way less toxic and much gentler for kittens and small animals. Infact they prescribe sulfer ointment for human infants with Scabies.

If you're interested in natural remedies, many people use Cold-pressed Neem oil topically on the mange areas instead of Ivermectin.

Originally Posted by IceyBlueSibes

They have been staying out in our garage away from the others. I just wonder where on earth it came from. They don't go outside, so it had to be from a foster somewhere down the line. We had the one puppy that was treated for sarcoptic, but she was given the ok that she was no longer contagious and that was a couple months ago. Could it take that long for a mite to infect another animal?

I don't think mites last that long without a host, they are more fragile than fleas and louses. Did the vet do a skin scraping? Was it Sarcoptic Mange or just a possible? Notoedric Mange (aka Feline Scabies) is more common in cats and is very similar to canine Sacroptic.

Onyx could have got mites from her mother, other foster/shelter cats or from the vets office. Sometimes cats have the mites already but they are not causing any issues until times of stress, then the mites get out of control and need help so that might have happened too. I wouldn't worry too much unless you need to inform other cat owners or fosters to watch out for mange.

All this talk about mites is making me itchy