Finding the Right Mange Medicine for Your Pet
Dealing with Mange Pet Problems
If you’re looking for Mange medicine for your afflicted pet, you should absolutely consult your veterinarian. Dogs and cats are the most prone to the condition, which is caused by mites. It is also known by other names such as Ear Mite Infections, Scabies, Red Mange or Cheyletiella.
If you are dealing with one of the conditions more severe forms, Demodex Mites, Ear Mites or Sarcoptic Mites, then you definitely need to consult your veterinarian sooner than later, as these variations can cause your pet to become seriously ill as a result of them. In addition to the previously mentioned forms there are many other kinds of Mites which can pose a threat to your pets – and to livestock as well.
Sarcoptic Mange
Sarcoptic mange or scabies can affect dogs, cats and even humans amongst other animals. The Notoedres mite cause intense irritation and itching in humans and animals. They can be transferred from the pet on to the human though if the pet is disinfected on time the symptoms would disappear within a few weeks in the humans. The mites burrow themselves under the skin in the ear, face and elbows. Crusty skin on the ear is a sign of scabies in dogs.
It is important to treat these conditions as quickly as possible, as the discomfort can become quite severe. Seepage, scabs or boils may begin to appear as well as balding skin patches. If that happens, the vet will likely have to do a biopsy to check for other types of infections that may have developed.
Steroid creams such as cortisone can be used to relieve some of the itching, as well as the redness and irritation. Bathing the animal is also recommended, using dandruff shampoos followed by any vet-recommended insecticides.
The Demodex variation of the infection is not contagious, but you still want to get it checked out and treated as quickly as possible, because you run the risk of causing a secondary infection in your pet if you don’t. With Demodex, your pet will experience the same itching, irritation and discomfort as with the other types of Mange, so of course you want to relieve your pet from that in the fastest time.
When a pet has a weakened immune system, he will be more prone to contracting Mange and also slower to recover. But, luckily, in most cases, pets that are healthy and not experiencing any hormonal changes will recover fairly quickly from the condition.
Vets would recommend treatment to ensure safe recovery and that includes boosting the dog’s immune system with tonics and vitamins. Baths with a Benzoyl peroxide shampoo would help the pet.
Ear mites cause intense itching and discharge in the ear in dogs and cats. Cats are more sensitive to chemicals hence it’s important to consult the vet in how to safely treat the feline.
Resources of Interest:
- Most effective pet mange treatment
- Learn more about canine scabies (mange)
- What is mange?
- Mange FAQs
Several Mange Treatments
There are all types of treatments for pets with Mange, including homeopathic and allopathic remedies. Before deciding on a treatment however, always consult your vet first. If you take proper care of your pet, including regularly administering immune-boosting vitamins and cleansing baths, then hopefully, you won’t have to deal with mange for too long at all.
The Veterinary strength Sarcoptic Mange 2 oz Combo combines the power of veterinary strength products with a gentle, safe, non-toxic mange-combating formula perfect for treating smaller breeds of animals (under 10 pounds) with mild cases of mange.
- (1) 2 oz. / 59 ml Sulfinex Cream
- (1) 2 oz. / 59 ml Mange Treatment Spray
PetsBestRx Sarcoptic Mange Treatment Spray targets and eliminates sarcoptic mange, while Sulfinex Cream provides additional protection to nourish and heal the skin. The colloid-based Mange Treatment Spray penetrates deeply into your pet’s skin to attack the sarcoptic mange head-on. This provides your pet with soothing relief; great even for sarcoptic mange in smaller animals such as birds, rodents, and reptiles. Give your pet a double dose of protection!
If your dog has mange and needs a remedy or medicine to help, you can find a mange spray. There are tons of medicine for mange that you can find on the Internet that could help.
I have 2 dogs and one has demodectic mange, how can I stop the spread?
My 7 month old Dandie has just been diagnosed with demodectic mange and will soon be under the vet’s care. Now, I just read online that it can be contagious, how can I stop it from getting on my Chad? What can I buy? Please help.
TREATING DEMODECTIC MANGE NATURALLY
Demodectic Mange (Demodex canis), also called Red Mange, is a non-contagious skin disease caused by a tiny, eight-legged parasitic mite that lives in the hair follicles and skin glands of dogs. Puppies are infected with mites from contact with the skin of their mother while nursing. The disease is seen in two forms:
· Localized mange, which is confined to a few small areas such as the face or front feet,
and is relatively easy to treat, occurs in puppies under one year of age.
· Generalized mange is much more severe, and treatment is not always successful.
Most dogs have a microscopic mite population hitching a ride on their body, but the dog’s immune system handles it all very nicely. When the immune system is no longer able to control the mites, they begin multiplying, then attacking. It is thought that dogs infected with demodectic mange are immunodeficient. In other words, they are not able to fight off the mites like a healthy dog would. Heredity is believed to play a part in dogs that show signs of demodectic mange so it is strongly recommended that infected dogs be spayed or neutered. Signs of disease appear only when mites reproduce unchecked and occur in unnaturally high numbers. Outbreaks are seen around the eyes, lips and/or lower limbs when the numbers of these mites increase.
Because the immune system does not mature until 12-18 months of age, a dog with demodectic mange may have relapses until that age. It is important for treatment to begin promptly to minimize the possibility of developing uncontrollable problems. Demodectic mange in dogs over 2 years of age is classified as adult-onset, and usually occurs secondary to an underlying cause. Successful treatment of adult-onset mange relies upon identifying and correcting the underlying cause. Dogs with immune suppression due to illnesses like hypothyroid disease, and Cushing’s disease, are also candidates for demodectic mange. Demodectic mange may also occur in very old dogs because function of the immune system often declines with age.
Some dogs infected with demodectic mange may have secondary skin infections. The skin becomes dry, crusty, and brittle, it will ooze serum, blood or pus. A strong, offensive skin odor may be present due to a bacterial infection. The secondary infection responds to antibiotics like cephalexin or clavamox.
Conventional treatment depends upon the severity of the disease. Generally, veterinarians recommend treatment with a dip containing Amitraz. The dip is repeated every 7-10 days. Although the dog may respond well to the dip and look normal, dipping must be continued until negative skin scrapings are found consistently for a few weeks. The dipping may have side effects. Sleepiness and itching are common for 24 hours after the dip. Some dogs many experience decreased body temperature, vomiting, diarrhea, and loss of appetite, excitability, staggering, or other personality changes. If any of these side effects occur you should contact your veterinarian immediately.
Amitraz can reduce the function of the hypothalamus, which helps regulate the body’s metabolism by controlling hormone release in the body. In animal studies, amitraz caused episodes of increased aggression, as well as some central nervous system depression. In addition to the dip, to treat more generalized cases of mange, many veterinarians are now prescribing daily doses of Eqvalan, which is liquid ivermectin. Dr. Jean Dodds has written extensively about ivermectin as a trigger for immune-mediated diseases. Ivermectin should not be used in combination with Amitraz dip nor with Amitraz tick prevention collars. These medicines are all members of the monoamine oxidase inhibitor group; when they are used together their effects combine together creating sedation and adverse neurologic effects.
Conventional treatments do work but at what expense to your dog’s health? Since conventional veterinary medicine relies heavily on a highly toxic method of treatment, and suppressed immune function is the cause of demodectic outbreaks, you should consider an alternative. Using a combination of natural diet, vitamins, minerals and herbs, you support the immune system while treating the skin.
Food selection:
Immune suppressed dogs require a high quality, all natural food. Select a raw food diet, a cooked diet, or an ultra premium dry food with lots of raw pulverized vegetables. Select organically grown vegetables or use one of the pesticide cleaners available in supermarkets for use on fruits and vegetables. Add leafy dark green vegetables, cruciferous vegetables — broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, watercress, bok choy, and carrots (carrots should be blanched one minute to release the carotenes). If you feed raw foods, increase the veggies.
To each meal: sprinkle a teaspoon of sesame seed oil–on the food. This is an important oil for immune function and skin repair. Also add a variety of dried sea vegetables like wakami, nori, dulce and kelp. The sea vegetables should be offered at least 4-5 days a week or even every day if your Akita likes it. Feed fish, boneless poached or canned fish. Do not use tuna, tuna and swordfish are laden with mercury; sardines, salmon, mackerel or fresh water fish are good choices. When giving fish, cook some white rice and mix with the fish. Avoid grains like wheat or rye–rice, barley and oats are okay.
NO VACCINES. Not even one. The immune system in these dogs is already severely stressed; they do not need additional viral components circulating in the blood. Stop using all chemicals including dips, flea/tick spot-ons, pills, or flea collars. You are attempting to reinstate immune function not add to the collective damage.
The following supplements are for the immune system and should be given daily. If you find a product that combines these antioxidants in one capsule, use it:
· Zinc: 50mg (chelated type)
· Selenium: 200mcg (There is a product called Selene E from Twinlabs. It contains
the right amount of selenium and Vitamin E)
· Vitamin E: 400 IU twice daily
· Cod liver oil capsules: 3 gel caps twice daily
· One gel cap daily: 25,000 IU of Marine carotene (it is available in health food
stores—another Twinlabs product.
· Vitamin C with bioflavonoids: start at 500mg and work up to 3,000mg by increasing in
increments of 500mg weekly. If your dog develops a loose stool, back off by 500mg
and maintain the level.
· Nutritional yeast: one tablespoon daily
· Lecithin granules: one teaspoon daily
· Milk thistle: follow directions on bottle for an adult human.
· One-half teaspoon of bee pollen (optional but great nutrients)
· Hokamix 30, a vitamin/mineral/herbal supplement: follow directions on container
The following herbs are to boost her immune system and fight bacterial infections. Wherever possible purchase organic herbs that are "Standardized."
· Olive Leaf Extract: Follow directions on bottle.
· Astragulus: Follow directions on bottle.
· Cat’s Claw: Follow directions on bottle.
· Kyolic garlic: Follow directions on bottle.
· Pau d’Arco: 4 capsules twice daily.
· Grapefruit Seed Extract Capsules or tablets: 225mg daily.
· Flax seed oil (organic) gel caps: one twice daily.
· Plant based digestive enzymes available at health food stores. Give two
capsules per meal.
Add a few tablespoons of plain yogurt to each meal or give acidophilus supplements. It is very important to maintain good intestinal bacteria when fighting parasites.
whats the easiest way to rid your dog of demodectic (red) mange?
Wish it Wasn’t Necessary to Add This
No Motor Oil
Some 30 years ago, dipping dogs with demodectic mange in motor oil was a popular home remedy. Skin exposure to motor oil can cause rashes and skin destruction in severe cases. The hydrocarbons can be absorbed through the skin and cause a dangerous drop in blood pressure. If motor oil is licked off the coat, resultant vomiting can lead to aspiration of motor oil into the lungs and pneumonia. Kidney and liver damage can result from motor oil dipping.
Please: Do not dip your dog in motor oil!
Prognosis
The younger the dog, the better the chance of cure. In many cases of adult-onset demodicosis, the disease is controlled by dips and baths but cure is not always possible. Some cases can never be controlled.
Current Treatment Of Choice — Ivermectin
Ivermectin is a broad spectrum anti-parasite medication generally used for food animals and horses. In dogs and cats it is licensed for use as a heartworm preventive aand as a topical ear mite therapy; the use of this medication to treat demodicosis is not approved by the FDA. When ivermectin was a new drug, it was hoped that it could be used against demodectic mange mites as at that time only labor intensive dipping was available for treatment. Once it was discovered that daily doses are needed (most other parasites can be controlled with wormings spaced several weeks apart) ivermectin was found to be highly effective, quickly becoming the treatment of choice. Ivermectin is inexpensive relative to Milbemycin (see below) and involves no labor intensive bathing. It DOES, however, taste terrible if given orally (it may be necessary for the owner to learn how to give ivermectin as an injectable treatment.)
THIS MEDICATION IS NOT SAFE FOR USE IN COLLIES, SHETLAND SHEEPDOGS, USTRALIAN SHEPHERDS, OLD ENGLISH SHEEPDOGS, AND SOME WOULD SAY, ANY HERDING BREED.
There is an unfortunate tendency for people hoping to save money to get their hands on large animal formulations of ivermectin and attempt to home treat this condition. The chief reason why this is a bad idea is “ivermectin sensitivity,” a phenomenon famous in the collie breeds. It is important to realize that sensitivity to ivermectin may not be predictably limited to “collie breeds” and thus it is often prudent to use a lower test dose before initiating the relatively high doses of ivermectin needed to treat demodicosis. Recently a DNA test has been developed by Washington State University which can determine whether or not an individual has ivermectin sensitivity. (The test uses a cheek swab – for details visit www.vetmed.wsu.edu/vcpl). Not all individuals of collie heritage are sensitive to ivermectin.
Another important reason not to attempt home treatment of this condition with ivermectin is that there is a range of ivermectin doses used in the treatment of demodicosis and it seems that higher doses do clear infection faster than lower doses. This means that if a lower dose has been ineffective, a higher dose may still work. This does not mean that a pet owner should experiment with ivermectin doses on their own as there is some potential for lethal toxicity if this drug is not used appropriately. It does mean, though, that the affected dog needs to be appropriately rechecked at the proper intervals so that the mite numbers can be checked and it can be determined if the dose should be increased.
Traditional Treatment — Amitraz (Mitaban) Dips
Unless the animal is largely bald or has a short coat, complete clipping will be required for maximal contact with the dip.
Dip should be preceded by a benzoyl peroxide bath (oxydex or pyoben shampoo). This helps clear up skin infections and also helps open the hair follicles so the dip can penetrate to the mites. Shampoo must sit on the pet at least 10 minutes before rinsing. Caution: This type of shampoo can stain jewelry and clothing.
Dip is applied by sponge. Gloves should be worn while applying dip. The dip dries on the dog’s fur and should not be rinsed off. The dog should not get wet between dips.
Dipping occasionally yields mild sedation as a side effect. Very small dogs may become highly sedated and require an antidote but this is unusual. For your convenience, dipping and bathing may be performed at the hospital thus allowing for veterinary supervision in the event of side effects.
Dipping/bathing is recommended every 2 weeks on the bottle of dip. Most universities are finding that the cure rate jumps from 25% to 80% when dip is used at double strength and applied weekly. No toxic effects have been seen using the dip in this way and this is our current recommendation except in very small dogs and puppies.
The pet’s skin is scraped every 2 weeks until 2 consecutive scrapings are negative. Dipping/bathing is discontinued and the pet is rechecked in one month. Dipping/bathing are reinstituted if mites are again found.
Amitraz dipping should not be used in toy breeds or in very young puppies.
NOTE: Amitraz is a drug of the monoamine oxidase inhibitor class. People who are taking selected serotonin reuptake inhibitors (such as Prozac®) could have a bad reaction to the use of amitraz if they administer dips to pets.
NOTE: Recently Upjohn Pharmacia merged with Pfizer Animal Health. Prior to this, Mitaban dip was on an “indefinite” backorder. Pfizer Animal Health plans to reintroduce Mitaban dip as soon as possible and does not consider this product to have been discontinued. Large animal formulations of Amitraz are available but their use in small animals is considered to be off-label. If you are interested in Amitraz therapy for demodicosis, consult your veterinarian.
Something Else Your Veterinarian Might Try — Interceptor®
Interceptor (active ingredient: Milbemycin oxime) is normally marketed as a monthly heartworm preventive; when it is used on a daily basis, it is effective against generalized demodicosis. This discovery was welcomed by the veterinary profession as finally demodicosis could be treated without labor-intensive dipping. The downside to this treatment is expense, plus an owner can expect to be using this medication daily for up to 3 months to achieve cure.
Interceptor may be used in any patient safely; the only downside is expense.
