Jenn (Memphis, Tn) on 11/03/2010
I waited one day and then I woke up itching all over. I cleaned my entire house, thinking we were getting the mites. I mopped, vacuumed after sprinkling diatomaceous earth, washed her bedding/toys and blankets. I sprayed the mixture outside where she lays and plays. I dumped it all over my porch, where she lays. Today, she woke up screaming and howling again, itching like mad, two days after the last application. So I bathed her again. This time her skin peeled off. She has horrible sores all over her body now, bright red patchy skin and swelling. WHAT DID I DO WRONG? Did I use the mixture too often? She just keeps itching like crazy. Maybe it's not mange? I haven't taken her to the vet to make 100% sure. Any advice or help would be GREATLY appreciated. I am scared I am killing her and I feel so sorry for her with the pain and suffering I know she is in!! Oh, Benadryl (antihistamine) does help her sleep at night. Should I continue with that? Thanks!!
Replied By Gromit (Portsmouth, Ri Usa) on 12/29/2010
Hi Jenn,
Wanted to respond to your post - and hope that your dog is doing better. Am passing along my experience with MANGE in hopes that it will help people and their pets. You mentioned you thought you were killing your dog bc of the dogs crying. I just wanted to reassure you that you are not killing your dog. The terrible crying is probably from the mange- the mites burrow into the skin and bite- basically driving your dog mad.
I have just finished ( I hope)a 10 month long battle with scabies/mange. For the first 8 months and 10 visits to the vet my dog was misdiagnosed and my bank account drained by thousands. During this time I tried baths, sprays, benadryl, antibiotic ointments, pills from the vet, steroid injections and the list goes on. NOTHING gave my dog relief- and during this whole time he howled and cried constantly unless he was busy eating himself alive and throwing himself against walls because he was so distressed. He lost all of his hair- skin broken, bumpy, raw, bite and scratch marks. It was terrible and I thought many times about putting him to sleep because he was miserable and until he was diagnosed I thought I was killing him.
As it turns out the vet trt for mange if caught early is pretty straightforward, effective, and inexpensive. Since mange is difficult for the vet to see unless they do a biopsy (scrapings rarely show the mite)a diagnosis is usually the response to treatment. The treatment is Revolution which is a topical like Frontline and Ivermectin. Then there are other washes and dips I am not familiar with. My dog was out of his mind- and would bite anything near him- including me. He was in so much pain he did not know what he was doing. The itching was also far worse at nite- I am told that this is bc the mites are more active at nite. If you can afford to go to the vet now and start these treatments you will save money in the long run bc you will avoid the secondary skin infections which will require antibiotics and further treatment. If your vet recommends treatment with Revolution and it is too expensive - Pfizer is the company that makes Revolution and they may have some financial programs available to help with cost. Good luck and don't give up. You can email me directly as well @melaniejsmith(at)cox(dot)net
Replied By Diamond (Salisbury, Ma.usa) on 04/02/2011
Replied By Nicky (Johannesburg, South Africa) on 05/05/2011