So ive dropped like 2500 bucks into my dog to try to get rid of the mange thank god for student loan money.... tried all kindsa pills and dips and everything. Mainly Ivermectin and Mitaban... she has red mange with Demodex mites...... the medicine use to work and it would come back but now it isnt working and she is scratching herself raw....... Im afraid she has ran outta options anybody tried anything else?? im afraid im goin to have to take her on the long walk in the woods..... anybody ever had to shoot their dog before.... not 100 percent sure I can do it... but I think its only right instead of having the vet put her down....
It sounds to me like your veterinarian has been taking you to the bank for a condition that is usually easily cured at much less a cost and although the treatments you have been using are correct, the most important thing is to check to see if the mites have been eliminated after the treatments. If you have access to a 100x or greater microscope and a glass slide at your school, you can check for the mites by doing a skin scraping yourself after the treatments to insure it is really working and the mites are gone. Also, I would use a good flea control product (Frontline Plus), applied after the mites are completely gone to eliminate any secondary irritation from this source too. The usual causative factor for mite reinfection is stress, so it is very important that she be altered (spayed) to avoid any hormonal stresses she might be experiencing which contributes to her condition. Finally, the last thing you want to do is take her out in the woods, since it is far to easy to screw it up, causing her to unduly suffer, even if you are an expert with a firearm. If it were me and she were my dog--I wouldn't give up on her and I would try the above and most certainly look for a second opinion from another veterinarian before you make any decisions of finality. The very best of luck to both of you!
Hey thank you for the reply!!! I did have her spayed...she is on frontline and ive had her to about 4 different vets including the Ohio State dog dermatologists...... the mitaban works to rid her of the mites but within a months time after not dipping her she shows signs again
used motor oil will kill the mites.. nasty,,yes,but its a old hillbilly remedy and it does work..its not the healthiest remedy for your dog,but neither is a bullet to its head.. lol and yes ive killed numerous dogs,and a few cats as well.. its just one of those things. just ask yourself if you would want to live in that condition,,if the answer is no,then do what you gotta do..
Yea it just sucks..... the medicine works to kill the mites but they always come back and I gotta pay out the ass for the medicine Im just a softy when it comes to animals but I need to man up.... I gave her the last of the medicine I had last night because her crotch and ass were bloody from chewin and it was workin its way up her chest... gotten a lot better since then but it wont be long till its back.... then it will be a lot easier because I will see that she is in pain
I can understand your frustration, seeing that you tried all the standard veterinary prescribed treatments at great cost without lasting success, yet there are alternative treatments (holistic) of minimal cost you might want to try now that you are out of mitaban. The last thing you want to do is the old motor oil trick (no offense hippiehillbilly), but all petroleum distillates are extremely toxic and have been shown to cause severe liver and kidney damage, even death, since the toxins are absorbed through the skin and would be ingested by your dog trying to lick it off their coat. You may even want to change her food to what I use, which is Canidae and has helped more than one of my dogs with skin problems, but it will cost you a little more and yet, it is the only food I will feed any of my dogs. Anyway, I did a search and found this homeopathic and low-cost remedy my mother used on our border collies, since ivermectin and mitaban are toxic to collies. You might want to give this a try and I am hoping for the best for her and you too... (Holistic Mange Remedy) A 1% mixture of Hydrogen Peroxide, approximately 1 pint to 5 gals. of water, then slowly mix in Borax, (20 mule team is the most common) until the water is so saturated it won't dissolve any more, about 1/2 a box to the 5 gallons. Bath your dog in this solution once every seven days, do not rinse it off, leave the solution on them like a dip, you will see almost immediate results in the dog, less itching, smoother skin, etc. Within a couple of weeks you should start to see a drastic improvement, hair growing back into the now clean pores. The borax contains boric acid, which is extremely toxic to insects of all kinds, but won't hurt your dog at all. The peroxide is just the catalyst that enables the solution to be absorbed into the skin to kill the mites & their eggs. About 8 treatments, 2 months should be the maximum dosage.
lol no offense taken,,.. i told him it was just a bit healthier than a bullet to its head.. as far as that remedy,,borax creates its own peroxide when mixed with water. im not quite sure why you need peroxide on top of borax? the borax creates a bonding peroxide powerful enough to bleach. also borax is extremely toxic,its used as a ant and roach killer. so i would muzzle your dog before applying cause if it has any open wounds its not going to like it and if it licks it it may get sick or worse.. http://chemistry.about.com/od/howthingsworkfaqs/a/howboraxworks.htm actually,i think motor oil would be safer and far less painful for the dog than that home remedy,,but hey,, "its natural"...
It is true that boric acid has toxicity, but it is an inorganic salt which kills insects by simple dessication and is by far, greatly less toxic than the multitude of organic compounds found in petroleum. Also, it is a completely odorless compound as compared to petroleum aromatic hydrocarbons and will reduce, if not completely eliminate the desire or chance of a dog ingesting it by licking their coat. In terms of the addition of the hydrogen peroxide to the dip, it is simply acting as a catalyst, which allows the solid state boric salt to more easily go into solution. Anyway, I forgot to mention that you may want to also try a homeopathic called "Bach's Rescue Remedy". It is fairly inexpensive and I give my border collies a few drops on their tongues on those days when they become stressed by approaching thunderstorms or calm them down when we go camping, since they have a tendency to get really wild and crazy in the woods. It contains all natural and non-toxic ingredients, working wonders to help reduce anxiety and boost their immune system in the bargain too. Their website is http://www.bachflower.com I hope all this information is not confusing you, but if you should have any questions, just let me know... namaste
5 grams will kill a child,,id say thats pretty toxic.. so lets do some math. ,20 mule team borax comes in a 76 ounce box that means you use 212 times the lethal amount for a pet or child to make the bath that your suggesting he dip his dog in.. quite frankly IMO a dog would be MORE apt to lick a odorless colorless liquid from his skin than he would be to lick used motor oil off.. but once again,thats just my opinion.. that being said,im sorry,,theres no way i would do that to my dog.. but then it aint my dog,im just tryin to put things in perspective for him is all....
I'm sorry but your math is incorrect since you are not factoring in the water/peroxide dilution and the actual amount of residual solution left on the dog and this is assuming it will completely dissolve which is unlikely. The correct computation would 38 ounces or 1077.30 grams of Borax dissolved into 5 gallons of water and 1 pint of hydrogen peroxide. I will divide this number by 40 (pints per gallon), estimating high that 1 pint of solution will remain on the dog which equals 27 grams, and the number of actual grams of would be even less since Borax contains only 91% boric acid, so it would be closer to 23 grams, but probably much less of active boric acid over the entire dogs body. Also, I believe the information from about.com which you are basing your assumptions on is simply inaccurate. If you take a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boric_acid you will find it far more comprehensive and even includes the technical data sheets from the national pesticide information center. Keep in mind, that children are more susceptible to all toxins whatever the concentration compared to adults and dogs. If you check out this link too, which is one of many detailing the treatment of demodectic mange: http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_demodectic_mange.html It gives the following warning regarding used motor oil as a treatment for mange at the very bottom of the page: [Begin Quote] WE WISH IT WASN’T NECESSARY TO ADD THIS In older times, 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![End Quote] Finally, you and I will simply have to agree to disagree regarding dogs and odorless substances, since their most acute sense is that of smell and they just love to get smelly stuff on them and then lick them off at their leisure. I apologize for the length of this response to the OP, but I can simply not allow anyone reading this thread to take your advice on this one...Motor Oil is bad for dogs.
i never said motor oil wasnt,i simply said its a better alternative than a bullet to its head.. now that ive said that for the third time,, geeeze, i still dont think the boric acid remedy is much safer. the fact remains that it is extremely toxic and there,even by your math remains over 5 times whats needed to kill the dog on its body . as far as you using wiki as a source,,spare me please. anyone can put whatever they wish in wiki,an you say my source is questionable?? lol i guess we will have to agree to disagree on all points...
for the record,i have used used motor oil on a dog with mange and after 1 treatment the puppy cleared right up and grew to be a beautiful animal..
I will stick with my Mom's homeopathic remedy which she used on more than one of our dogs over the years will no ill effects and the opinion of the National Pesticide Information Center which indicates boric acid is of very low toxicity in topical applications rather than ingestion, especially since I have yet to see a dog who can lick their entire body. I don't see us bantering back and forth really helping this guy with his dog too! At this point, I think I could use a bullet to my own head rather than convince you otherwise...
a bullet to your head should be a last resort,,but hey,,who am i to stop ya if thats what ya wanna do...
A bullet to the head would only make sense if I continue this thread in a manner which only serves to massage my own ego rather than helping a dog and her loving owner get past their suffering... So let us save on bullets and get back to helping a dog who is in need...
How is that dog of yours doing these days? It is my sincere hope that it is better in every possible way! I was talking with a friend who moved to the Oregon coast several years ago and she mentioned an alternative treatment which worked absolute wonders for one of the dogs at the veterinary clinic where she works. If you like I could PM you the web address of her rescue group which will fill you in with all the details...
