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Sarcoptic Mange Question

1K views 1 reply 2 participants last post by  RebelGSD 
#1 ·
Hi all,

I'm new here. It seems that lots of people here have experience with Sarcoptic Mange, so I'm asking you for help.

I'm fostering a spayed female GSD named Tara. She was kenneled for close to a year before we took her in, in mid-January. She was underweight, itchy, and had hair loss and crusts on her ear tips and face.

Initially, she was diagnosed with food allergies. But, I was never comfortable with that. After doing some digging and talking to lots of dog owners and veterinary staffers, I determined that she likely had Sarcoptic Mange.

All alone, without professional guidance, we surfed the 'net and tried different remedies. Tea Tree Oil was useless and stunk to high heaven. Revolution worked, but only for 3-4 days. We started making progress with Neem Oil, but then she experienced a massive egg-hatch and that's when her whole body broke out. There was literally nowhere that she could be touched without hitting a scab or bump. She was scratching constantly.

I found some posts in this forum that recommended Goodwinol. We got some, tried it on her face and ears, and finally got results! But, what to do with the rest of her poor body?

She was finally diagnosed by an experienced vet in March. She has had 5 weekly Ivermectin injections. Unfortunately, they don't seem to be doing much. They've stopped the progress of the mites, but it doesn't seem to be enough to fully cure her.

In fact, after 3 weeks with little progress, the vet was ready to terminate the treatment and test for allergies. We had to talk the vet into continuing the shots -- mainly because the Goodwinol was working so well on Tara's face. At that point (about 2 weeks ago), I added very small amounts of Goodwinol to all active spots and kept her busy until it soaked in (so she wouldn't lick). Those areas are finally showing some improvement.

Here's her protocol:
Weekly - Ivermectin shots
Daily - Goodwinol and Neem Oil application to affected spots. Neem on all affected and healing areas; Goodwinol on active spots (red bumps or scabs).
Every Other Day - Wash bedding, spray collar with Permethrin spray, mineral bath w/ essential oils (Lavender, Melrose & Thieves).

After a few months of this, the whole family was itching. Tara is now confined to two rooms (my office and the kitchen). Everyone else is doing better. But I still itch like crazy because I have so much contact with the dog. I've been using the Goodwinol on myself, as well as taking Neem Oil baths.

After all of this, we're FINALLY making progress. Tara is STARTING to get better. But I have to wonder, what do I have to do to actually CURE this poor dog?

Has anyone dealt with such a stubborn case of Sarcoptic Mange?

When will I know she's totally free from the mites and eggs?

And once she's cured, what do I have to do to ensure that I don't reinfect her?

Thank you so much!
 
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#2 ·
I did have a foster who was treated with ivermectin injections and the vet declared her cured. She was adopted and ended up infecting the resident dog. What their vet recommended was full body dips, which finally cured the problem.
Sarcoptic mange is often misdiagnosed as food allergy.
 
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