Mites!!!

[Hayashi_eri]

My house has been attacked by Sarcoptic mites!! Our 1yr old Golden Retriver has been suffering from itchy scratching, redish & blad patches since she came to our house 4 months ago. We have sent her to the vet twice, whom said that she is has allergy to some kind of food. So we changed her diet to mainly fish kibbles but still didn't see any improvement. We have also noticed that another 2 of our dogs are starting to suffer the similar symtoms.
We sent her to another vet last nite & guess what....Vet says she is obviously suffering from Sacoptic mites not allergy...wrong prescription yet again...all these vets are driving me nuts...
Anyway, I sprayed the whole house & all the dogs with flea & mite repelent.
Our Gr was given a anti-mite treatment called revolution, we only have to apply the small package on the back of our dog & it will last for 30 days or so. I have heard of the harmful effects of all this spot-on treatment for fleas & mites. So I am wondering if I shld use it on Buta....she is the only lucky dog at home not suffering from the sarcoptic mites, I thought maybe they lost to the Mange mites LOL
Really need some advise before I go ahead to use Front-line or Revolution kind of Flea ' mites medication on Buta...

[Hayashi_eri]

Below are the details of the Sarcoptic mites:

Sarcoptic Mites and Mange

SARCOPTIC MITES and DEMODEX MITES are often referred to as MANGE. The word mangy describes a ragged and uneven hair coat and damaged skin that results from mites affecting the skin and hair follicles. Mange is responsible for many annoying and persistent problems in veterinary dermatology. Demodex mites in general are less troublesome than Sarcoptic mites, cause less itching and self-mutilation, and are not seen in adult dogs as often as Sarcoptic mites. The mite known as SCABIES, SARCOPTIC MITES or SARCOPTIC MANGE are highly communicable little bugs that actually dig tiny tunnels into the skin where they cause intense itching, inflammation and hair loss. Many, many cases of skin itching (called 菟ruritus・ in dogs and cats have been diagnosed by veterinarians as 鄭llergic Dermatitis・when in fact the pet had sarcoptic mites. (See the article called ITCH AND SCRATCH). The difficulty lies in the fact that Sarcoptic Mite infestation really does look like an allergic dermatitis because the skin is reacting to an irritant... just like an allergy! The intense itching results in self trauma, hair loss, and dry crusty skin lesions. In some cases the dog or cat can lose large areas of fur and literally be covered with crusts and scabs. Scabies mites can affect humans, as well. A swift diagnosis of sarcoptic mites is vital to the pet痴 health and the well being of the pet痴 owner. Generally, in healthy humans who are not immune suppressed, the Scabies Mites do not reproduce very readily and may simply 堵o away・without medical treatment. If you are in doubt about human cases of Scabies, consult your physician.

[Michael Romanos]

My advice is to use Frontline-Plus to counter any chance of flea etc infestation and to take the advice of the vet who has prescribed Revolution for the mite/mange problem. You got a vet who found out what the problem is, so why not accept what he/she has prescribed.

[MissGambler'sMommy]

Frontline-Plus is the best to use, it covers more than just fleas, and I think the trick is to use it every month like clock-work, year-round, like heartworm prev. medication. Hope your two get better real quick, and that it doesn't drive you too crazy!

[sweetlychee]

From my previous medical background, humans also can get scabies. But, they are treated with a topical treatment. If you keep everything clean, it should be no problem. Also, disinfect everything. Scabies can spread.

Do use Frontline Plus or Advantix.

Thanks for more information on it, Eri!

[Michael Romanos]

Miss Gambler - you don't use Frontline-Plus every month - more likely one application every three months.

[Dillydoodle]

I dont know if the frontline plus is only used every three months however I use frontline top spot- and i use it every month year round. Just because winter comes does not mean that there are no ticks- a few warmer winter days and suddenly there are ticks around. I think each product will tell you how often to apply their product. I dont take chances with ticks- i have three unprotected cats ( one is quiet elderly and frail and i cannot use any topical treatments on her, nor can i even give her the rabies shot any longer - no matter, she is indoor only) so one or two fleas or ticks coming into my house would be a total disaster. I dont know a lot about the treatment for mites, but better to get that under control asap as i have seen what mange looks like untreated...awful stuff. I hope that your poor golden is feeling better soon eri...

Emilie

[Chip's Mom]

I am with the understanding that you can use Frontline plus on a monthly basis also. I used it 3 months in a row on Chip and finally got rid of that one or 2 fleas he kept picking up. Last month on my vet's recommendation I changed to the next weight level and finally got rid of the invisible flea that drove him crazy itching. Hopefully now I won't have to use it until spring.

[corgimom]

I use Frontline Plus also, but my Vet said to apply it every 3 months, which is what I have been doing - next time I see him, I am going to ask him if there is a reason why it should not be applied monthly.

[darci]

my package info with frontline plus says apply every 30 days

[Chip's Mom]

I sure wish it would last for 3 months Cindy do you use it year round here?

[corgimom]

That is interesting, because my vet said the frontline plus is effective for fleas for 3 months, but ticks for only 1 month - so I would assume if you live in an area where you have a heavy infestation of ticks(especially where it is warmer year round) then you would apply it every month. I just put on the frontline plus for November and don't plan on using it again until February. Here is the link which goes over frequency of application. I guess one has to decide whether monthly or every 3 months is needed for their pets.

[darci]

The frontline website states that its only waterproof for 30 days I think thats the kicker here for monthly use and the fact that we have a lot of ticks as well.
I dont use it nov-feb.
Unless we were to have some really unusal weather.

[corgimom]

http://www.medi-vet.com/detail.aspx~ID~2767

Here is the link that I forgot to post in my past post.

I didn't realize it was waterproof for only 30 days.

[Chip's Mom]

Thanks Linda for that informative website. Fleas were real bad this year in my area so the once a month was great. Also Chip was borderline on the weight and I was buying him the smaller one thinking he wouldn't get so much chemical after I bought the next size up - no more fleas so that was my mistake.