# Natural remedy for mange



## amandakik (May 21, 2008)

My 1.5-year-old mutt has mange. We've spent the last six months trying different medications, with little change. We're now trying a less toxic approach. Are there any natural remedies out there for mange?

I've switched her to a diet of homemade dog food sprinkled with fresh raw garlic, include a little apple cider vinegar in her food, and give her a weekly sponge bath (borax/water/peroxide mix).

I'm open to any suggestions. The poor thing ITCHES!


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## farmmom (Jan 4, 2009)

I don't know any natural remedies, but here are a few thougths.
Are you sure it's mange? There are many environmental things that can cause severe itching, hair loss, etc. Has she had a skin scraping done to check for the mites? If not, that is the first thing I would do. You may have already had her diagnosed, and if so, just ignore my post. 

Also, the dips and medications that will get sarcoptic mange many times will not treat demodectic mange - thus the importance of skin scraping to see what type of mite she has.


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## GoldenMom (Jan 2, 2005)

What was the vet's diagnosis as to the type of mite? What medications have you tried?


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## WstTxLady (Mar 14, 2009)

definitely see what a vet says before medicating for it because that might not be what it is. if its in one particular area, try some plain ole Vaseline to relive the dry itch or some utter butter or some cream.


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## Willowynd (Mar 27, 2005)

There are 2 types of mange...sarcoptic (which is generally easily cured) and demodectic mange. I am going to assume since it has gone on so long that your dealing with demodectic mange which is actually an immune issue. It usually has an effect of hair loss, itching, thickening of the skin and a mousey odor. I went through the same thing many many years ago with a collie puppy I picked up out of pity- was raised by a farmer in a fox cage and was the last one left. I also tried many medications from the vet, dips and such to no avail. Back then no one informed me about diet- not even the vet. The vet treated it as a mite only. All it did was slow down the progression which before it was cured was over half the body. The cure after over a year was found quite by accident when I changed to a lamb and rice kibble with no corn, wheat or soy because he was also having digestive issues. I see you are making food at home, so what I would try is treating it as an allergy per se. Try an elimination diet. Start with one protein and no grains. Personally, I would not cook the protein source as I feel it is not needed and they get more benefit from raw as it is thier natural diet (dogs are carnivores), it is easier and when I tried home cooked it took too much food to keep the weight on my dogs. If you do prefer to cook it, you will need to add bone meal, I am sure there are some people on here who cook for thier dogs. I would start with a low allergen protein such as chicken. See if there is improvement. If not, then try a different protein (there are dogs who are allergic to chicken). You may also want to try a novel protein meaning one the dog has not had before- such as rabbit. Once you find a protein that works, then stick with it. Grains are not needed- they are a filler that quite often causes alleric reactions in the dog, but if you must feed grains then rice and oatmeal are the lower allergens. If you must add grains back in, do it slowly and only add back in one ingredient at a time for several weeks to watch for a reaction. Licking paws, itchy or smelly ears, itchy skin, digestive changes, etc. are all signs that the food is not agreeing with the dog.


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## SmokyShadow (May 19, 2007)

BearFootMom suggested this for our mangy puppy: 

Ivomec 1% injectible will cure mange
1/10th ML/10 lbs given orally DAILY until 1 week past time symptoms disappear. 

Caution: Is Ivomec the stuff that collies can't have??

It worked great, but I also used Benadryl (1 mg per pound every eight hours), diet (meat) and a horsespray. Check out my post with the same situation.

http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/showthread.php?t=343143&highlight=benadryl

Adding a little vegetable or olive oil - and/or bacon grease - can help ease dry skin. 

If nothing else helps, make sure you get her back to the vet - or to a different vet - pronto!


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## jkmlad (Jun 18, 2009)

Ivomec is for Demodex. I don't think it is used for sarcoptic mange. I recently read an article somewhere cautioning against treating incorrectly for any mange. Although I recently treated a dog with Ivomec for mange, and it was very effective, I would not experiment with Ivomec for 30 days just to try to figure out if the mange was Demodex. Ivomec is the stuff you don't give to collie breeds.


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## DaniR1968 (May 24, 2008)

Raw sulfer. I had a dog with mange that got dipped and salves and it didn't get any better. I tried the sulfer and it worked great. My dog had a small spot so I made it into a paste and put it on. For a large area, put it on dry. You might want to do that and leave the dog out for a while. It won't hurt him if he licks it either.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

> BearFoot*Mom *suggested this for our mangy puppy:
> 
> Ivomec 1% injectible will cure mange
> 1/10th ML/10 lbs given orally DAILY until 1 week past time symptoms disappear.
> ...


LOL I'm NOT a "Mom"

And yes, Ivomec isn't safe for Collie breeds
I used it on one of my Maremmas 


http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_demodectic_mange.html



> CURRENT TREATMENT OF CHOICE -- IVERMECTIN
> 
> Ivermectin is a broad spectrum anti-parasite medication with a number of uses though
> its use in treating 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 fairly toxic dips were available and incurable cases were common. After some experimentation it was found that daily or every other day dosing is necessary for effective demodicosis treatment and soon ivermectin was felt unequivocally to be the drug of choice for this condtion. Note that the weekly protocols that work for other parasites simply do not work on Demodex mites.


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## Willowynd (Mar 27, 2005)

Ivermectin is also used to treat sarcoptic msngr- it cleared up my pb pig.


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

Ivermectin does not cure demodectic mange. Ivermectin is sucked up by sarcoptic mange mites, because those mites feed on blood. Demodectic mites feed on the dog's oil and hair follicles and do not suck up the ivermectin. I had my current foster on Ivermectin, per the vet, for a month before I discovered this.

Mix this up: 1/2 cup witch hazel, 1/2 cup water, 1/4 teaspoon lavender e.o. Dab it on the dog. It will clear up the bumps and scabs pretty quickly.


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## GoldenMom (Jan 2, 2005)

Maura said:


> Ivermectin does not cure demodectic mange. Ivermectin is sucked up by sarcoptic mange mites, because those mites feed on blood. Demodectic mites feed on the dog's oil and hair follicles and do not suck up the ivermectin. I had my current foster on Ivermectin, per the vet, for a month before I discovered this.
> 
> Mix this up: 1/2 cup witch hazel, 1/2 cup water, 1/4 teaspoon lavender e.o. Dab it on the dog. It will clear up the bumps and scabs pretty quickly.


Ivermectin DOES kill demodex. It's quite an effective treatment, but it does take time.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

> Ivermectin does not cure demodectic mange.


Science begs to differ:



> After some experimentation it was found that daily or every other day dosing is necessary for effective *demodicosis* treatment and soon *ivermectin was felt unequivocally to be the drug of choice for this condtion*.


http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body...tic_mange.html


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