Mange Treatment

[Guest guest]

In response to my posting seeking help with scab which I sent in to a

few lists of which I am a member I have received many replies. Some of

the answers were the same others were different. Some had no suggestions

at all but I believe that had they known something they would have said.

I thought I'd collect all the suggestions sent in together in one

document and share it. I have obviously not tried them all so I can't

personally witness to the efficacy of them all but I do have faith in

the value of the suggestions I received.

 

I use the abbreviation e-oil instead of essential oil.

 

 

There are two main sorts of mange. One is caused by insect (mite)

infestation. The other is caused by fungal infestation.

 

Suggestions for sorting out the fungal variety are:

 

colloidal silver

 

lavender

 

Tobacco juice

 

tea tree e-oil

 

a 50-50 mix of apple cider vinegar and water plus e-oils, such as tea

tree, eucalyptus, and lavender

 

Oregano e-oil in combination with Lavender e-oil as well as rosemary

and/or thyme

 

flowers of sulfur (yellow sulfur powder) made into a paste by mixing

with lard to facilitate application. It can be mixed with a cooking oil

but lard works better.

 

All of the following have been recommended for use in fungal infections

but not specifically mange: Tincture of iodine, PVP iodine, 50% tincture

of iodine, 50% methylated spirits (methyl alcohol), iodine based, 10%

copper sulfate solution, 1% alum solution, zinc and oil diaper cream,

10% zinc sulfate solution, gentian violet white vinegar.

 

This recommendation was accompanied by a procedure for finding out what

helps quickly is one is in the position of not quite knowing what to do.

The advice is as follows: use different substances in different places,

keeping note of what went where. The one that works is used to treat the

whole surface.

 

 

For mange caused by mites the following treatments were suggested:

 

Tobacco juice

 

tea tree e-oil

 

curry powder (India Curry) - mix the curry powder with vaseline to make

a salve

 

DE (diatomaceous earth) gets rid of mite infestation both for birds and

dogs,

 

kerosene (can be painful)

 

liquid paraffin (I think that is the same as kerosene but am not sure as

yet)

 

Ordinary motor oil.

 

In the event of using kerosene or motor oil it would be good to muzzle

the dog in order to prevent it licking the oil.

 

olive oil.

 

Oil suffocates the mites. If the surface of the skin is oiled )I imagine

that if their chitin covering is covered in oil the air holes they

respire through get blocked and they die) Oil suffocates them!

 

Before leaving the topic of suffocation here is something tangential

that came in one of the responses - you can get rid of fur mites on

kittens with mayonnaise.

 

Brewer's yeast was mentioned but I don't know if that was for mites of

fungus.

 

Quite a few advocated the use of a combination of lavender e-oil & tea

tree e-oil blended out in a vegetable carrier oil. Some said not to use

Tea Tree e-oil because some toy dog breeds have had adverse effects.

This applies to cats as well.

 

Authentic Apple Cider Vinegar diluted 50/50 with water plus tea tree Oil

was also mentioned. Raw, non distilled ACV is best, but distilled will

do.

 

 

Diet was also brought up and the importance of a strong immune system

healthy immune system in helping to combat any infection. Adding Vitamin

C to the dogs food was pointed out as a good nutritional tactic.

Colloidal silver ingested would aid in healing.

 

 

Concerning recovery it was pointed out that a daily dose of flaxseed oil

which would help dry skin which would have been stripped its natural

oils due to the mange. An oatmeal bath would also give good results in

promoting good condition in the skin.

 

A spray made from pennyroyal and cedar will help keep infestations at

bay once they have been removed and the skin has healed.

 

 

Summing up it would seem that oil in itself is an effective medium in

combating insect infestation. Tea tree e-oil works on both types of

mange, mites or fungus but there is some difference of opinion as to

whether or not it should be used. However there are many essential oils,

mentioned above that can be used in connection with olive oil which are

anti viral/fungal and in the next paragraph I will mention two that work

well on mites. It should be possible to soak tobacco in olive oil and

make a cleansing oil out of.

 

Now for my contribution to the wealth of information on this subject.

Some years ago I visited a friend who had several dogs. Two of them had

mange caused by mites. It was much clearer and easier to diagnose than

in my dog. The ears were infested and there were clear dark patches of

skin on the inside of the ears where the mite colonies were. The dogs

also scratched a lot.

 

In those days I used to have a little bag with me wherever I went with

various herbs and essential oils. Yes I was (I think its called) a hot

dog. Anyway instinctively I felt to try a combination of e-oil of garlic

and sage. I mixed them 50/50 and applied neat. The following morning

when I checked the infested areas had become open sores. The dogs did

not scratch any more so they were not in too much discomfort. A few days

later the skin had began healing nicely and I was later told that it had

healed with no scars and the infestation was cleared up completely.

 

If you are wondering why on earth I wrote around asking for advice if

that was the case it is because I could not get hold of either of those

oils where I lived and had run out. I wanted to be able to act quickly

since I know that it would very uncomfortable for mt dog and at the same

time it is so good to be able to help oneself or in this case one's dog.

 

It would cost a fortune to transport and pay for medical from a vet

repeatedly. Things are very expensive here in Sweden. With the

possibility of re-infection from the fox a clear possibility having

several and hopefully cheap avenues of recourse is essential.

 

I am looking forward to trying out tobacco juice in a variety of

situations that arise every summer as well as many of the other

suggestions in my battle against various insect pests that bother both

my animals and plants.

 

Once again thank you all for sharing your knowledge.

 

Bones