I’ve adopted a kitten who was diagnosed at 2 weeks of age with notoedric mange, which is caused by mites that burrow under the skin. She was treated for three weeks with a lime-sulfer dip, but didn’t do well with it. At 4 weeks, the vet gave her a shot of Ivermectin, and now, at 5 weeks (20 oz.), she’s showing signs of improvement.
I, on the other hand, am covered with red itchy bumps.
My internet research, as well as comments from the vet and from a doctor friend, tell me that, as this condition is specific to cats, the mites will eventually figure out that I’m not an appropriate host and will die off. I don’t know how long this is supposed to take. I’ve read from two to six weeks.
Does anyone have any experience with this? I called my doctor and they wouldn’t tell me anything over the phone but said I had to come in if I wanted to talk about it. What can the doctor do for me? What can he prescribe? I’ve been using tea tree oil and calamine lotion to not much avail. I don’t want to take anything internally for a condition that is going to go away by itself.
I made a dip by dissolving borax (DO NOT USE Boric Acid – **DO USE **THE WASH ADDITIVE 20 MULE TEAM BORAX) into water, then adding peroxide and it stopped the itching immediately and allowed the dog to heal. I’d imagine it would work on you as well.
By immediately, this dog was painful all over from the mange, yelped when handled and shook with fear when I put him ankle deep in the dip (his feet were terrible). As he stood there, you could see him relax and actually enjoy the dip being poured over him. After the dip, the previously limply dog actually ran around the room a bit.
Oils are trying to suffocate the mites and had little effect beyond a few minutes (in my experience). The dip seems to kill them back for at least a week. Another thing to consider is taking Spirulina as that will dampen your allergic reaction to the mites.
Followup: 99% of my itchy red bumps have gone away by themselves. There were a couple of days where the itching was pretty unbearable. But I never went to the doctor or got any “treatment.” Kitten is much better, too! She has one more shot of ivermectin in a week, but the only place where she still has the crusty mange is on the tips of her ears.
If you want to see exactly how much better she’s feeling,