Legomom
01-14-2009, 05:44 PM
When Jackie went to get TinyMite last week, she & I had been PMing about Ivermectin & mange. I had called my vet because hers was closed the day she went to get her. My vet tech's response was "DO NOT GIVE IVERMECTIN!! It will fry the little one's liver".
Now, I know others on the list have used it with positive results, so I did the next thing that I could think of & posed a question about Sarcoptic Mange on www.AllExperts.com. (I've had very good responses from this site before on other topics & it's volunteer/free.)
Sounded very interesting and something worth exploring. Below, you will find my question and the response from a PhD in Biology at Univ of Miami.
Subject: Sarcoptic Mange in Eastern Grey Squirrel
Question: I am a foster squirrel parent. (People find squirrels, call the Humane Society or a vet & get my name as someone to raise & release orphaned squirrels.) I am about to go pick up one that seems like it has sarcoptic mange. He's approximately 10-12 weeks old. *Judging from pictures* What is the best way to treat him? How isolated does he need to be from my other squirrels? How long should he be isolated? (My vet's office is closed, otherwise I would be calling them.)
Thank you for any info that you can offer!
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Answer:
We've found that the best treatment for mange is Revolution (selamectin), which is applied topically to the back of the neck where the animal can't reach it to lick it off (it won't hurt him if it does, but it's better if he doesn't). This GABA agonist paralyzes the mite parasites within about 12 hours, at which point the squirrel can probably safely be with other squirrels. But if you want to be extra careful, wait about 48 hours.
Many rodents harbor sub-clinical populations of mites, and don't show signs unless they are stressed or ill. So it's possible your other squirrels are already exposed, too, but it won't be a problem.
The dose we use for rabbits (and it's the same for dogs and cats, so I assume for squirrels, too) is 6mg/kg once every 3-4 weeks. The cat formula is 60mg/ml, so for a 1kg squirrel (which would be gigantic), you'd use 0.1cc. Scale down from that, depending on the little guy's weight.
You'll need to get Revolution from the vet. We've used it on even very small baby cottontails with excellent results and no adverse side effects. As long as there is no head injury (which might compromise the blood/brain barrier and allow the selamectin to cross over into the brain, causing harm), the Revolution should be safe. Consult with your vet to be sure.
Hope this helps.
Dana
Dana Krempels, Ph.D.
Department of Biology
University of Miami
Now, I know others on the list have used it with positive results, so I did the next thing that I could think of & posed a question about Sarcoptic Mange on www.AllExperts.com. (I've had very good responses from this site before on other topics & it's volunteer/free.)
Sounded very interesting and something worth exploring. Below, you will find my question and the response from a PhD in Biology at Univ of Miami.
Subject: Sarcoptic Mange in Eastern Grey Squirrel
Question: I am a foster squirrel parent. (People find squirrels, call the Humane Society or a vet & get my name as someone to raise & release orphaned squirrels.) I am about to go pick up one that seems like it has sarcoptic mange. He's approximately 10-12 weeks old. *Judging from pictures* What is the best way to treat him? How isolated does he need to be from my other squirrels? How long should he be isolated? (My vet's office is closed, otherwise I would be calling them.)
Thank you for any info that you can offer!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Answer:
We've found that the best treatment for mange is Revolution (selamectin), which is applied topically to the back of the neck where the animal can't reach it to lick it off (it won't hurt him if it does, but it's better if he doesn't). This GABA agonist paralyzes the mite parasites within about 12 hours, at which point the squirrel can probably safely be with other squirrels. But if you want to be extra careful, wait about 48 hours.
Many rodents harbor sub-clinical populations of mites, and don't show signs unless they are stressed or ill. So it's possible your other squirrels are already exposed, too, but it won't be a problem.
The dose we use for rabbits (and it's the same for dogs and cats, so I assume for squirrels, too) is 6mg/kg once every 3-4 weeks. The cat formula is 60mg/ml, so for a 1kg squirrel (which would be gigantic), you'd use 0.1cc. Scale down from that, depending on the little guy's weight.
You'll need to get Revolution from the vet. We've used it on even very small baby cottontails with excellent results and no adverse side effects. As long as there is no head injury (which might compromise the blood/brain barrier and allow the selamectin to cross over into the brain, causing harm), the Revolution should be safe. Consult with your vet to be sure.
Hope this helps.
Dana
Dana Krempels, Ph.D.
Department of Biology
University of Miami