How long do you treat mange?

[ohiosquirrel]

This year we have had a mange break out in our yard. It started with "little girl". She is a squirrel we have been feeding a couple years and will wait and follow us around everyday. I has able to catch her and took her to a rehab that is treating her and taking good care of her. The week after I dropped her off her buddy started losing his fur. I have been giving him a drop of the horse paste on a peanut once a week for the last 3 weeks. He still has two bald spots on his back. Should I give him another dose this Saturday? How long does it take the fur to grown in? How do I know its working?

Also, the past weekend two more showed up with it. The one little guy looks like he is missing an ear. I gave them both a peanut with paste. Should I keep trying to help him or catch him as well and take him to the rehab? I just don't know how to tell if the dose I gave him Saturday is working.

I am afraid its just going to keep spreading but I feel bad not feeding them.

[astra]

Hi, :Welcome

Thank you for caring and being concerned with their well being.

First of, I, personally, would not bring them to rehab, b/c:
1. being captured is a lot of stress;
2. there is no guarantee that a rehab centre does not put them to sleep (if they are overfull and shorthanded and if the squirrel does not respond to treatment quickly, most rehab centers euthanize them)
3. mange can be treated in the wild (many ppl here, including myself, have done it).

A course of mange treatment consists of three treatments, one per week for three weeks. Make sure it is no less than a week between the doses (say, if you started on Saturday, next dose should be Sat and not Friday).

You should see improvement fairly quickly.
HOWEVER, some squirrels recover slower than others. But if they don't get worse, if if it slows down that means that the treatment is working.

If they do not respond to the treatment very well the first time, after the 3 weeks take a couple of weeks break and then, repeat for another 3 weeks.

Mange is often a result of excess stress.
Of course, they are wild, so yOu cannot really control their stressors, but
you can provide food for them (rodent block soaked in peanut butter, tree nuts, avocado -no pit or skin as they are toxic, peeled apple slices );
provide clean fresh water
some people add echinacea extract to the water (there is a "recipe" for it somewhere here).

Also, are you sure it's mange?... could it be molt?

It could also be a combination of both.

Your feeding them has nothing to do with its spreading.

Just be patient. It does take time, depending on how compromised their immune systems are.
Do a 3-week treatment, if needed - take a couple of weeks break and repeat another 3-week treatment.
Keep feeding them well.
Provide fresh water.


Also, just wanted to make sure that the horse paste you are using is the size of an uncooked rice grain?

[ohiosquirrel]

Thanks for the reply. The first guy I started treating lost a little more fur the first week. Since then it hasn't gotten any worse but his fur is not growing back. His skin is white now and no longer pink. Do you think that is a good sign? I will not give him another dose this weekend and see how he does (since he has had 3 already). He has been eating his nuts and apples.

The second one with a bad ear just got the first dose last weekend. I will give him a second dose this week. I don't get to see them during the week because I leave for work to early but my husband feeds them. He said he looked better yesterday and that his back hasn't gotten any worse.

I did get to see the girl I gave the first dose to last weekend yesterday evening. She was out eating. Her fur is still missing but from 10 feet away her skin looked like it wasn't pink anymore. I will give her a second dose this weekend as well.

I am not sure I can get my hands on Revolution. I will try to get some for the vet. Is it okay to put it on them as well as the paste? Also, I seen Freedom 45 and Tractor Supply and it says it kills fleas, ticks and mites on dogs. Can that be used on squirrels if I cant get Revolution?

I have only been giving them a 1/2 rice size drop on a peanut. There is great information on this site. I was trying to be extra careful as not to put more then that on. I dont want to OD the little things :(

The little girl I took to rehab is doing better. They have had her for 4 weeks and had to give her antibiotics as well as the ivermectin. I check on her twice a week. She did get a little worse at first but they said she is doing good and eating alot. I should get her back in two weeks to release. The same rehab just released 3 other this past week that they treated for mange. They have been getting a ton of calls I guess.

I appreciate all the help!

[ohiosquirrel]

The first guy I was treating hasn't gotten worse but he hasn't gotten any better either. I took my dog to the vet and they only Revolution they would give me was for him. He is a 50lbs dog. Is it possible to dilute this down so I can try putting a drop on the squirrel (if I can catch him). I always read about revolution for puppies but I cant get my hands on any. Thanks for any advice :)

[jacey]

The potency changes from 60mg/ml to 120mg/ml once you go past 5 lbs in the dog revolution. In the cat revolution the potency stays the same at 60mg/ml just giving more to apply in the 5-15 lb cat product. For dogs and cats selamectin is dosed at 6mg/kg. If you were told to use one drop of the puppy for the squirrel you are treating then it would be 1/2 drop of the stronger potency that you purchased for your 50 lb dog. I have not used revolution that often to know what mg/ml is needed for rodents. I did some research where I recall a rodent dosage of I think it was 12mg/ml topically. I am hoping another member chimes who has more experience with this to help you.

[iwonka]

The first guy I was treating hasn't gotten worse but he hasn't gotten any better either. I took my dog to the vet and they only Revolution they would give me was for him. He is a 50lbs dog. Is it possible to dilute this down so I can try putting a drop on the squirrel (if I can catch him). I always read about revolution for puppies but I cant get my hands on any. Thanks for any advice :)

I used the ivermectin paste on 2 wild squirrels recently and it worked well.

I can help you with revolution dosage.. however, how do you want to apply it on the squirrel?.. Don't forget that you need to put the liquid directly on the skin.

How is the concentration of the revolution you have?.. 60mg/ml or 120mg/ml ?

[Skul]

Iwonka might be correct.
Ivermectin may be the best.
Revolution is difficult because you need to capture and then apply.
Give it some thought and go with what works best for you.

[ohiosquirrel]

Thanks for the replies. The ivermectin paste seemed to work good on the other two squirrels I was treating. Their fur is growing back and they look really good. I started treating them earlier though. We were out of town this weekend but I got to see all three of them today. The one I was worried about seems to be doing a little better. It didnt get any worse so that is good. He had a bad case. I believe he and the squirrel I took to the rehab stayed together. They were always with each other. The rehabber told me she had a really really bad case. I should get her back this week to release. I just wanted to make sure the other once were mange free before I released her.