I feel for you.I had something on my legs(rash)a few months back that I felt I had gotten from a dog I kept a short while.I had given her a bath and held her between my legs and the next day I had the most intense itching and a rash.I used that antifungal spray(tinactin) for atheletes foot(suggested here by a member)it cleared up in about a week.On another note my pups from the stray dog may have mites(scabies)the vet says but it hasn't spread to the other pups nor us.Vet said to wash their bedding in bleach or throw it away.The skin scrapings didn't show any mites but they are being treated for them anyway.Good luck.Debbie

Mites have to have oxygen, so if you cover them up, they suffocate.

You can use a heavy oily salve or lotion, & a medicated product would help the itching.

Tinactin works great on ringworm, bet it would work on mites.

I have been there. We were afraid we had bedbugs for a while. Frontline Plus got rid of it on our cats so far (two months), but they are indoor cats. The root of the problem is that we have squirrels with cheyletiella or mange in the yard. Heavy duty insecticide out there might kill it- I haven't been able to find anything definite out. Heartguard (Ivermectin) will clear it up on the dog, whatever it is, though.

We used Boric Acid (AKA 20 Mule Team Borax) in the laundry, and dissolved a half cup in 32 ounces of water and gave the walls and mattress a really good spray. I'm not sure what worked- the Frontline or the Boric acid- but we are rid of them for right now. I'm not sure what we'll do in the summer- probably just poison the yard.

Unfortunately, you're going to itch like hell for about two weeks per bite if your experience is like mine. Your doctor can give you Ivermectin as well.

If you can't wash them, I would make up the boric acid solution and give them a good soaking in the actual stuffing. I did that to our mattress pad (it's 4" memory foam, not something that would fit in the washer). We had already encased the mattress in plastic or I would have done that too.

Can you freeze them? When DS had scabies as a toddler we were told to put all his non-washable stuffed animals in the freezer for a few days.

I don't think I can. They have 6 beds and my freezer is full.
I have washed the bedding and them.
They are on Tri heart and frontline Plus.

Aren't the mites dying because they don't have a host?

According to e-how they can live up to 3 days without a host. It also says you can store bedding in an airtight bag for 72 hours if washing in hot water and drying is not an option.

Here is a link that might be useful: E-How

Chemical insecticides kill insects, but mites are not insects.

Acaricides kill mites and spiders.

Some kinds of oils and soaps will help get rid of all of the above.

Are you sure this is scabies and not hives from an allergic reaction? Caladryl lotion may help the itching some, especially if it's hives, but if I were you I'd go to the doctor right away.

You might try neem oil. Last year my dogs became infested with fleas, tics, and mites. It was a bad year all around our neighborhood. Anyway I happened upon neem oil, which you can get at Lowe's and HD in the garden section.

If you wiki it you'll see neem has been used for hundreds of years for all kinds of human and animal ailments. Last year I bathed myself and the dogs with neem oil added to baby shampoo and it worked well with no ill effects. Now I use neem instead of pyrethrin flea dips; neem is a lot less expensive, and it's supposed to be good for the skin.

I can SO understand your dilemma. I broke out in a horrific rash, itching, painful, keeping me awake. I went to the clinic and was told it was scabies. Got the med, left it on for 14 hours to no avail. When the rash just got worse, I went back and saw another doctor who said I had scabies. Once again, no help. So, yesterday I went to a Dermatologist. She said I did NOT have scabies. She said it looked more like a reaction to something and looked like severe hives. She took a biopsy and now it's a waiting game. I bought every anti itch medication made and still got no relief. The Dermatologist gave me a steroid shot, 2 different anti histamines and a cream for the itching. I am wondering now if my fur baby is bringing in something due to our extremely high pollen count this year and it's causing this. Molly also itches a lot but not one flea on her! I too recommend Neem cream and Neem soap and 100% Aloe Vera may give you some relief. Doctor's are too quick to say it's Scabies. I hope this helps a little? I am still suffering and like you, praying for this to go away!!!

Brand new to this site. Would love to understand how it all works.

You took a thread that was last posted to on April 16, 2010, and tried to add to or continue the dead subject. Suggest you start a new thread AFTER SEARCHING OLD THREADS and pose your question.