I am a veterinarian. You do not need to bleach your carpets. See www.veterinarypartner.com for accurate info regarding treating the environment. Always be careful w/ chemicals and pets (especially if you have birds in the house!)
I've been battling sarcoptic mange for over a month now and am maybe starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel - hopefully it isn't an oncoming train.
Sarcoptic mange is VERY difficult for a vet to diagnose. Thank goodness for the director of the foster group I work with, who told me right off the bat what she suspected. I took my dog in and they did a skin scraping, but couldn't see anything. A few weeks later, I took her in again, this time after the mange had really 'set in' and they did another scraping and found ONE tiny little mite. That was all they needed and she began treatments of Revolution and I came home and steam cleaned the carpets and sprayed flea and tick spray (the vet said it will kill mites) after vacuuming like crazy.
I threw out all bedding that I couldn't wash in HOT water with bleach and sat back and waited. Now every time my dog or the foster dog or my cat or even I itch, I feel like it's back and I just want to burn the house down. If you have a dog that does not have it, use a preventive measure like revolution or advantage or something. This is a nightmare to try to get rid of. I don't know about putting bleach on my carpets, I'd try the powder first. ALSO - the vet advised against the revolution and spraying the rugs and carpet on the same night.
She said not to overload the dogs' senses. Heck, even as I'm thinking about this stuff it's making me itch. (Humans can get this too, but the mites can't last long on us and the longest you will have any signs of it is, I believe, two weeks.
Best of luck to you!
Depending on the type of mange, your vet will give you instructions on what to do in the rest of the house. If they don't, ASK detailed questions. This is NOT a self-diagnose or home remedy ailment.
My dog had mites when we first got her. Our vet gave us this powder stuff to spray all over the house and backyard. So I'm sure your local vet will have something also!
I'd call your vet. But I think it's like when a child gets lice or scabies. It's a super-tiny bug that itches like crazy. So I believe you might have to use some kind of bug killer. Call up any vet & ask them. They will need to prescribe a special medication for your pet. If you can't afford a vet. You can probably go to a large feed store. They sometimes sell supplies like this there. Be sure to wear (rubber, latex or acrylic) gloves when applying this!
READ THIS:
http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081013111725AAAv2vR
It says there are 2 types of mange in pets. One is contagious to humans, & on isn't. Your vet has to scrape the pets skin then put the scraping under a microscope before he (or she) can tell.
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HERE'S A SPECIAL CLEANER THAT KILL THE PARASITES THAT CAUSE IT:
http://www.catparasite.com/information/licemitesmange
HERE'S A STEAMER
http://shop.qbased.com/professional ... onment-p/as00019.htm&Click=62031
ASK THE EXTERMINATOR:
http://www.asktheexterminator.com/Mites/Mange.shtml
MANGE IN CATS: (scabies)
http://www.petplace.com/cats/sarcoptic-mange-in-cats/page1.aspx
What do I need to do to the house to get rid of mange? I was advised to throw out all bedding and I did throw out the dog's bed but washed the blankets, etc in bleach and hot water. Do I have to steam clean carpets?
Susan from MI
By schubunny
By WIsgal
By pigeon toes
By Amy
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