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paul goodman, Cait McKeown and Monkey Mummy, 2004
Cait on Itching and Autoimmune Problems
Monkey Mummy on Food Allergies Ann Brown on Antihistamines disclaimer
Many people with itchy mice start out treating for mites because this is most common cause. Mites are usually treated with ivermectin, which is effective against a number of other parasites including worms and maybe lice too; usually a few treatments will cure the problem. Remember, ivermectin is toxic; you should be careful not to overdose which can injure or kill a mouse. I've spoken with a number of people that just "couldn't get rid of mites" no mater how much ivermectin they used. Even with the help of a vet they can't figure out why the mice continue to scratch. These cases often develop into complicated problems where a mouse may shred his ears or develop open bloody wounds due to excessive scratching. When treating for mites doesn't work you should consider that the problem might not be mites at all. If the scratching really started out with mites but continues after treatment, you can have your vet do a skin scraping to see if there is still a mite infection. If no mites are found the mouse may have developed what I call "addictive scratching". This is a syndrome that occurs in people too. It starts with a constant itch that could be caused by anything. The more you scratch the more it itches. Even after the original problem is cured the itching and scratching can continue. If there are open wounds, you need to consider the possibility of a secondary infection, which can complicate the problem. Scabs from previous scratching can be itchy and can lead to more scratching. Addictive scratching can be difficult to cure but it isn't hopeless; there are a number of things you can try. There are several brands of antibiotic ointment that include have a topical analgesic. Both Neosporin Plus and Lanabiotic contain a painkiller to help numb the irritated area reducing the tendency to scratch. They will also help prevent bacterial infection, though they will not be effective against fungal infection. Another option would be to use a little hydrocortisone cream on the effected area. Hydrocortisone is a steroid that does a pretty good job of reducing inflammation and stopping itching. Hydrocortisone has no antibiotic properties; it works by lowering the body's immune defenses and should not be used where infection is a problem. You can mix a very small amount of tea tree oil with the hydrocortisone to help prevent infection. Tea tree oil is strong and can be very painful and drying if used full strength, causing more scratching. I would mix no more than 5% tea tree oil with the hydrocortisone cream. Tea tree oil is a very wide spectrum antibiotic. It is effective against both bacterial and fungal infections. Tea tree oil can be purchased at most holistic groceries and health food stores. It can also be purchased in pre-mixed antiseptic ointments. I've found vitamin E oil very effective in healing wounds. If the mouse has scabs or open wounds you may want to try this to promote faster healing. If you use vitamin E, you should keep the mouse separate during treatment. The cage mates may think the oil is food and bite at the area. Cait on Itching and Autoimmune Problems I had an itching/scratching problem with two bucks, which started as a mild case of mites and then after the mites had gone quickly progressed to uncontrolled scratching. I've had the best luck using Johnson's eardrops for mites in cats (only one drop per ear), Eucerin cream for eczema (this brand worked on me too!) and Johnson's Tea Tree Skin Cream for small animals. These are all fairly cheap remedies and the tea tree cream is absolutely wonderful for all sorts of problems mice can have, including healing wounds and bites. I would not be without it now I have tried it and thoroughly recommend it. A natural ingredient that kills mites without ivermectin is Pyrethrins. This is an ingredient in the anti-mite sprays and eardrops mentioned above. If you are looking for a good ivermectin alternative check for Pyrethrins in the ingredients. As a person having asthma, eczema and easily allergic to things, I can testify to how annoying an allergy can be. On my mice I have only used creams containing tea tree oil or eczema creams that work on me. Most over the counter eczema creams do absolutely nothing for serious eczema because the cream must contain steroids to work effectively. I would never recommend the use of steroids with mice, so finding Eucerin online was a lucky thing. Free samples are available through their U.K. website (http://www.eucerin.co.uk/). I also use Beaphar's Dirty Rat shampoo (also called Sherley's Dirty Rat shampoo), which contains tea tree oil, on my mice if I suspect mites. It is wonderful as the natural ingredient kills the mites and soothes and relieves the mice's symptoms without ivermectin. Even if the mouse has other skin conditions this might be a good thing to try. Dry them thoroughly and keep them warm before applying the cream. If you know the problem is not mites, you need to look elsewhere for an explanation. The first thing is to consider any recent changes such as food or bedding, and try a different kind. Like humans, mice can become allergic to something they were not previously sensitive to. At age 6 or 7 I became seriously allergic to nuts and had to go to the hospital, before that I would crack nuts for my mum at Christmas with no ill effects at all. Now I cannot go near any product containing nuts! I don't even have to eat nuts, I will get a bad reaction just from touching them. Since mice share 80% of our genes and are one of the closest models to humans used in research, I don't see why this would be wildly different for them. For this reason, when I had an immune-deficient buck I would prepare his diet separately so it would not come into contact with possible irritants. You should avoid buying a mix and picking out the allergenic ingredients; a serious reaction could still occur. Visit Cait's site Fancy Mice for additional information on fancy mice, health, breeding, genetics and more. Monkey Mummy on Food Allergies I had a problem with one of my mice scratching obsessively around one ear, her face, her nose, her neck and her chest. After months of multiple vet trips, investigations ruled out mites, parasites, skin diseases, diabetes, and allergies to bedding. Eventually, the vet suggested that the problem might be a food allergy. Occasionally, mice can spontaneously become allergic to their food even if they have eaten it quite happily in the past. If you feed your mice on pre-packaged mix, this apparently can be much too rich and cause skin irritations in certain mice. This protein-rich diet can make the mouse get 'hot-spots', which make the skin sore and itchy, explaining why breeders often call food allergies 'overheating'. As a result of this suggestion, we switched her to a special diet that has certainly seemed to help. Although she does have itchy days, she rarely scratches enough to make her skin bleed, and she is no longer obsessive about scratching. Her sore area has shrunk, rather than grown, whereas on her old, ready-mix diet, it was getting bigger by the week. The change of food certainly seems to have helped and improved things for us. Our vet advised us to stay away from grains, seeds, bread and wheat, which are all things that animals can react to. She is fed on a diet of plain boiled BROWN rice, with lots of yummy fruits and vegetables. She also gets vitamins and supplements, especially Evening Primrose Oil that is supposed to be very good for skin. We have it in liquid form and put one drop on her food per day. If you use too much the mouse can develop diarrhea. If that should happen, reduce the Evening Primrose Oil. It takes about 4-6 weeks to see any improvement, but it is one of the most effective natural remedies available for skin complaints. If this diet works, you can slowly, one by one, introduce old foods back in again, and try to work out the trigger for your mouse's scratching. Be patient with the diet, we were warned that it takes at least three weeks for the old food to be completely eliminated from their little systems. Improvements can be slow, and our mouse's fur has not really grown back over her old scratching patches, but she seems so much more comfortable than she was before. Our mice seem to love the cooked brown rice (even the non-allergic ones), and her itching has definitely improved, making her (and us!) much happier as a result. If this diet works, you can slowly, one by one, introduce old foods back in again, and try to work out the trigger for your mouse's scratching. Be patient with the diet, we were warned that it takes at least three weeks for the old food to be completely eliminated from their little systems. Improvements can be slow, and our mouse's fur has not really grown back over her old scratching patches, but she seems so much more comfortable than she was before. Our mice seem to love the cooked brown rice (even the non-allergic ones), and her itching has definitely improved, making her (and us!) much happier as a result. |