Multiple Treatments of Revolution...

[immabeleesh]

Hey,

Akhiro has already had two treatments of Revolution for mites and is still scratching. When I first went to the vet he suggested Invermectin, and right away I told him of the information I had read in many places on the internet from breeders and owners and that I wanted him to be treated with Revolution. He respected what I wanted and went ahead with Revolution, what I'm wondering is if anyone else has had to get two or more treatments for it to work for their hedgie?!

The vet also told me that the only reason why a hedgie would die from Invermectin would be from the measurements and dilutions not being made properly . He weighed Akhiro on a very little scale (clearly the right one) and told me that he had never had an die from Invermectin...I just don't want Akhiro to be so scratchy and cranky, this has to suck more for him then me!

Thoughts on Invermection and/or your experience with this please!!!!

 

[smhufflepuff]

The current recommended course of Revolution goes like this: one drop for every 300g to be administered between the shoulder blades. After the first dose, wait two weeks and give a second dose. After the second, wait two weeks again and administer a third dose.

So... if by "two or more treatments" you mean he's had the full course of three administrations separated by two weeks each and then had the full course again, then... yeah... something doesn't seem like it's working quite right. I would suspect that it's something other than mites that's causing the problem - dry skin, fungal infection, viral infection, bacterial infection -- stuff like that.

If you mean he's only received part of the full 3-dose treatment course (like one or two week's worth), then keep up the dosing schedule.

Yes, the major problem people have reported with the Invermectin is in overdosing. You definitely want to make sure that it's precise. There may be other reasons, but the majority of what the long-time hedgie owner community cites is the potential to overdose. IF you go with Invermectin, the thought is that the injection is the most dangerous, oral is a little less dangerous, and topical is the least dangerous route of administration.

If I were in your shoes, I'd make sure that my hedgie had the full Revolution treatment regimen while also super-duper (like OCD-level) cleaning everything that he comes in contact with. If he's on wood chips/shavings or has any wood in his home, replace that with things that can be cleaned and do not harbor mites (eg, use plastic igloo instead of wood hidey-house; replace shavings with fleece for bedding).

I'd give him things to help relieve dry skin - flaxseed oil on his kibble. You can also apply a bit topically. I'd look at the humidity levels in his room and add a room humidifer if the levels are low. I'd make sure things are going well nutritionally - likely add a supplement like Sunshine Factor.

And if all that failed and he's still itchy a few weeks down the road, I'd keep up with the cleaning and supplements and bring him back to the vet to look for another explanation - like an infection (could be bacterial, fungal, or viral). Actually, if his skin looks crummy, you could bring him in now for them to take a swabbing, culture it, and identify anything that looks out of whack.

 

[immabeleesh]

I've had his cage lined with fleece plus a fleece blanky for a few months now, no wood at all in his cage, and he rarely gets baths, just a bit for poopy feet maybe once a week (He's pretty clean).

I will try adding the Flaxseed oil and Sunshine Factor to see if they help any, and I will look into a humidifier!

He's had a second dose of Revolution but not a third, although the vet doubted he would need the third?! It will be exactly two weeks this coming Wednesday since his second treatment, should I also get them to do a swabbing or wait until after the third treatment?

Thanks for all your information, there really aren't a lot of people around here (Eastern Canada) that have hedgehogs, so my resources are slightly limited other then forums!

 

[smhufflepuff]

When you look between his quills, how does his skin look to you? My thought is that I'd finish out the third dose in this round of treatment on Wednesday. But if you're noticing any irritations in his skin (red/inflammed skin), then I'd get a swabbing & culture of those spots this week too.