Expert: Sharon Hubbs- Kreft - 2/4/2005

Question
i have a boxer mixed with a beagle. it is about 2 years old and has all its shots. there are 2 problems the first is he seems 2 have ear mites or something in one of his ears because he scratches his ears a lot and he has really scratched up ears because of it. we've been treating it with an ear mite medicine. it seems 2 work but i wanted 2 c wut u thought. the other is the insides of his legs are real pink and red with no hair. he limps a little when they hurt him. we think its because he licks there a lot. he has been nudered. wut should we do to keep his legs from being like this.

Answer
Dear JW -

Lets start with the ear mites, if the conventional medication you are using is working well then continue it. Be careful though in time as some ear mite medications can be more drying to the internal ear then helpful. I make a remedy for ear mites that works wonderful, especially in beagles. If you are interested I will leave my email address at the bottom of this response and you can contact me if you wish. In most cases it will rid the ear of mites within a 72 hour period.

The best advice I can give you along with the ear mite medication is to add Garlic powder to your pets food. Garlic is an anti-microbial and will help get rid of the bacteria in the system and will assit the medictaion your pet is currently on. Don't be afriad to sprinkle it with a heavy hand, dogs love garlic and will eat it right up. The only slight draw back to adding garlic to the food is flatulence. It may be a little stinky for about a month until the dogs system will get use to it. Anytime your pet becomes ill, add the garlic to the food and will help decrease bacteria levels and speed the recovery process. Garlic is a very healthy supplement to add to your pets diet, it helps to build immunity and combat infection and/or bacteria.

Next, the scratching on the inside of the legs. Boxers are not known to have possible skin conditions but beagles are prone to them. This sounds like Sarcoptic Mange, also called "Scabies". It is caused by infection with the Sarcoptes scabei mite. Mites are not insects; instead they are more closely related to spiders and are microscopic and cannot be seen by the naked eye. The motion of the mite in the skin is extremely itchy. Further, the prescence of mites and their eggs generates a massive allergic response in the skin which is even more itchy. A veterinarian would have to do a skin biopsy to be sure if scabies are present but test results may not always give a positive results due to the nature of the mite and its burrowing process.

While Scabies is very difficult to diagnose definitively, it is fairly easy to treat. Do not touch the inner leg area without washing your hands afterwards. If the mange is severe it can be trasnmitted to humans. You could first try dipping your pet in an anti-bacterial or anti-itch shampoo. Paramite dip (an organophosphate), Mitaban dip (Amitraz) and Lime-Sulphur dips are given weekly and are usually effective. Using these dips the disease typically resolves within one month. By far the best treatment in natural care is applying Garlic Oil and Vitamin E oil to the affected area. Mites don't tolerate sulfur compounds, and garlic contains hundreds of them (which is why garlic smells the way it does). Apply this mix 2 (two) times per day. In addition to its direct intervention with the mites Garlic Oil helps minimize bacterial infection to the broken skin. When using Garlic Oil however, make sure its not to concentrated or it may cause irritation to the sensitive skin. I also make this remedy and have had much success with it. I have a client who has 2 (two) beagles and was amazed at the results, she tried all the medications she could from her veterinarian and nothing was working, she tried this remedy and the scabies began to heal completely in 2 (two) weeks.

I hope this response has helped you and your pet. If you would like information on the above mentioned remedies and other natural healing and herbal remedies, please contact me at   wintersaurora@yahoo.com and I will be happy to help you and your pet further.

Thank you and best wishes to you and your pet.

Sincerely,
Sharon Hubbs, AHG
Certified Natural Health Consultant & Herbalist