So, Jax is doing much better. It only took a full 3 days for him to start to regain some energy. And after 4-5 days he's also acting more like himself after showing some noticeable deviation from normal personality, including aggression and disobedience. His ears still aren't back to normal (he holds them back in a mild-fear sort of position most of the time now, as opposed to holding them forward in a curious/happy position like he used to), but at least he's playing again and acting generally like a happy puppy.
Frankly, I'm put off by this whole mitaban/amitraz treatment. It's pissing me off. We've chronicled in some detail what it did to the dog. That's bad enough, since it's supposed to be treatment, not attempted murder. And now, H and I are both fighting otherwise inexplicable allergic reactions. She's itching head to toe with only the faintest rash in a couple of spots while my face has broken out in a rash not unlike that caused by a poison ivy outbreak just a few weeks ago, albeit that this one is far less severe. H has even gone to the doctor about her symptoms. Again the medical profession has come up winners (sarcasm) as they shrugged and told her 1.) to ask the vet and 2.) contact dermatology and take some benadryl. So now we have to deal with the fact that dermatologists only work for approximately 4 hrs per week (the best skin treatment seems to be a light work week) and spend most of that time trouble-shooting acne outbreaks on insecure 18-25 year old females. Thus the unavailability of an appointment for H for a full two weeks. Does it come across in this post that I'm a little frustrated?
So, anyway, we're requesting ivermectin for the dog. I mean, for crying out loud, they don't even know if amitraz dips actually help get rid of the mites in young dogs, as it seems that just as many young dogs recover spontaneously (i.e., without treatment) as do with the dip treatment (the others, both treated and untreated, wind up on persistent ivermectin treatment). It's also not recommended for puppies (see "attempted murder" remark above) younger than 4 months. Jax is right at 4 months (plus or minus a fortnight). Oy! Frickin' chemical baths. I might as well drag my wife and dog through a hillside of poison ivy with a bleach chaser for all the good this seems to be doing. At least that would be accompanied by less uncertainty regarding the symptoms.
Oh, and Jax has lost all the hair around his eyes. He looks like a startled raccoon.
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This pisses me off. I'm angry at the vet for not telling us what Mitiban was when we had no opportunity to do some research for ourselves. And now I'm really angry at the medical establishment that makes me wait two weeks for a head-to-toe itching that is "possibly imagined" and "treatable with Benadryl" until the price for the visit goes up significantly, due to a summer visit fee.
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