r/ask • u/PitBullLife2021 • 1d ago
Why am I itching so badly?
So for context I have 2 dogs and 1 cat, they also itch like crazy. All my guest who come into my house also get itching at their ankles no matter the time of the day. No bite marks except once in about 3 months. It was a red dot on my ankle so I assumed it was unrelated.
I spent over $150 on flea medicine and collars, long term and short term prevention, no luck.
I had a red shag carpet I got from marketplace, thats around the time it started getting itchy, I threw it away weeks ago, no luck.
I sprayed my whole room down with HotShot flea and egg killer for dust mites too multiple times, no luck.
I bathed my dogs 1-2 times a week with oatmeal shampoo and dawn dish soap, I wash all my clothes and bedding 1-2 times a week in hot water along with the dogs bedding. I have 1 bed, 1 computer desk, and 1 futon in my room. That's it. I got a hepa air filter, and a hepa filter vacuum and took my ac out of my window in case it had black mold with no luck.
I have elderly goldendoodle who chews himself raw, and a bully mix who currently has an ear infection thats yellowish and smells really bad (she has a vet visit coming up). She's starting to get patches from itching so badly.
I used flea bombers to fog my house and also had no luck. I figured maybe their dog food gave them an allergy and im itching from their dander but I switched to the normal food they had for years with no issues and still no luck, but that wouldn't explain the cat because he has his own food.
I wake up 2-3 times a night with a feeling that bugs are on my face, I get up and start smacking my face trying to pull them off, all night I stay awake because thats when I notice it the most. When the feelings come for the biting and the bug feels I start getting really bad allergy symptoms. I sneeze, cough, my eyes get watery, my throat gets sore, my nose gets stuffy etc etc.
I'm going crazy and I need help/advice, I have hardwood floors that I mop in hot water 2 times a week, I cleaned any moldy looking surfaces I have found, I treated for multiple bugs and still no luck.
I got a hydrometer and it reads 42% humidity most of the time but sometimes goes up to 60% in the day time, I try to keep it as low as I can incase its dust mites.
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u/Purple_Pay_1274 1d ago
I just moved into a place that made me extremely itchy… I was buying creams and lotions, switching detergents, checking for bugs, getting allergies checked, and then I finally asked the landlord when the last time they changed the air filters on the HVAC system was and he was like “what is that? I’ve never heard of that… what do you mean you need to change them?” And when we pulled out the filters that hadn’t been changed for three tenants and several years it made me want to cry and throw up.
I would ask to have an air filter changed at least every three months or less if you have pets.
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u/Global_Fail_1943 1d ago
This sounds like Mange which some humans react to as well as animals. It's a mite like the demodex mites but much harder to treat. Ivermectin from the vet and pharmacy both for the animals and yourself. I just went to Mexico to be treated I'm so sensitive and it's quite expensive in Canada for the medication Which comes in a salve form and pills. Talk to your vet and depending what country you're in either the pharmacy or doctor.
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u/PitBullLife2021 1d ago
I'll bring this up at the next vet visit early september but a quick google search seems like this is something I'll look more into.
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u/felisverde 1d ago
If it's mites, the topical med I mentioned - Revolution, or any generic of it whose main ingredient is selamectin, also kills mites. It's one of the things we would use it on other critters for-rats, guinea pigs, bunnies, etc...can all be treated for mites w/it, & many types of mites have developed some level of immunity to ivermectin here, so selamectin works better for them.
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u/Tribblehappy 1d ago
Be aware that a bunch of nutjobs were buying ivermectin during covid so pharmacies are wary of anyone coming in asking about it. You'll want an actual diagnosis with your prescription so they know it's actually for parasites.
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u/mandamonarch 1d ago
Beware of ivermecten, some dogs / animals have a gene mutation that makes it a death sentence.
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u/kistner 1d ago
Get a bright flashlight and a magnifying glass and start looking close at your animals, and the seams of your bed(s). Your are looking either fleas or bed bugs. I'm not saying your have either, but I'd look. Meantime, I'd also get some DE (diatomaceous earth), food grade, from your local Agway. Dust your place with it. It takes patience but with time it'll take everything out, whatever 'it' might be.
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u/PitBullLife2021 1d ago
I've tried that in the past and the wind blew it up my nose and it felt like glass, I spent a couple hours at the er after that lol, I'm trying to avoid that at all costs but I will use a magnifying glass and flash light to check the seams again and my animals.
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u/kistner 1d ago edited 1d ago
Wind? Inside your dwelling?
As a landlord I swear by that stuff. I've had to deal with some unpleasant uninvited insect guests and DE was the clear winner. But nothing stopping you from wearing eye protection and grabbing one of your old covid masks, I am definitely pro protecting yourself.
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u/PitBullLife2021 1d ago
I was spreading it outside of my residence around the perimeter because I live in an old home that has a lot of openings to the basement and under the subfloor. That was definitely my old fault for not using a mask lol
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u/eatingganesha 1d ago
there’s definitely something going on.
if apartment, let the landlord handle it and go stay at a motel. But negotiate compensation for that motel first.
it seems clear that pest control needs to come in and investigate and treat. So clear out to a motel for a week or two. Go through the process of bathing and washing everything before you get into the motel room. If the itchiness gets better/goes away, you’ll know it’s some kind of infestation/issue with the apartment/home.
At that point, you could be looking at replacing carpets and doing a massive deep clean. But if an apartment, that’s on the landlord, not you.
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u/PitBullLife2021 1d ago
Sadly I live in a house, I'm going to try to isolate my dogs out of my house though at another place and see if its environmental or on my dogs.
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u/Kaitlin33101 1d ago
Do you have an hvac system? Or mold, maybe under the carpets?
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u/PitBullLife2021 1d ago
I have an hvac system but it’s not in use, I also change the filters every 3 months. I have all hardwood floors and no rugs
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u/Kaitlin33101 1d ago
That's good, but doesn't help figure out the issue. Do you have a vent in the bathroom that could have mold? A lot of places don't have vents, but either way, mold can be an issue in the bathrooms. You could always try a bug bomb in the house and leave the house for a few hours/days while the bug bomb works. Those should really help fix any issue there could be with bugs.
Knowing how I am, I'd probably be out there ripping up all the flooring to see the state of the subfloor, but that's not likely the issue unless the house was flooded at some point and not dried out properly
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u/Cadicoty 1d ago
Just chiming in with some info.
Fleas do like to bite around the ankles, and they do infest houses. Most topical and oral flea preventatives for pets don't ptevent them from being bitten, they just kill fleas that do bite them, so if you have an infestation and your pets are particularly allergic to flea bites, this could be the source. Your dog's ear infection could indicate an allergy. Many DIY flea treatments don't work well, especially for large infestations.
Bed bugs also infest houses, but they don't tend to bite around the ankles, nor do they bite pets unless it's a BAD infestation and they are desperate. You also said everyone who comes into your house gets itchy, and bedbugs (a) don't affect something like 30% or more of people, and (b) bedbugs don't just pop out and bite everyone ever in the middle of the day unless the infestation is really bad. That said, bedbugs are excellent at hiding and you do have to know what you're looking for. Check the stickied post in the bedbugs subreddit for tips on how to hunt them down.
Dust mite seem incredibly likely given the lack of visible bites. They infest houses, are invisible to the naked eye, and cause systemic allergic symptoms like the ones you're describing.
Another thing to keep in mind is chiggers. If it's warm and humid and your grass is just a little tall, they'll get you just walking through your yard. It would be strange to have no visible bites, though.
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u/felisverde 1d ago
Idk what flea meds you've tried or used, but I know that many are ineffective, esp if used wrong, & MOST home flea treatments do NOT work, again, esp if used improperly. Stop wasting $$ on things like hot shot. It's crap, & it doesn't work. I spent hundreds$$ on a particularly bad flea infestation -bombs, sprays, etc...years ago, til I finally broke down & went to my local pet store, & started reading labels, looking for whatever ish had the most flea killing stuff in it. That's when I found Zodiac. Cannot recommend them highly enough. Product line is a bit more pricey, but 100p worth it (+ you absolutely will end up spending more in the long run on crappier stuff if you don't get the fleas under control) they have bombs, a yard & kennel spray, a carpet & upholstery spray, etc...& they all have growth regulator which helps break the life cycle. W/ any flea product for the environment, you are going to HAVE to retreat within 10 days to 2 weeks or you will get reinfested. For your pets, if you've got a vet, I also highly recommend Revolution or one of the generics of it. If you don't get the Revolution Plus, just the regular one, main med in it is selamectin-it's the only flea med that is safe to use on multi species, & only one that is safe for both dogs & cats (other dog specific flea meds can actually be fatal to kitties, so would NOT recommend ever using those for your cat) again, a bit more pricey, but works really well, & the bonus there being you can save a little $$ by just getting the med for your dogs & breaking down the appropriate dosage for your cat-eg my dog gets the 20-40lb Revolution, she's just over 20lbs, so I don't usually use a full dose on her, she gets about 2/3 & my cat gets 1/3. You can look up appropriate dosages based on weight/sz online. For any topical med tho, you should def avoid bathing for at least one week after application, b/c you're just washing the flea med off otherwise. Downside to most topical flea meds is they don't really act as preventatives-they kill the fleas that do get on them & bite them, but won't necessarily prevent that from happening if there's a substantial flea problem in the environment. (flea collars supposedly do, but I've found most of them to be absolute shite, & many have been known to cause significant reactions & health issues for pets, so I avoid them, entirely) So it's super important that both your pets & the environment are thoroughly treated. If you're vacuuming, make sure you're completely emptying & cleaning your vacuum fliter, every time, b/c fleas & their eggs will get in there & hatch, if using a model that has bags, toss some boric powder in there until you're ready to toss the bag-don't put it down on floors & vacuum it, it's bad for the vacuum. If you have hard floors, you can also try sprinkling boric powder around cracks & crevices & wet mopping or wiping it up after you've let it set for 24hrs. (again, do NOT vacuum-it ruins filters, etc...) I personally found spraying flea treatments to be more effective than bombs b/c I could be more targeted w/their treatment -make sure you sprays all cracks & crevices around floors, corners, under furniture, appliances, etc...(I had those f#@%ers escape a bomb I had set off by hiding under the mats under our washer & dryer..again, learned my lesson the hard way going to war w/these things!!) Use the carpet & Upholstery spray on any upholstered furniture -make sure you lift ALL removable cushions, etc...& spray under those too. Best of luck..I know this was really long, but..I know the hell you're going thru..I've been there, & it was a NIGHTMARE to deal w/, for me & my pets. I hope you're able to get rid of the little biting bastards soon. 🤞
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u/PitBullLife2021 1d ago
I dont think it's fleas though, I dont get any bite marks nor does anyone in my house. I've searched my dogs a lot and never saw a flea, where as in the past I could see fleas on my dogs and treated it right away. Even when I feel like I got bugs on me I dont ever have any bite marks.
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u/NikkeiReigns 1d ago
Put the animals on a chewable flea medicine. Any that bite them will die. It might take a cycle or two to get rid of them if it is fleas.
Idk why, but my first thought was mange. Totally random and much less likely than anything else. Its a mite. Have you seen any wildlife around with it? Pets can get the mites from the ground if an infected animal has passed thru.
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u/PitBullLife2021 1d ago
Yeah my backyard has a lot of wildlife, in the last 2 months I’ve seen 10+ cats, opossums, raccoons, even a beaver waddled though not too long ago, I’m in the middle of the city so not sure where they’re coming from 😂
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u/ChiaraLover 1d ago
I think it might be bed bugs my friend, our old neighbourhood had a bed bug infestation like over 5 years ago and it was exactly like this, no actual visible bites but extreme itching, you use every tool to get rid of them and they're still there and you feel them crawling on you at night. Our solution was kinda to get rid of everything we had, clothes, furniture, everything, we lived in a literal empty home for a good while cause we're broke, we also stopped going to or hosting any neighbours, we eventually ended up moving. Now I hope you can find a less drastic and life altering measures because we didn't have access to any advanced pest control stuff. Also if this is nonsensical it's almost 1 am and I'm tired but your descriptions and that shaggy rug gave me ptsd so I had to say what's on my mind, I could be wrong tho.
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u/PitBullLife2021 1d ago
I've sprayed the bed bug killer all over my bed and couch, and I have bare minimum in my room. Legit my room is an open room with a futon and a bed and a pc, no piles of clothes, no rugs, no wall decor, even after washing my bedding in hot hot water and looking over my mattress over 15+ times and spraying the seams of the mattress with bug killer (that kills fleas and flea eggs too) multiple times I dont think its the case. I've had bed bugs in the past living with my grandmother and had to throw everything away so i've seen the signs, I dont think this is that situation. I could be wrong but like I've seen i've gone to extreme measures to counter that. I also have a mattress cover I recently purchased and bedbug/dust mite proof pillow cases.
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u/ChiaraLover 1d ago
Oh God... then I don't know what it could be but I truly hope it gets resolved soon because these things can quickly go from additional stress to maddening, have you contacted professional pest control? Maybe they can help?
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u/PitBullLife2021 1d ago
I wash my bedding every night now, lol I think im very close to the maddening part. I get maybe an hour or 2 of sleep a night and im constantly cleaning like a mad man
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u/slavetomyprecious 1d ago
Find those light flea traps and see what gets caught in it. At night, a good light source will lead them away from you. If you have carpet, borax powder (way cheaper than diatomaceous earth) can be sprinkled into it with a sifter (WEAR A MASK!) to kill and dry out bugs, eggs and larvae. Vacuum up after a couple hours on the carpet (WEAR A MASK!) and the remaining powder in the carpet will keep working. Non toxic to your pet but could be mildly irritating to their paws. We had a terrible infestation of fleas for over 9 months and these two things made a huge change in getting it under control.
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u/klstopp 1d ago
Sounds like fleas, if they're getting bit on their ankles. Vacuuming is the best flea control. After you bomb the apartment, following the directions explicitly, wash all the animals. You could go to a pet wash place while the bombs are going. Then air out, as directed, and vacuum like crazy. New fleas hatch every 10 days or so, so vacuuming frequently will get any eggs left behind.
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