Here's a treatment plan that is supposed to work on both types of mange and requires only hydrogen peroxide and borax . ..
http://www.earthclinic.com/pets/dog_mange_cure.html

borax is good for killing many insects and mites, so it may work. I'm not sure why you are cautious about Ivermectin, which is also used to treat both forms of mange. Unless your dog is of a collie-type, it is a pretty safe medicine. Some sources say it's bitter, but my dogs don't notice.

Correct diagnosis is important on the itch question. If it's dermodex, the dexamethasone may make the situation worse by depressing the immune system. I'll try to find instructions for doing skin scrapings. Do you have access to a microscope or a very strong hand lens? Are you familiar with their use?

Here's a link for doing skin scrapings and examining them. It's meant for veterinary students and starts off with dermodex, then goes to scarcophic. Requires a dull blade, mineral oil, a microscope slide and well illuminated 8X to 10X magnification (ie, very little . . .you might be able to do it with a hand lens)

http://veterinarymedicine.dvm360.com...aping?pageID=1

Here's another good page on conventional treatments.

http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body...tic_mange.html

My dog got flea allergy dermatitis and the treatment sandgrubber just posted worked wonders for us. Back in the country day in the south, where there were no vets at all, my old family members would rub tar mixed with kerosene onto mangy dogs and "cone" them with a stiff of cardboard around their heads. It seemed barbaric and dangerous, but boy did it work. I will say that modern day treatment of mange requires you to know which kind of mange it is.

Sounds like a confusing and agonizing case. Knowing what mite you have is important. If vets won't do scraping, here's a link that tells you how to do them. Looks like a determined person could do it with a pocket knife and a hand lens.

http://veterinarymedicine.dvm360.com...-skin-scraping

Note most sarcophic mange scrapings turn up negative even if the dog has the mites. But you should be able to rule dermodex in or out. Yes, the meds you are using for itches will compromise the immune system and make the dermodex worse -- from what I've read.

Thanks for the replies. I looked into the link for doing the skin scraping myself....i dont have that kind of blade and honestly, since he is a pup im really scared of doing it myself. I'm going to the vet hospital on saturday, i will ask them if they can do a definite diagnosis. Otherwise, i will try to do it on my own.
After getting the dexamethasone shot, sreebhadra has been sleeping more than usual. I think his leg is aching from the injection, because his walking kind of wobbly. He has raised temperature and more rapid breathing...( or is it me going paranoid i dont know). The good thing is...no more itching. He is eating normally. Right now i was about to give ceplalexin to him, and just checked the dosage out of curiousity. I realised that this vet has prescribed 5 times higher than optimal dosage. The pup weighs only 1 ,kg, and he has given this 500 mg tablet once a day. I have lost my trust in this vet.
I have got hydrogen peroxide, and will get the borax tomorrow. I will start the treatment tomorrow.
I just hope the immune suppressing action doesnt last long. The pink exposed skin in the patches has turned blackish today!!?? I have no idea what it means.

Good luck with the vet hospital. I hope you find someone who is more help. Sounds like you're short on local advice.

If you end up trying to do skin scrapings yourself, I'd guess is a sharp pocket knife would work fine in place of the blade they show in the instructions. All that is required is a fairly sharp, but not razor sharp, curved blade. If you end out trying to do it yourself, practice on your own skin first to gain confidence and learn what hurts and what doesn't.
Steroids work wonders on itches. But they have their health costs. If you don't trust your vet on antibiotic dosage, I would figure out what dose he has given of this stuff. I can't find anything on how quickly or slowly its immunosupression wears off.

A couple thoughts on treating itches: I'm sure others have better advice than I.
1) Many people swear by calendula tea for skin conditions. Worth a try if you have calendula on hand.
2) Aloe is soothing and generally harmless . . . might also be worth trying if you have any plants in your neighborhood. I just cut stalks off the plant and rub the fleshy leaf interior on a dog's skin.

Dear Sreebh--

You're the one who's with your puppy 24/7. You know what's going on and you have obviously educated yourself in terms of treatments. If you do not feel happy with your current vet, that is fine. It is never harmful to get a second or third opinion. The most important thing is to get your puppy healthy and for that you'll need a partnership with a vet you can trust, so if you're not getting that with your current vet, move on.

If you do have to do skin scrapings yourself, do you know a barber? I'll bet they have good blades perfectly fit for purpose.

Another good article . ..
http://communityvet.net/2010/12/mang...ex-in-the-dog/

Here's a clip from it that discusses itch treatments. Everything I've read says NO to giving steroids for dermodex. This recommends cephalexin, though.

Secondary bacterial infection may occur, manifesting as scabs and pimples, and may demand antibacterial shampoos (keratolytics like benzyl peroxide are a good choice) or oral antibiotics (cephalexin is a good, inexpensive choice).
If the dog is itchy, try using antibiotics and always avoid cortisones. These drugs are useful for supressing hyperactive immune states, like allergy, but counterproductive in infections – microbial or insect. Mites love cortisone.
Similarly, if your dog develops patchy hair loss that looks just like the usual seasonal allergy, but gets worse on cortisone medication that worked so well previously, it may be proliferation of mange mites. Request a skin scrape!

Thanks for the useful info. I am feeling much better today. I contacted the dog shelter from where I took Sreebhadra and told them of my predicament. They suggested a good doctor at the hospital who they are very happy with. I went to the hospital today, waited for that kind lady to come, and explained to her all that happened. She was shocked that dexamethasone has been prescribed for skin condition. She examined the pup thoroughly, took xrays and did blood tests, and most of all showed the openness to discuss the diagnosis with me. She told me all that you have been telling...that the steroid has been suppressing her immune system. An antibiotic is usually prescribed with a steroid for the same reason, but I had not given the antibiotic (cephalexin). Btw, she confirmed that the dosage prescribed for cephalexin was way too high. So, in the absence of antibiotic, he has developed some wheezing, which they could hear in the stethoscope. He has been put on amoxycillin-clauvinic acid antibiotic and a bronchodilator for a week. She assured me that we can deal with the skin condition later, as it is now more important for the steroid effects to pass. And the good news is...they will do skin scraping...I wonder why they didn't do it in my earlier visits.
Sreebhadra is slightly better today. Not yet running because of the pain in her hind legs but behaving more like her old self.
Some side effects of dexamethasone, which I didn't find mentioned in detail in any sites, but I think might be useful to mention here for future reference:
1. general disorientation, blank stare and loss of facial expression.
2. Dry nose and rapid breathing.
3. Distended abdomen
4. Excessive appetite
5. Excessive urination
6. Sleepiness and depression
7. Bumping into things, biting too hard while playing.

These are just some of the changes I observed for these 3 days following the steroid injection.
Its been really frustrating days...Thanks a ton to all those who helped me through this ordeal! Special thanks to sandgrubber for doing lot of googling for me!! Really helped to know that someone across the globe is rooting for my dog too.

Glad to hear you found a competent vet willing to do what needs to be done. Much better that way. It's awful to deal with an animal suffering and have someone who is supposed to be a professional prescribe measures that make that suffering worse. Really good that they do scrapings.

Hello, Sreebhadra is back to her old self, except for that odd cough now and then. As the steroid effect has been wearing off, slight itching has returned. But her bald spots are getting filled with fur now. I can feel short hairs everywhere. One doctor had told me that his puppy fur will soon be replaced with adult fur...this is what is happening perhaps?
I have all kinds of essential oils with me. I am planning to massage him daily with olive oil, with a few drops of tea tree oil, and maybe citronella and others too.