Jackers -- there are many different kinds of 'Mange'. They can do a skin scraping for demodex (which can be itchy but typically isn't 'super' itchy). But you won't find sarcoptic mites on a skin scraping -- almost NEVER. They are faster than greased lightning and you just will NOT get them on a scraping unless you happen to hit where a female has laid eggs and then typically that is deeper than what a scrape will show.
Now YOU are itching -- c'mon, tell the vet it's sarcops. And if they insist on scraping go to a different vet, because that's NOT how to diagose sarcops. The clinical treatment for sarcops says "If you suspect it TREAT it".
Revolution often does NOT work well on sarcops (it often doesn't work well on many things in my experience). But ivermectin and milbemycin do. Now you will need doses beyond the 'heartworm prevention' dose of ivermectin (often done with a liquid ivermectin). Milbemycin in the dose given in Interceptor should be effective on sarcops.
LymeDip can be a SUPER help -- it's far more body friendly than the old Paramite Dip (which is an organophosphate). YOU can wash down in Lyme Dip.
If it is 'dog sarcops' then the sarcops can't lay eggs in your skin -- only bite you.
Sarcops *tend* to be species specific -- in other words the bum on the street corner who may have "scabies" (human sarcoptic mites) may actually give them to his dog. They'll have to go back to the human to 'breed' but they will feed on ANYTHING warm blooded.
But if it's the dog who is the originator of the sarcops then it's true in reverse -- they'll bite the human, but will have to go back onto the dog to 'breed'.
Any species has it's own sarcop mite. However, if you live near a wooded area or where there are a lot of animals -- ANY warm-blooded animal (foxes, deer, possum, coon, woodchuck, rabbits, etc.) has it's own variety of sarcops and your dog may simply get into them repeatedly.
I'll be honest with you, I suspect several things may be going on simultaneously:
1. All of the following are somehow immune-related. So at the bottom of all of it I suspect the dog has a genetically poor immune system, Now maybe not demodex (unless he had demodex as a pup and then the sucky immune system is a given and labs are really prone to it).
2. Sarcoptic mange I think is probably a given -- but it ALSO is very very immune-related. Two dogs can live together and one that is healthy immune-wise will never show itchiness, but the other dog can be laid low by it!! Humans may not get it much at first -- but as their world gets more and more inundated with the mites, they too can react -- particularly after close contact.
3. There has been a disturbing trend in recent years that is seeing more and more sarcoptic mites violate the old 'species-specific' rule -- they are the survivors of the insect world (much like roaches who can live thru a nuclear blast) so what may have started out as wildlife sarcops, may have adapted to both human and dog as a preferred host. It's not a given but it sure is possible.
4. Allergies -- there are far more than food allergies. Yes, food allergies MIGHT be present, but you won't find them unless you do a pure elmination diet. However -- an elmination diet is sucky for the immune system so often it's counter-productive. But you could be dealing with a dog who may have a contact allergy (I'd have to talk to you more about the state of the skin) AND atopic (inhaled) allergies. Often just plain old atopic allergies can keep the immune system SOOOOO bottomed out all the time that the dog is then a sitting duck (eww, sorry this is a retriever -- I shouldn't have said "duck" *smile*) for ANY allergen -- food or otherwise.
I'm not a vet -- I'm just a lady who has had an unbelieveable number of "itchy dogs" -- and I've seen dogs mis-diagnosed for mange MANY times. Vets honestly even hate to mention sarcops because they think people will get mad if they suggest something so commonly associated with "filth". But it's not how it travels -- it travels with the poor immune system and a sarcop who is hungry will FIND that weak dog somehow.
Honestly since YOU are breaking out, I would just plain TELL the vet to treat for sarcops. With something OTHER than Revolution. If you want to email me I have a whole article devoted to mange and the things you can do for the immune system to 'help' it.
Allergies and immunity are VERY closely tied. Allergies of ANY sort are an immune problem. So bottom line, boosting the immune system is likely going to help.
I get a bit tense with vet practices that like a nice 'neat' solution for 'mange' and think Revolution should do it all or refuse to look further. I don't know your vet at all, but it would seem to me that since YOU are showing symptoms someone a) shoulda ASKED you, b) should have been treating FOR sarcops 'just in case' -- but then, they'd say they were with the Revolution. Except it's so well known that it's not good for sarcops.
I hope this was helpful -- I feel your frustration SO much. Truly I do. You will need to do some thing to your own home and yard to get rid of them. They don't live 'well' in cloth, carpet and furniture, but they CAN live long enough to stay there til they find their next host. If you will email me and ask for that article, it does cover some of the stuff you can do in your home.
Good luck. Callie