Sarcoptic Mange of Dogs
Dogs have many parasites, both internal and external. Internal parasites are those which live in the various organs inside the dog's body. External parasites, such as fleas, ticks, and mites, live on the outside of the body.
Mange is a parasitic skin disease caused by microscopic mites. Two different types of mange mites are significant in dogs. One type lives in the hair follicles of the skin (demodex or red mange), while the other type resides just under the surface of the skin (Sarcoptic). Although both types of mites share some similar characteristics, there are also important differences. It is important not to confuse the two types of mange because they have different causes, treatments, and prognoses.
The sarcoptic mange mite is highly contagious between dogs. Exposure to a dog infested with this mite will likely lead to spread of the parasite.
Sarcoptic mange is a common parasitic skin disease of dogs.
Adult mite
Female mite laying eggs
in skin
Sarcoptic mange is caused by a mite that burrows just beneath the surface of the skin. It may also crawl around on the skin surface. This mite feeds on material in and on the skin.
The presence of the sarcoptic mite causes severe itching. The dog will chew and scratch its skin constantly. This leads to the loss of large amounts of hair, especially on the legs and belly. Eventually, the skin will become thickened and will darken due to pigmentation. Frequent scratching and rubbing often leads to secondary skin infections.
Diagnosis is made by a skin scraping that is examined under the microscope. However, only a small number of mites may be present. Because of this, a dog may be strongly suspected of having sarcoptic mange but multiple skin scrapings are negative. A presumptive diagnosis can be made because the signs are quite typical. Age is not a significant factor in sarcoptic mange. Although most common in puppies, dogs of all ages are at risk.
There are several insecticides that are effective against this mite as it is easily killed. Paramite works great and is very economical. Bathe the dog in Davis Chlorhexidine Shampoo to remove all flaking skin then saturate the skin with the dip. Dip once weekly for at least 4 weeks. Most dogs take 6 weeks to kill off all mites.
The easiest way to treat is with Ivermectin. The injectable formulation is given orally. The dose for ivermectin is here. Ivermectins ease of administration compared to dipping makes it the drug of choice in certain situations, and it may actually be more effective than dipping in some dogs
With appropriate therapy, the prognosis for recovery is excellent. Re-infestation from a contaminated environment or other dogs is possible.
Sarcoptic mange is highly contagious to other dogs; it is also contagious to humans. The dog's bedding should be washed in hot water with bleach or, preferably, discarded. The mites are not able to complete their life cycle on humans; therefore, they will die in a few days without treatment. However, they will cause quite a bit of itching before they finally die.