Sarcoptic mange, or canine scabies, is a skin disease caused by the Sarcoptes scabiei. These parasites can infect other animals such as foxes, cats, ferrets and even humans, but prefer to live on dogs. The disease can be passed on with or without direct contact with an infected dog. However, mange is controllable and treatable.
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What Causes Sarcoptic Mange?
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Different types of scabies mites affect different animals. Sarcoptic mange is caused by small parasites called mites.They are not insects, but more related to spiders and scorpions and members of the arachnid family. These tiny parasites can only be seen with a microscope. It's possible for canine mites to temporarily infect humans, but they would only cause some minor itching.
Lifecycle of Sarcoptic Mites
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Sarcoptic mites can live their short lives in the environment. The life cycle of the sarcoptic mite lasts about two to three weeks and they will usually spend their whole lives on their host. First, the female tunnels into your dog's skin, laying eggs along the path. The tunnels can sometimes be up to several centimeters in length. After laying the eggs, she dies. Within three to eight days, the eggs hatch into larvae. The larvae have six legs, but as they mature into nymphs, they grow a total of eight legs. While in the tunnel, the nymphs then mature into adult mites. The adults mate and the cycle begins again.
How Do I Know if My Dog Has Sarcoptic Mange?
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Sarcoptic mange usually affects areas with less hair. The most common symptoms of sarcoptic mange are hair loss and severe itching. The areas typically affected are the elbows, hips, chest, belly, armpits and ears. Mites prefer to live where there's less hair. Though these are the common sites for infection, if left untreated, the infection can spread to the entire body. Once infected, the symptoms appear within two to three weeks. The skin develops red blisters and yellow, crusty scabs. The infection causes intense itching for your dog; the more he scratches, the worse the sores become, which makes his skin vulnerable to a variety of sores and secondary infections (such as pyoderma or yeast infections). Warmer climates and temperatures, or even placement next to a heater or stove, seem to exacerbate the itching.
How is Sarcoptic Mange Diagnosed?
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Sarcoptic mange is commonly misdiagnosed. Because mange symptoms are very similar to skin allergies, misdiagnosis is common. If your dog does not have a history of allergies, you should first suspect sarcoptic mange. Also, since allergies are seasonal, if your dog itches year around, you should suspect sarcoptic mange. Usually, to diagnose sarcoptic mange, your veternarian takes a skin sample (skin-scrape). He then examines the sample under a microscope.
What is the Treatment for Sarcoptic Mange?
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There are a variety of effective treatments for sarcoptic mange. There are several treatment options for dogs with sarcoptic mange. Your veterinarian may recommend that you cut your dog's hair (if it's long), then bathe him in a shampoo that contains benzoyl peroxide. This treatment has proven especially effective. Afterward, your dog should be dipped in a solution of organophospahte (Paramite). You may also use Amitraz and Mitaban dips or lime sulfur dips (Lymdip). Your dog should be dipped once every two weeks, two to three times per session. The dog's environment, especially her bedding, should be treated with an insecticide.
How Do I Prevent Sarcoptic Mange?
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Since sarcoptic mites can survive without a host, infection prevention is very difficult Prevention is very difficult since the mites can live off of their host; this means direct contact with an infected animal is not necessary. Also, mites from foxes are capable of infecting dogs, so you want to keep your dog out of areas where you know foxes dwell. Places where there are large numbers of dogs, such as kennels or dog parks, have a tendency to carry the sarcoptic mange mite.
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