Sarcoptic mange, also known as scabies, is a contagious skin disease caused by a parasitic mite infection. These mites usually infect domestic animals such as dogs and cats, although they can also affect other animals, as well as humans. Besides intense itching, the disease is typified by crusty skin, hair loss and small lesions on an animal's body. It's important for caretakers to have their pets examined by a vet for a proper diagnosis and receive the best treatments as other similar skin problems look similar, yet require different cures.
-
The Sarcoptic Mange Mite
-
The Sarcoptic mange mite, also called itch mites or Sarcopetes, bury themselves in skin or hair follicles, laying eggs that hatch in three to ten days. These eggs produce larvae which move around on the skin's surface and become adults. Unless the mites are killed, the entire cycle can repeat, with adults mating again and female mites laying more eggs. It takes about two weeks for an entire generation to be completed.
Symptoms of Sarcoptic Mange
-
Intense itching (pruritis) is the main symptom of Sarcoptic mange. The itching is so severe it inflames the skin, causing scabs. The face, ear margins and elbows are the areas that are most affected. Even worse, some pets shake their ears to the degree that they cause an ear to be swollen (aural hematoma).
Diagnosis
-
Sarcoptic mange is usually diagnosed from a skin scraping at the areas of hair loss. Using a scalpel blade the vet scrapes off skin debris and then examines it under a microscope to see if mites are present. Although it's hard to find mites under a microscope, vets usually treat the scabies symptoms as even a negative skin scraping can still mean the animal has scabies.
Treatment
-
Vets normally use the drug known as Ivermectin to treat scabies, which is an injection that's given weekly up to four weeks. After the first injection most pets find relief and decrease their amount of scratching. Sarcoptic mange can also be treated with dips. According to MarVistavet.com some dog breeds, such as those belonging to the Collie family, can't tolerate the Ivermectin medication so caretakers need to use Lyme Sulfur, which is an effective dip for killing mites.
Prevention
-
It's important to keep a pet's bedding and surroundings as clean as possible; good hygiene is vital in preventing most diseases. Because Sarcoptic mange is contagious, if one dog in a home has the disease, it's likely the other pets also have it. Therefore, caretakers should have all other pets treated with the same medication. Also, all bedding on an infected pet needs to be thoroughly washed in hot water to remove any eggs and mites. Infected pets should also be isolated from other animals.
Warning
-
Sometimes pets are misdiagnosed because vets think the animals have a food allergy or a problem other than Sarcoptic mange, wasting a caretaker's time and money. Therefore, caretakers should ask for a skin scraping to done to test for scabies. It may be necessary to take a pet to a skin specialist or animal dermatologist rather than just a general animal clinic.
-