What is Sarcoptic Mange?

I would like to take my post today to go over the different symptoms of sarcoptic mange - how it is contracted, treated, and prevented. This is a horrible skin condition that is fairly common in dogs. This skin disease can be passed on to other animals and humans so it is important to educate yourself on what you can do to prevent this.

Symptomps of Sarcoptic Mange:

It is important for you to know that sarcoptic mange can infect dogs of any age or breed. The mites that cause sarcoptic mange prefer to live on dogs, but they can also be passed on to other animals as well as humans. The mites usually spend their entire life cycle on the dog. Female mites burrow into the skin and lays her eggs several times as she continues to burrow. The length of the tunnels can be a few centimeters and when she is finished laying her eggs, the female mite dies. The eggs hatch in about 3-8 days, and the entire life process is about 2-3 weeks in length.

Although the mites prefer to live on the dog, they are able to survive for up to 22 days off of a dog or other host animal. At normal room temperature in your home, the mites can live anywhere from 2 to 6 days. This means that a dog can become infected with sarcoptic mange without ever coming in contact with an infected dog.

The symptoms of sarcoptic mange are different for every dog, but will generally include: hair loss, severe itching on the belly, elbows, ears, armpits, and chest. For burrowing purposes, the mites prefer to live on skin with very little hair but as the infection worsens, it can spread over the entire body. Red sores will often develop and there will be a yellow crust on the skin. Other sores and infections can easily develop because the dog is scratching very intensely often tearing open certain areas. The itching will also intensify when the dog is in a warm area - such as by a stove or fireplace.

Treatment of Sarcoptic Mange:

After diagnosis by your veterinarian, chances are they will probably prescribe medication for your dog. The products are liquids or topical creams - with varying amounts of applications. Your veterinarian may also require you to treat the living environment of the dog as well (remember how long mites can live off the dog?). This will prevent another infection.

Prevention of Sarcoptic Mange:

There really is no one way to completely protect your dog from mange. Since the mites have the ability to live for a number of days off their host, your dog does not have to be in direct contact with an infected dog to catch the mites.

Using common sense, places that have a high number of dogs (such as a dog park) are more likely to contain the mites. I recommend you keep your dog well-groomed, feed them a good diet, keep them away from areas with large amounts of dogs, and make sure their skin and coat are healthy. This give your dog the best chance of avoiding sarcoptic mange.

What About Me?

I mentioned earlier that it is possible for you to catch the mites from your dog. What does that mean to you? The good news is that the mites only cause minor itching in humans and it is usually temporary.

If you think your dog may have mange, seek veterinary attention at once. If left untreated, it could cause hair loss - not to mention tons of other problems. If your dog seems to be scratching more (or harder) than normal, she may be allergic to something or she may have mange. Your dog will scratch as hard as they can to stop the itching and this means they can cut into their skin. If this skin is left exposed and untreated, it could become infected and further complications will arise. It is very important that you keep an eye out for any of the symptoms I mentioned above. We all want our pets to live happy and healthy lives and it falls upon us as owners to pay attention to our pet's habits and notice if she isn't feeling good.

I hope you found my post today informative! Please leave me your comments on this topic!