What is Mange?

animals environment

Mange is a skin disease found in many mammals and is caused by a mite that burrows beneath the skin. Most people are familiar with mange because of its presence in their pets, often cats and dogs. There are a variety of mange mites, but only a handful of them affect pets:

Mange mites themselves cannot be seen with the naked eye, but the effects of their burrowing can be very dramatic. Some types of mange look like dandruff, but the effects are often short-lived.

  • Notoedric mange: scaly skin disease that usually starts on the ears but spreads to the rest of the face and body unless treated. This type of mange can be spread between cats, dogs, rabbits and humans.
  • Sarcoptic mange: extremely itchy skin disease that is sometimes referred to as canine scabies and is common in dogs. This type of mange usually attacks areas without hair such as the abdomen and elbows. Sarcoptic mange can spread to cats and humans but when they do, the mites usually do not survive for long.
  • Demodectic mange: the mites in this type of mange actually live in the hair follicles and are very itchy. It can spread to the entire body and be difficult to cure, but early treatment is usually successful.

Most types of mange in pets can be eradicated, especially if they are treated early. Veterinarians diagnose mange with a painless skin scraping that is subsequently analyzed under a microscope. Mange mites, however, often burrow beneath the skin, and the scraping does not include actual mites; veterinarians actually inspect the skin sample for symptoms of mange rather than actual mites.

Treatment may include tablets, special dips and/or baths with medicated shampoos or injections. In more extreme cases, shaving may be required, or the pet may be quarintined to minimize the likelihood of transmission.

Related wiseGEEK articles

Category

Other Links

New: Discuss this Article

Posted by: conchobhair
I believe Demodectic mange is commonest in dogs, as well. I've also read that certain breeds are more susceptible to mange than others. Can someone shed more light on this?
Posted by: jonathan9633
Hey i cannot help you at all but I was wandering if mange can cause for dogs to limp because i just got in from feeding mine and my dog has it bad we took it to the vet, but they didn't give him mange shots or dip him etc. so if someone can help me I would be grateful.
Posted by: anon398
how long after dog receives treatment for sarcoptic mange is he contagious? My vet gave us and anti itch pill, an antibiotic and a weekly dose of ivermecin for a total of 5 weeks.
Posted by: jonathan9633
I have no idea but my dog had dieticilitus or something like that and i think it is contagious
Posted by: anon6593
My dad owns a dairy farm and has his whole life so he seems to know a lot about this sort of thing. My dog has a skin condition that I have taken him to the vet for twice and the meds have done no good. My dad took him and dipped him in used motor oil (not the head of course) 3 days ago and he is almost completely healed up. His skin was horrible. He was bleeding from his sores. Im not sure what the oil has in it that would do this, but it sure has worked!!
Posted by: anon6757
Mange (mites) are transmitted from mother to puppy. All mothers transmit mites to their puppies, however the puppies with weak immune systems will not be able to fight the mites, and they will start showing symptoms of mange (hair loss, odor, red inflamed skin). You should take your dog to the vet immediately because it can be fatal if left untreated. Medicated baths, oral medication, and a good diet and home environment will help combat the mange which is almost always curable, however be careful to keep other pets away from the mange infected dog/cat because it is contagious.

FREE: Subscribe to wiseGEEK

 
    learn more

our strict privacy policy ensures that your email address will be safe





copyright © 2003 - 2008
conjecture corporation