NCVMA: Helping pets with mange ? Cape Fear Critters - Wilmington ...

I will be posting a series of recent article from the North Carolina Veterinary Medical Association. Today ? the topic is mange.

Helping a Pet Suffering from Mange

By the North Carolina Veterinary Medical Association

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You sometimes hear the term ?mangy mutt? said casually in reference to an ugly-looking dog. Yet mange is a serious problem for any pet who suffers from the condition.

Mange mites are a type of parasitic skin disease. The two forms of mange affecting dogs and cats that veterinarians deal with are sarcoptic mange and demodectic mange.

Sarcoptic Mange

Sarcoptic mange, also called scabies, is caused by a microscopic tick-like mite that infects the skin.? Scabies is very contagious from pet to pet and from pets to humans.? Sarcoptic mange can infect any dog or cat of any age, sex or breed.? Dogs are affected much more often than cats.

Signs of sarcoptic mange include a very itchy pet with raised or raw red sores and crusty skin in the worst cases.? The areas of the body most often infected are the ear, elbows, chest and abdomen, but any area of skin can be affected.

Although hard to diagnose, scabies is easily treated.? Because of the difficulty of an exact diagnosis, veterinarians often recommend treatment, and if the pet responds and gets better, the assumption is made that the pet was infected with the sarcoptic mange mite.

There are several proven methods to treat a dog or cat with sarcoptic mange.? Please talk to your veterinarian to find out what options he or she offers.? Medications may be necessary for pets in certain cases to stop the pet?s itching and get rid of any bacterial infection.

Demodectic Mange

Demodectic mange, also called red mange or demodicosis, is caused by a microscopic mite as well, but this form of mange is not contagious to people or other animals and affects only dogs.

There are two types of demodicosis.? Localized occurs as isolated scaly bald patches mostly on puppies that resolve without treatment in 90 percent of cases.? The other 10 percent become generalized, which involves patchy fur, skin infections and bald, scaly skin over parts or all of a dog.

Treatment for demodicosis typically involves antibiotics and medicated shampoos as well as parasiticidal agents.? In older dogs, demodectic mange is considered an indication to seek a more serious hidden condition, so a more extensive medical work-up will be required.? As with scabies, consult with your veterinarian about treatment options.

Treating the Environment for Scabies

For pets with scabies, their environment should be cleaned and treated to kill the mange mites that can live off of them.? Any other pet that has contact with the infected pet should also be treated at the same time.? If any humans in contact with the pet have red itchy lesions, see a medical doctor right away.

If you have an uncomfortable, itchy pet and suspect sarcoptic mange mite infection, call your veterinarian.? If humans have been infected by a pet with scabies, the skin infection should clear up by three weeks after the house, yard and the pet have been treated as directed.

The house and yard will need to be treated weekly for four weeks because the life cycle of the mite is 28 days and the chemicals may not kill the eggs that have been laid by the adult mites.? Following the proper directions for treating the pets and their environment will help to increase the likelihood of a good outcome for solving the sarcoptic mange infection.

Contact your veterinarian to determine your pet?s individual needs.

The North Carolina Veterinary Medical Association (NCVMA) is a professional organization of veterinarians dedicated to compassionate animal care and quality medicine.? For more information, visit www.ncvma.org, follow us on Twitter at @NCVMA, or call (800) 446-2862 or (919) 851-5850.
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Source: http://critters.blogs.starnewsonline.com/13443/ncvma-helping-pets-with-mange/

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