Pet Mange and How to Diagnose it
Mange is an unpleasant infection that can be very traumatic, and harmful for pets. It is not rare and is present in otherwise healthy animals, not just those that are poorly looked after. Mange spreads extremely rapidly and is highly contagious, but can be treated successfully and in good time and with full recovery the expected outcome.
Once diagnosed, mange should be treated straight away with the prescribed method, and the routine adhered to until due time has passed. Treating mange when it is yet to spread is the right way to keep the mites to a minimum and to ensure the pet does not suffer unnecessarily.
Read all the available advice that can be unearthed in order to make the correct choice and mange should cease to be a concern in a short time. You can make the difference in the life of your pet by getting the right help.
Mange Mites are the Cause
The requirements of knowing how mange is contracted cannot be stressed too highly.
Mange is caused by very small mites that live in the pet s fur, and the female mange mite will eat into the skin of the animal in order to lay her eggs. This can cause an unnatural reaction in the dog or cat, and leads to persistent itching and rashes as well as other symptoms that we will look at later.
The mites themselves have a life span of a short period but they increase in numbers at a rapid rate. It is when the number of mites increases without hindrance that the pet can become open to mange.
Simple Steps to Identify Mange Infestation
Recognizing mange is relatively easy as the signs are easy to see and not usual. The first thing that may be noticed is frequent scratching, primarily in areas where the hair is at its shortest these are where the mange mite chooses to live and this may be accompanied by loss of hair in these areas.
While in small areas in the first instance it is occasionally the case that mange spreads and in the worst cases can cover the body of the animal severely. Further symptoms can include poor sleep patterns, unusual behavior and red areas on the skin so called red mange that are painful and present great trouble for the animal.
If mange is detected it is best to commence treatment straight away, as keeping the infection under control is vital to removing the condition. Mange is rarely fatal but can be dangerous if allowed to get out of control. It is also very distressing for the animal, whose well-being should be considered at all times.
Mange in Humans? Yes it is Possible
Instances of mange transferring from any animals to humans are known to have occurred and the most frequently contracted form of mange known as sarcoptic mange is very contagious and occurs in humans as scabies.
It is so that mange mites are specific to different species a dog mite will live best on dogs only, a cat mite on cats but they can continue to breed for short periods on other than their chosen host. For this reason it is best to keep uninfected pets at a distance from those with the mange to be safe and sound.
The Process of Treating Mange
Treating mange is not difficult although there are a selection of alternative methods. The right one for a individual animal may depend on the species, on the health and on the age, and some breeds of dog, for instance, take better to certain treatments than others.
Advice is available from many places, and it may be that the best course of action involves using a lotion or cream, or sometimes a spray, to the area of the animal concerned. This concoction will eradicate the mites and, crucially, neutralize any eggs thus halting the breeding process quickly.
In unusual cases particularly those that are more severe a dip or bath may be the best treatment, and this involves immersing the animal in a solution thus giving it an all over body wash. This is, of course, a tricky procedure where cats are the infected animal although less so with smaller dogs.
All treatments for mange involve some form of pharmaceutical application and once the right approach has been decided on it is important that it is carried out quickly in order to control the spread of the infection.
Dwayne Coots
http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/pet-mange-and-how-to-diagnose-it-746328.html
How do you diagnose mange without spending hundreds of $$$?
There has been a dog hanging around not bothering anyone for the last couple of months. recently my neighbor discovered he had been sleeping under her house. She also found him…uh…stuck to her yellow lab. SO now we have puppies on the way. I told her that next time I saw the dog I wuld take him to the shelter. The next time I saw him was on New Year’s Eve and of course every place was closed until today. Needless to say, we’ve become a little bit attatched to him but he is SOOOOO itchy… he scratches constantly, and when we take him outside he lays on his belly and drags it across the ground. I don’t really have all the money to take him to the vet just yet, and I’ve heard that mange is often misdiagnosed as allergies. He’s an older boy and I feel like if I just take him to the shelter they will put him down…. What should I do?
yeah. ps. There are NO fleas (I am not dumb, and have checked thoroughly with a flea comb) and my NEIGHBOR had an appointment to have her dog spayed when the "incident" occured, thank you for the advice. We are, however, NOT into puppy abortions. We have competent homes for 6 pups already, and are working on more.
Dogs scratch.
Dogs itch.
Most likely? It’s probably FLEAS.
Unless there are patches of fur missing and there are sores on his skin, I’d just get him a nice topical and (assuming you can’t bring the boy into your own home) leave it at that.
Yeah, a shelter probably would just put him down. They rather thrive on such things.
Edit:
Oh, I sincerely doubt you’re an idiot, but I’ve checked for fleas on my animals and missed them before. the little bastards are getting sneaky as time wears on.
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Been reading up on shelters lately. Not all of them are bloodthirsty, but a lot of them act like martyrs and then kill the animals anyway, keeping the cash for themselves. Lots of underhanded stuff going on in the shelters right now. =(
Mange shouldn’t cost hundreds of dollar to diagnose…. They will need to do a skin scraping and check it out…. if they find that it is mange…. they’ll go from there. You best bet it to take the old guy into the vets office…. Plus… if you plan on keeping him around you should get him checked by a vet anyways… he might have some diseases that you would want to know about.
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it could be mange but it could be an allergy to fleas as ive said to most people try duramitex it works
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A simple skin scraping with an exam should diagnose mange…..don’t really see how you could misdiagnose mange. Should cost you about $60 with an exam. Recommend to your neighbour to get her dog spayed ASAP. There are already enough unhealthy mutts in the shelters.
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Vet tech.
A competent vet will do a skin scraping right off and diagnose mange if it is present. It should NOT cost hundreds of dollars. If he has no significant hair loss, he may just have a really bad case of fleas. A check up shouldn’t cost much. Call around ands see. Also, if you are having puppies, you’d best start saving a couple thousand dollars for vet care for the momma and pups vet bills, and in case she needs a c-section. Otherwise you might wind up having to decide to euthanize your dog because you cant Get the surgery done. Might be best to spay her.
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Rescuer, vet tech, groomer and show exhibitor of Shetland sheepdogs for 20 years.
most likely loaded with fleas…
as for the "PUPPIES:" have the dog spayed IMMEDIATELY. there will be no puppies
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I have dealt with mange & am dealing with it with some "dump" dogs right now. It smells like stinky socks. Red bumps come up sporadically like chigger bites. They act just as you are describing.
There are several ways to deal with mange but this way is effective as well. Vet prescribed Lime Sulphur treatments or Sulphur treatments for us & they didn’t have to do a skin scraping. You pour 4 ounces of Sulphur in to one gallon container plus water. You bathe your dog thoroughly then fully rinse their hair. You apply the Sulphur like a dip & leave it on. Four days repeat until cured. I use "Bio Spot" for fleas the next day but water proof flea control is essential to kill the fleas. I found my first "flea" after two years of having two of my dogs. The flea control is used to help kill topical bugs of all sorts that will settle in an ill dog quite fast. I give them garlic oil pills & Echinacea for their immune system. They are hungrier when they have mange due to their illness so feed them one egg a day plus more food if they seem hungrier than normal.
It took me five treatments on a 90 pound dog to cure his mange & two months, once, on a dump pup that was in terrible shape. It is common but serious if left untreated. Their hair will fall out in small areas or "thin" out but some never look very bad.
I hope this helps you. You can buy the Sulphur treatment online & everything else at your local store. You will need peroxide & triple antibiotic ointment for bleeding sores from where the dog scratches.
I have six pups as well that I am treating so I wish you all the best for your precious pups!
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Is he missing hair or have any bumps on the skin? You might be able to ask your local shelter for advice. If you are interested in helping him get healthy and possibly keeping him, they may be able to at least do a skin scrape for you and give you some options for treatment. There are two types of mange, one similar to scabies which is possibly contageous to you, and one that is genetic (my dog has). It could be alergies, but I would warn against making a self diagnosis or treating without knowing the definate cause of the itching. Try some oatmeal shampoo until you can find help.
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animal shelter volunteer
We had a similiar problem with our dog, and the diagnosis and treatment cost about $200 at a regular vet for mage (the more common yeast-related variety, not the mite-kind). Here’s what you should do:
1) Call the shelter for resources. In our city, there is low cost vet care available (Animal Trustees of Austin), and some animal rescues will also provide reduced cost vet care (esp. if you are trying to rescue the dog yourself).
2) Don’t let kids handle the dog, and be careful yourself until you do get him checked out. Ringworm causes itchiness, but doesn’t always cause hair to fall out, etc, and can easily pass to humans.
3) Do NOT treat the dog with motor oil. There is a myth that motor oil will cure mage, but all that will result is a painful infection.
Best of luck.
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