Mange today and gone tomorrow
Murphy & Lore were brought to TEARS Veterinary Hospital from two different communities, both unwanted and uncared for. Murphy (about 2years old) and Lore (about 6 months old) both suffered from serious malnutrition and severe Sarcoptic Mange. Their skin was covered in scabs and sores, and both had lost a significant amount of fur. As our nutritional sponsor, Hill’s Pet Nutrition came to the rescue with Hill’s Prescription Diet Derm Complete, Puppy for Lore and Adult for Murphy. Their starved and depleted bodies began to recover quickly with the right food, medicated baths, sunshine and a lot of love. Thank you to Hill’s Pet Nutrition for always being there to give the right nutrition at the right time.
There are so many animals who are not as lucky as Murphy & Lore. Please stand up and help feed and treat other animals in need. Let’s provide the foundations to avoid malnourishment, parasites and immune related conditions today.
More about Mange:
Mange is a skin disease caused by an infection of mites. There are two types of mange that can affect dogs: Sarcoptic (most common) and Demodectic (puppy mange)
The disease, both types, result in intense itching and, because of scratching, dogs can suffer open sores, scabs, hair loss and even serious secondary infections.
Sarcoptic mange is a zoonotic disease meaning that the mites can be transferred to humans causing inflammation and itching.
The rarer demodectic mange is only passed between a mother and her puppies and is thus often referred to as puppy mange
Sarcoptic Mange
Sarcoptic mange highly contagious between dogs, through direct contact and shared bedding. Dogs can also catch sarcoptic mange from other infected animal including wildlife. The sarcoptic mage mites prefer hairless skin, so the first areas normally affected will be the insides of the ears, armpits and belly. Skin becomes red and inflamed and the resulting scratching causes hair loss, the creation of sores and associated scabbing. Secondary infections from open sores are possible.
Diagnosis must be made by your vet and the prescribed treatment including regular washed with medicated shampoo, medicated creams, oral medication and even antibiotics must be completed.
Treatment in humans is simpler as the mites cannot complete their lifecycle on a human host. However, reinfection from bedding and furniture mut be mitigated.
Demodectic Mange
This rarer form of mange results from a low number of mites that are passed from on by the mother to her puppies. In a healthy immune system, the mites will remain dormant. However, puppies with a less resilient immune system the disease could develop. Treatment would include prescribed medication, topical creams and/or medicated baths.
Prevention
Sarcoptic mange can be prevented by avoiding dogs who have clear symptoms of mange i.e. evident hair loss and large areas of inflamed, itchy and often scabby skin. Furthermore, keep your dog’s bedding (and yours) clean to reduce the risks of transmission. If there is a suspicion of mange you should take your dog to the vet for a definitive diagnosis.
The risk of demodectic mange can be reduced by ensuring the health of mom and her puppies. Mommy dogs should be fed a good dog food while pregnant and then puppy food when feeding the puppies. Parasite control (ticks and fleas), regular exercise and sunshine will help mom be as healthy as possible and help keep the puppies healthy and mange free.
