Mange in Dogs
Mange in Dogs: How Bad Can it Get?
- Mange in dogs is a parasitic skin disease caused by minute arachnid mites.
- The mite burrows into the skin of the dog’s body.
- The mite causes several types of health concerns for your pets, characterized by severe itching and eventual hair loss.
- Mites normally attack in large numbers.
- They also reproduce massively on the surface of the dog’s skin.
- They feed on the nutrients of their host’s body and that is the reason for skin outbreaks.
- Oftentimes, the disease will manifest on the lower limbs, lips, and eyes.
Types of mange
There are different types of mange. the most common types of mange are:
- Sarcoptic mange.
- demodectic mange.
- cheyletiella mange .
Certain breeds of dogs are prone to a particular type of mange. Sarcoptic mites are the smallest, while the cheyletiella mites are the largest species. Sarcoptic mites are invisible to the naked eye while cheyletiella mites can be seen walking on the dog’s skin.
Mange may be localized or generalized. Localized mange occurs on certain parts of the dog’s body. The parts most prone to the parasites are the feet, ears, and the face.
On the other hand, generalized mange means that the whole body of the dog is already affected. This is the most severe type of mange infection and treating such a disease doesn’t always promise good results.
Some types of mange are not contagious for humans, although most of them are. Humans can get infected through direct contact. Fortunately, the mites that cause mange in dogs can’t reproduce on human skin as abundantly as they do on a dog’s skin.
When mange has successfully transferred to human skin, itching and irritation would occur. However, it will heal eventually, after all the mites have died. Even so, humans should be well aware that their pets are suffering intense pain and discomfort when are infected with mites.
Treatment of mange In Dog
The proper treatment of mange starts with the vet determining what type of mange has infected your pet. Only then they can prescribe the proper type of medication
