The Causes of Mange in Dogs

It is believed that all dogs may have parasites on their skin. However, the dogs that are given good hygiene and are kept in a healthy community tend to develop a better immune system that can handle parasite infestations.

As such, the mites that cause mange will not thrive in a well-kept dog’s body at all. If ever they invade the skin, the dog’s antibodies will activate, and hunt them down. Therefore, they can’t proliferate as much as they will in the body of dogs with a low immune response.

1-The main cause of dog mange is the unhealthy environment the dogs live in.

Mites are always on the prowl, waiting to strike dogs that are not given baths regularly. Most mites are contagious. This means that the mere association of your pet with other dogs in the park that have the disease may make your dog susceptible to the disease.

2-Immunodeficiency is one of the causes of the proliferation of dog mange. The dogs that are prone to mites are the dogs whose body defenses are not very well-developed.

Older dogs are more vulnerable to mange than the younger dogs.

However, puppies and older-aged dogs can acquire the disease as well.

Further research about mange in dogs has also revealed that the disease could be hereditary. As such, dog breeds that have a history of exposure to mange are most likely to develop this condition.
This means that if the mother of your puppies has acquired the disease once in her lifetime, proper precautions should be taken to make sure that the puppies will not be affected by mange.

Mange in dogs gets very severe because female mites lay eggs several times when they burrow. Each time a mite lays eggs, a new set of larvae surfaces. Depending on the conditions, mites can live up to 22 days.
They reproduce faster than their lifespan and that is the main reason why most dogs tend to suffer so much before finally recovering or succumbing to the disease. It is only during the colder seasons that mites have a shorter life span. They can live anywhere from two to six days, which is up to eleven times shorter than normal.

Mange in dogs is highly contagious. Some dogs don’t even have to go into direct contact with other dogs to acquire it.

Some types of mites can live away from the host for a certain period of time. This explains why your pet may suddenly get affected by mange even if they don’t associate with other dogs. This is especially true in areas where stray dogs are frequent.