What is mange and how do you treat it?

Demodectic mange is a skin disease caused by a mite known as Demodex canis, and the mite lives in the hair follicles found in dogs’ skin.

All dogs have this mite, which is transferred from mother to puppy during the first few days of life. In certain stress conditions, especially in young puppies less than six months of age, these mites proliferate and can cause serious skin disease.

Here are the symptoms:

1.  Localised – small scaly patches usually on the face, but can occur anywhere on the body.

2. Generalised – the entire dog is affected. The dog has patchy fur and bald scaly skin, often with secondary bacterial infections causing the dog to be itchy and smelly.

3. Pododermatitis – mange confined to the paws. Often bacterial infections accompany this form.

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The treatment for demodectic mange is to reduce all forms of stress. In addition, feed good-quality food, vaccinate and de-worm your dogs regularly, and spay non-breeding females.

Treatment also includes: Invermectic injectable, medicated shampoos and amitraz based dips. While some animals may possess a genetic predisposition to this disease, generally the prognosis for recovery is good if treated early.

Mange is usually diagnosed by examining a skin scraping under a microscope and identifying the mites responsible.

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