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This Weeks' News
Food Recall Worries Dog, Cat Owners
WXIA-TV, GA -
1 hour ago
ATLANTA (AP) -- A recall of potentially
deadly pet food has dog and cat owners studying their animals
for even the slightest hint of illness and swamping ...
Dog poop keeps mail carriers away
Canoe.ca, Canada -
38 minutes ago
But others say they sympathize with the
Canada Post workers, who claim the dog matter can be as
dangerous as snow and ice.
Australian guide dog mauls pedigree puppy
Independent
Community Newspaper, New Zealand - 13 hours ago
POOR PUP: Golden retriever puppy,
Mistral, was mauled by an Australian guide dog which remains
in training today. Something went terribly wrong last July ...
How a dog wags its tail tells you what it wants
to do!
DailyIndia.com, FL -
3 hours ago
London, Mar 22: Ever wonder whether it
would be safe to approach a dog or not? Well, it seems that
what lies between you and those teeth sinking into your ...
Sarcoptic Mange
in Dogs (otherwise known as Scabies)
OK, before I start on this one I feel it only
fair to warn you of 2 things. First if you are in the least
squeamish you may not like this one (it makes me itch just
thinking about it), second, its going to get a bit more
technical than my newsletters normally do , but hang on in
there because I really want you to know about this.
I have some really great neighbors and 4 weeks ago I saw them
in great distress over one of their beloved dogs. They have 4,
but their elderly cream Lab seemed as though she was about to
meet her maker. You see Princess Poppy (I am not in charge of
the dog naming around here….) had a mystery skin condition
that was driving them all mad (and lining the Vet’s pockets at
the same time) and the Princess was very much under the
weather, poor girl. The Vet had 3 goes at identifying the
problem before a connection was made. It’s that connection
that I want to tell you about because it can affect any of us.
Now I live in the UK and in a rural area, but I believe that
this problem isn’t unique to this side of the pond.
Princess Poppy turned out to have Sarcoptic mange. These mites
are highly contagious and impossible to get rid of without the
correct treatment. This mange is very commonly spread by
foxes, and any animal that has it badly will be in agony.
As there are so many foxes around these days I wanted to tell
you about it so that if your dog has a persistent skin
condition, you could perhaps see if this is the culprit. The
other reason I wanted to tell you is that because of this I
found out that the foxes can be treated as well. I love all
animals and that includes foxes, so I thought you should know
too. More on that later.
First – what is Sarcoptic Mange?
The cause of this disease is a small (200-400mm) white
arthropod mite called Sarcoptes scabiei. Several variants
exist including canis which affects dogs primarily. It is a
non-seasonal disease in dogs, but the disease occurs most
frequently in late winter and early spring in farm animals.
This mite lives permanently in the superficial (outside)
layers of the skin. It causes intense irritation and itching,
although some dogs may not show any signs at all. The female
mite lays her eggs in tunnels under the skin. They hatch in
3-8 days and then develop into larvae, nymphs and finally
adults. The whole of the lifecycle takes 17-21 days and is
completed on the host animal.
The disease is highly contagious and the mite is transmitted
most frequently by direct contact with infected animals.
However the mites are quite hardy and can survive off the host
animal - in a home environment at room temperature for 1-6
days.
Disease occurs as a result of the irritation caused by the
presence of the parasite in the skin, or, most often, due an
allergic (hypersensitivity) reaction in the host.
Now the bit you won’t want to read: Canine Sarcoptes mites can
live on humans for over a week and propagation of the mite on
humans has been reported, however most infections clear
spontaneously once the infected dog is removed/treated.
So, what are the signs?
Clinical signs do not occur for 3-6 weeks after infection with
the mite. The primary signs of sarcoptic mange are similar for
all species as follows :
• Intense pruritus (itchiness) with self-trauma - scratching,
biting
• Hairloss
• Papules
• Crusts
• Grazes on the surface of the skin
• Secondary bacterial infection
• Thickening of the skin (in chronic cases)
• Location of skin lesions is widespread - including
Cattle - the neck and sacral region
Dogs - the abdomen, chest, ears and legs - especially the
elbows and hocks.
Horses and ponies - the head and neck
Pigs - the back
Rabbits - the face and ears
Sheep and goats - the face and ears
• Weight loss
• Enlarged lymph nodes
• General debilitation
How do you know if they have it?
Diagnosis is made by examination of deep skin scrapings and
identifying mites, eggs or mite feces. Numerous samples are
required to be sure to obtain a positive sample and false
negative findings are frequently reported because of the
"hit-or-miss" nature of sampling (ok, so that lets the Vet off
the hook).
Sometimes mites or their eggs may be found in fecal samples as
well.
What is the treatment?
Several treatments are available for the treatment of
Sarcoptic mange including
The following acaricides which kill the mites:
• Amitraz
• Benzyl benzoate
• Bromocyclen
• Fipronil
• Ivermectin
• Milbemycin
• Monosulfiram
• Phosmet
• Rotenone
Some of these do not have product licenses for use in all
species, and some can be toxic eg ivermectin is toxic to
Collies. Animals with long haircoats may have to be clipped .
In our case the Vet had to have all my neighbour’s dogs in and
give them a shampoo with a very strong solution, that they
will not let us at home use (protective clothing required) and
they needed more than one treatment.
You will also need to consider their environment as this
should also be treated in case mites have dropped off into
bedding or floor coverings – don’t forget to ask the vet about
this too.
If the in fection is bad then the itchy pruritus can be
controlled using anti-inflammatory drugs eg corticosteroids.
Which the Vet will also prescribe.
Antibiotics may be needed if secondary bacterial infection is
present.
Antiseborrhoeic shampoos are also helpful to cleanse the skin.
Now as this is so contagious, all animals in a household,
stables or farm should be treated.
What happens next?
Well, nothing in fact, because they usually get well very
quickly once treated - however thorough treatment of all
in-contact animals is necessary to avoid re-infection
What about the foxes?
Now, I already told you that I love them too, so I am treating
the foxes as well. The National Fox Welfare Assoc in the UK
will provide you with the treatment free of charge if you are
prepared to administer it. It’s really simple and I actually
love thinking that I am helping them avoid a slow, very
painful and excruciatingly uncomfortable death so I am very
happy to do it. The treatment goes inside honey sandwiches -
they love eating them and I love watching them!
