Mange is a skin disease found in many mammals and is caused by a mite that burrows beneath the skin. Most people are familiar with it because of its presence in their pets, often cats and dogs. There are a variety of mites that cause the disease, but only a handful of them affect pets.
Mange mites themselves cannot be seen with the naked eye, but the effects of their burrowing can be very dramatic. There are several different types of mange; some types look like dandruff, but the effects are often short-lived.
Types of Mange
The different types of mange are determined by the kind of mite that infiltrates the skin to fulfill its reproductive cycle. Some types are more vigorous than others. Depending on the mite, mange can spread from dog to cat to human.
Notoedric mange
A scaly skin disease that usually starts on the ears but can spread to the rest of the face and body if left untreated. This type can be spread between cats, dogs, rabbits, and humans. In cats, it is often called face mange because a slightly different mite, Notoedres cati, burrows beneath the skin, affecting the cat's face the most, especially around the ears and neck, but can spread all over its body.
Sarcoptic mange
An extremely itchy skin disease that is sometimes referred to as canine scabies and is common in dogs. This type of the disease usually attacks areas without hair such as the abdomen and elbows. While it can spread to cats and humans, the mites usually do not survive for long. The Sarcoptes canis mite causes this type of mange, which is the most common and is also known as scabies. It is resilient, long-lasting, and contagious. The mites burrow underneath the top layers of skin to lay their eggs, causing swelling, redness, thick or discolored skin, hair loss, insistent scratching, and seepage of pus. Since humans aren't good at incubating the scabies eggs, we can't be seriously infested. However, dogs can succumb to scabies and develop bacterial infections in their oozing skin.
Demodectic mange
The mites that cause this type actually live in the hair follicles and are known to be very itchy. It can spread to the entire body and can be difficult to cure, but early treatment is usually successful. One type of demodectic mange, caused by the Demodex canis mite, is called demodicosis. This milder rash mostly attacks puppies, as their developing immune system can't handle the same mites as their mother. The symptoms, like most types of mange, are itchiness and patches of bare skin. The majority of puppies grow out of demodicosis as they reach adolescence. Sometimes, demodectic mange will develop into a more serious problem with increased symptoms like crusty and scaly skin, frantic scratching, and overall weakness in the dog as the mites settle in hair follicles. This cannot spread to humans but may indicate that your dog has a weakened immune system due to cancer or another health condition.
Cheyletiella or "walking dandruff"
Caused by red mites or fur mites, resulting in mild itching and tiny white flakes resembling dandruff scattered across a dog's back and neck. It will not get too severe but won't clear up on its own. Insecticide shampoos can treat this type of mange.
Ear mange
Caused by ear mites that live off the moisture and discharge from an animal's ears. The mites burrow into the outer ear canal, causing a black gummy substance to ooze from the opening. Ear mange can usually be treated at home with cotton swabs and ear drops, but severe cases could lead to hearing loss. It is contagious between animals but not to humans.
Common Symptoms and Diagnosis
Depending on the type of mite causing the problem, symptoms can vary for each animal. Some pets will experience intense itching, while others do not experience any itching at all. In some cases, a red, hairless patch will develop on the pet's skin. Red bumps that look like pimples may also appear on the affected area of skin.
Veterinarians diagnose the disease by scraping skin from the animal's affected area and analyzing the skin sample under a microscope; the process is painless and is usually a reliable source to determine whether or not the animal has the skin disease. Mange mites, however, often burrow beneath the skin, and the scraping does not include actual mites; veterinarians actually inspect the skin sample for symptoms of mange rather than actual mites.
Treatment
Most types of this disease can be eradicated, especially if symptoms are treated early. Treatment may include tablets, special dips, baths with medicated shampoos, injections, or a combination of remedies. Many of the medications that treat the skin disease can be purchased from a veterinarian office as many, especially the bath shampoos and dips, must be prescribed by an animal doctor. It is also possible to buy medication, prescription and over-the-counter, on the Internet.
In more extreme cases, it may be necessary to shave the pet's hair so that the medication can be rubbed directly on the affected area. Removing the hair can also reduce the amount of mites that live in hair follicles. Another possibility is to quarantine the pet until the disease has cleared up to minimize the likelihood of the disease spreading to other animals.