Mange in dogs – treatment and preventive measures
Mange in dogs – unpleasant disease, making the dog’s life miserable. It is very easily transmitted and subjected to immediate treatment.
This disease is one of contagious, can be transmitted to humans, cats and foxes. Often it is transmitted from foxes, which infect the dog mites.
What is mange in dogs and what forms does it have
There are two kinds of disease in dogs: sarcoptic mange in dogs and demodectic mange. Pathogens of demodex mange are mites, which live in the dog’s skin, causing itching slack. But in the damaged animal skin is settled bacteria that cause severe irritation.
Sarcoptic mange is usually accompanied by severe itching, as its agents doing a microscopic tunnels under the skin of the animal. Affected dog constantly and severely itches, trying to take a bite of fleas. Sarcoptic mange dogs disease can also be accompanied by secondary infections, caused by bacteria trapped in the wound.
Subcutaneous pathogen of mange in dogs
Demodectic mange in dogs, as well as sarcoptic, is caused by tiny dog mites. This mite, invisible to the naked eye, digs into the skin, causing any severe irritation. Mites can affect dogs of any age and is very easily transmitted from animal to animal. Very often this disease occurs in the kennels and rescue centers with food, which contains a lot of dogs.
Species of parasitic mites are transmitted from animals to humans and can live without a host for three days, that is enough to get on the human skin. The number of mites can affect any area of skin, but in dogs mites prefer to live on the tips of the ears, under the legs and ankles.
Where do dog mites live?
Mites and fleas are usually spread from dog to dog, but its source may be a fox. A dog can get mites from the fox, both directly and indirectly. Dogs like to explore the seat of the foxes, and they can easily pick up ticks from branches or pillars, of which rubbed fox.
Symptoms and diagnosis of mange in dogs
- Combing. Demodex mange causes severe irritation, so the dog will comb, chew and bite the affected area, trying to bring relief to himself.
- Bald spots. Hair loss and the formation of bald spots.
- Inflamed skin. The affected skin looks layered, red and inflamed.
- Wounds. Strongly affected skin crack and bleed, especially when combing.
Before looking for mange treatment for dogs, you should remember that mites prefer the skin area with short hair, like on ears, knee joints, elbows and abdomen. If disease is ignored by owner and vet, it will affect the whole pet body. Itching is usually very strong and poorly controlled even with drugs.
The diagnosis of canine mange put the doctor on the basis of: anamnesis, clinical symptoms, laboratory tests (deep skin scrapings of the favorite places for ticks). Sarcoptic mange in dogs has specific symptom of mites is “ear-foot reflex” – the dog tries to scratch at the edge of the ear irritation.
Tips on how to treat mange in dogs
Allergies in dogs, which is one of the symptoms of mange, is usually easy to diagnose. Treatment is also simple, but full recovery can take a month or more.
First of all, it should be provided careful examination with ask a vet symptom and further treatment and preventive measures.
Sometimes, to reveal sarcoptic or demodectic mange in dogs, the vet enough inspect damaged skin to diagnose disease. Sometimes quite a bit to rub the ear, as the dog begins to scratch the back of his paw. This is called “reflex of scratching the ear”.
Vet pushes the hair on the affected by dog mites area and makes the skin scraping with a scalpel. Then he studied scraping under a microscope to detect the tick and set its type after which you will be able to know the right and fast solutions for your dog mange treatment.
Preventive measures of the whole mange in dogs treatment therapy should be concentrated on every week bath with special shampoo. Sometimes it may take up to six months until the scab will not work and the state of the animal’s skin does not improve.
Besides of shampoo and other drops, there are medicine against mange in dogs – a liquid drug that can treat the animal’s skin. It is absorbed into the blood and kills ticks. Other drugs help relieve irritation and relieve the suffering of the ill animal.
Mange – a terrible disease for the foxes, whose chances of veterinary care is very low. This disease not only prevents the animal to hunt, but also dramatically increases the risk of skin infection.
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