SARCOPTIC MANGE IN DOGS BEWARE ITS CONTAGIOUS TO YOU TOO

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Last Updated on June 24, 2023 by Thee Puppypreneur

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DOG ITCHING, COULD IT BE MANGE?

Is your dog itching and scratching a lot more than usual? Have you noticed some skin lesions or hair loss in certain areas? Your dog could have mange.

There are 2 types of mange that are most common demodectic mange and the one I will discuss in this article is sarcoptic mange in dogs.

Check out our other article for more information on the other one.

DEMODECTIC MANGE IN DOGS, HOME REMEDIES, TREATMENTS AND SYMPTOMS

WHAT IS SARCOPTIC MANGE?

Sarcoptic mange is a type of mite that burrows into your dog’s skin, also known as Sarcoptes scabiei var. Canis.¹ It is also better known as canine scabies or scabies in dogs and yes, you can get it from your little fur bundle.² Unfortunately, this little mite can’t readily be seen with the naked eye.

Not to worry though as there could be other reasons besides mange for your dog’s skin lesions, hair loss or itching, such as allergies, fleas or other issues I won’t get into in this post. That is why it is best to take your furbaby to see a vet so they can give you an accurate diagnosis of what could be causing your furbaby such discomfort.

Mange is frequently transmitted through direct contact with an infected animal but your furbaby can also can get it indirectly by just being in the same area as an animal that was infected.³ Some animals actually show no symptoms either which makes this even trickier to identify without the help of a veterinarian.

WHERE CAN YOUR DOG GET MANGE?

Your furbaby could have gotten it from anywhere, such as groomers, veterinary offices, pet stores, dog parks or other dog to dog contacts or even from you or someone you know that has scabies.

CAN MANGE BE PREVENTED?

There is no known prevention method for scabies in dogs but it can be treated. Some people think that certain ingredients in some flea and tick medications might help in controlling it as well.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF SARCOPTIC MANGE

HOW DO I KNOW IF MY DOG HAS MANGE?

Since mange or canine scabies is microscopic and you cant see it you will want to take your furbaby to the vet to confirm your suspicions. They will likely ask you about what you feed them, when it started, if you personally have been itching anywhere. They will also likely want to do a skin scaping to test for mange.

However, sometimes these can come back negative and can be hard to diagnose.⁸ Especially if you like to bathe your furbaby a lot and groom them as this can make it more difficult to diagnose since they are so clean all the time.

TREATMENT OPTIONS FOR MANGE

So, if your vet discovers your dog has sarcoptic mange there are several ways they can go about treating the condition depending on the severity. If your dog is constantly itching then they could prescribe something like prednisolone to help keep the itching to a minimum and avoid further damage and possible infection to the skin.

Most of the time they like to use a spot on treatment such as selamectin, which at 30 days was found to be 95% effective and at 60 days was 100% effective.⁹

This can be purchased online but only with a prescription from your veterinarian. Or they might recommend something like a lime-sulfur dip which I will talk about below. There are several other options and remedies out there and I am only naming a few so make sure you discuss with your veterinarian what might be the best option for your furbaby.

ALTERNATIVE TREATMENT OPTIONS

So, there are also a couple of other remedies as well and be sure to ask your vet first before starting anything new. There is a benzoyl peroxide shampoo that I used

Pet Shampoos : Amazon.com: Davis Sulfur Benz Shampoo for Pets, 12 oz

and the reason that I used this FIRST is because the benzoyl peroxide cleanses and cleans the skin and opens up the follicles to better prepare it to receive medicated shampoos or other treatments. Such as in the case of mange where mites burrow into the skin. This type of shampoo is used to help other skin conditions in dogs as well so don’t just think it is for mange.

Now that I bathed my dog with the benzoyl peroxide shampoo he was ready to receive something called lime sulfur which comes in many different varieties and I opted for this one

Amazon.com : Bundle – 2 Items: Classic’s Lime Sulfur Shampoo (8 oz) and Classic’s Lime Sulfur Spray (8 oz) : Pet Supplies

as I didn’t feel like mixing together and I have read that sometimes people mix the wrong ratio as was in the case of someone with 2 cats who ended up burning their skin and needing to be hospitalized due to toxicosis.¹⁰

This bundle includes one shampoo and a second bottle which is a spray already mixed for you. It is scented with Lavendar but it is lime sulfur so it should have a lovely rotten egg smell to it and it is very yellow in color. In a study on dogs bathed twice a week for 4 weeks in lime sulfur, chlorhexidine or ketoconazole and lime sulfur was superior at inhibiting fungal growth.¹¹

Anyways, after I shampooed my fur kid with benzoyl peroxide to open the pores and follicles so that this shampoo could do its job I lathered him and let him sit there once more (with a cone on his head to prevent licking) and then rinsed it off. It said to repeat every 3 days and it should be noted that this is toxic if ingested and so I made sure there was a cone, no open cuts or wounds and even after all this I left the cone on day and night during the treatment.

You should make sure you are sanitizing and decontaminating the environment every 7 days as well, meaning carpets, sofa, toys, beds, crates, the car if they go for rides, combs and brushes.

I also used the lime sulfur spray after the shampoo to make sure I really got in between the toes and paws and the places that were getting gnawed on the most. (this is why the cone was important) There are harder ones like this

Amazon.com : Supet Dog Cone Adjustable Pet Cone Pet Recovery Collar Comfy Pet Cone Collar Protective Collar for After Surgery Anti-Bite Lick Wound Healing Safety Practical Plastic E-Collar : Pet Supplies

or softer ones like this

Amazon.com : Soft Dog Cone After Surgery,Pet Recovery Cones for Small Medium Large Dogs Cats Adjustable Cone Collar Help Dog Wound Healing(XL) : Pet Supplies

I have found that those little neck pillow or donuts don’t work as they can still lick their paws if they really want to.

It should be noted that this shampoo is a yellowish color and will probably stain your furbaby if they are lightly colored, stain your tub and possibly tarnish your jewelry as well. So I wore gloves and made sure the area is well ventilated as the smell is strong.

It is best to keep in mind that if your dog has this canine scabies then you could probably get it to as well as other animals and people in the house.¹² You are going to want to start your spring cleaning earlier than usual. After your vet gives you treatment for your furbaby you are going to need to decontaminate the household.

ALL NATURAL REMEDIES AND HERBAL METHODS

If you suspect the ears there is this solution, I love for mites that is made up of essential oils called Arvana and contains peppermint, cinnamon, thyme, lemongrass, clove, cedarwood and geranium and you apply it for 10 days according to the direction. As with any of these topicals you will want to discuss with your veterinarian first as herbs, medical conditions or other medications could interfere with each other.

Another option that is for mites and ticks is Amazon.com : PetArmor Ear Mite and Tick Treatment for Dogs, 3 oz : Pet Supplies

There is this product, which is a shampoo that contains lots of herbal essential oils

Pet Shampoos : Amazon.com: RenuPlex Medicated Dog Mange Shampoo. Extra Strength Mange Shampoo for Dogs Eliminates Mange, Scabies & Severe Skin Problems. All Natural Dog Shampoo. Unconditional Guarantee. Made in USA…

this contains essential oils like peppermint, eucalyptus, rosemary, tea tree, aloe vera juice, colloidal oatmeal and other natural ingredients and treat both mange and scabies which are the 2 different types of mites.

FACTS ABOUT SCABIES MITES OR SARCAPOTIC MANGE IN DOGS

Scabies mites in dogs can only live off a host for about 72 hours. This means if your not about doing 30 loads of laundry you can bag up your pups toys and leave them to sit for a week or so like I did.

According to the CDC it takes 10 minutes at 122 degrees Fahrenheit¹³ to kill mites, so another option might be putting all bedding and blankets in the wash and then drying them. Apparently tumble dry on low reaches 125 degrees, just fyi.¹⁴ I did this routine every 7 days. It was almost 2 months of bathing and cleaning BOTH OF US every single week (sigh).

I let my furbabies sleep on the bed as well, so we went a step further after vacuuming and while washing bed sheets every 7 days, we sprayed the carpets and mattress with hydrogen peroxide 2tbsp. and borax 2 tbsp. solution mixed in a 20 ounce spray bottle with water.¹⁵ I don’t spray while any animals are in the room and I don’t go back in that room until a couple of hours have passed.

Another option I discovered that is animal and child friendly according to the label is

Amazon.com: Mite Killer Spray by Premo Guard 16 oz – Treatment for Dust Spider Bird Rat Mouse Carpet and Scabies Mites – Fast Acting 100% Effective – Child & Pet Safe – Best Natural Extended Protection : Pet Supplies

which is unscented, and they say doesn’t smell or stain and is all natural made from Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Chloride and Citric Acid.

MY TREATMENT FOR MYSELF NOT FOR THE FURBABIES

Now as for me since when I started itching there were a couple different options, I had for myself as I wasn’t about to take a lime sulfur dip with my fur munchkin. Option 1 was going to the doctor to get treated for your itching, where they can prescribe you a topical cream like permethrin which I actually had done over a decade ago the first time I had gotten scabies.¹⁶

However, this time I opted for a couple different options such as a bath soak containing 1. cup borax and ½ cup hydrogen peroxide¹⁷

Another option I did twice a day was a cotton pad covering my whole body with hydrogen peroxide from head to in between the toes, morning and night every day and then every 7 days I followed up with a full body wipe with either tea tree oil on a cotton pad (which I should have diluted) I paid special attention to where I saw the red bumps.

It should be noted this is very strong and you shouldn’t be around your pet when you do this or the other option, I did towards the end was lemon oil 20% diluted in water which has been proven to be effective at eliminating 100% of mites in rabbits when applied once a week for 4 weeks.¹⁸ Again, the above was for my body not my furbabies.