Pet owners Mange

[Franky]

Mange comes in three varieties: Demodectic, Cheyletiella and Sarcoptic. All three are caused by different species of mites - tiny, eight-legged arachnids related to spiders.

Demodectic mange is caused by demodex canis, a mite that cannot be seen without a microscope. It is commonly present in the pores of a puppy's skin and usually does not cause symptoms. Occasionally the mites become very active, producing a substance that lowers the dog's resistance to them, and multiply profusely. Demodectic mange symptoms include thinning of the hair around the eyes and mouth and on the front legs. The mange may correct itself within three months. However, it can also develop into a generalized case with hair loss on the dog's head, legs and body.

Cheyletiella mange is commonly known as "walking dandruff." It also affects puppies and is caused by a large, reddish mite that can be seen under a magnifying glass.

Cheyletiella mange is highly contagious but short-lived. It causes mild itching. The mite that causes the mange dies a short time after leaving the host.

The worse of the three varieties is sarcoptic mange, also known as scabies. It is caused by a microscopic mite and is present in wild animal populations. It has been reported in a wide range of mammals - including red and grey foxes, coyotes, wolves, porcupines, black bear, cottontail rabbits, raccoons, skunks and groundhogs. Notoedric mange is a variation and infects the eastern fox squirrel and the gray squirrel. When cases of mange are high, entire populations can die off. Fox and squirrels are two of the most susceptible to this.

The intense itching of sarcoptic mange is caused by the female mites as they burrow under the host's skin to lay their eggs. The eggs hatch in a few days, develop into adults and begin laying their own eggs when they mature three weeks later. Animals with sarcoptic mange scratch and bite at themselves with great ferocity, usually resulting in oozing sores and secondary infections.

Coyotes are particularly susceptible to sarcoptic mange, and animals with complete hair loss have been documented. Sarcoptic mange usually results in a slow, painful death of the host animal. A recent study by the Natural Resource Council of Canada found infected adult red foxes survived for up to 271 days after capture. The survival time of infected foxes was roughly one-fifth of that of uninfected foxes.

Sarcoptic mange is contagious to both domestic dogs and humans. Free roaming dogs can pick up the mites by fighting with infected animals or from the carcass of a recently deceased infected animal. Symptoms in domestic dogs mirror those found in wild canines and require veterinary care. Canine skin damaged by sarcoptic mange and secondary skin infections can take weeks or months to recover. Fortunately, scabies in humans is limited as the mite can burrow under the skin and cause itching, but cannot complete its life cycle on humans. The mite dies within a few weeks.

Luckily, sarcoptic mange is both uncommon in our area and not usually transmitted to domestic dogs that are not allowed to roam free.

A spokeswoman for Moon Veterinary Hospital said it has seen a slight increase of mange over the six months in domestic pets, but most of these cases were of the demodectic variety. A check with several other area veterinarians and wildlife rehabilitators revealed no other increases in mange.

Pet owners need to keep their pets under supervision when out in the woods.