Dog Scabies Treatments
Dog scabies is caused by the mite Sarcoptes scabiei var. canis. The mites spend their entire life on the affected dog. Females burrow into the skin and lay eggs, which hatch as soon as 10 days to as long as 2 months later. Scabies is a highly contagious disease among dogs that occurs worldwide. Treatment for scabies takes commitment on the part of the dog's owner to completely eradicate the mite from the dog and his environment.
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Symptoms
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Dogs with scabies will experience intense itching. This is caused by a hypersensitivity reaction to the mites burrowing into the skin to lay eggs. The dog will lose hair and have a rash on the affected skin. The most common sites for this rash is on the belly, chest, ears, elbows and legs. Dogs that are frequently groomed may just have the intense itching but no rash. Due to the itching, dogs will frequently get a secondary bacterial skin infection. Signs of skin infection are crusting sores and warm, reddened skin. As the disease progresses, the skin will become thickened, lymph nodes will swell and the dog will lose weight. Untreated severe cases can cause death.
Diagnosis
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Scabies is diagnosed through examination of the physical symptoms. The scabies mite is transferred through contact with affected dogs, so exposure to other dogs with scabies is an important part of the diagnosis. A veterinarian will lightly scrape the dog's lesions with a scalpel blade and then examine the resulting material under a microscope. In some cases, multiple scrapings will be obtained, as the mite can be hard to find with a single exam.
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Treatment
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Once diagnosed with a case of scabies, the dog's hair must be clipped in order for the treatment to be effective. The primary treatment is the use of acaricidal dips. The dog should be dipped in solutions of lime-sulfur, malathion or Paramite once a week for two weeks after the symptoms end, for a minimum of three dips. Another alternative is to use Amitraz dip once a week for three treatments. Ivermectin injections have been used as an off-label (not labeled for use in dogs) treatment. If a bacterial infection is present, antibiotics will also need to be administered to eradicate the infection. Other dogs in the household should be treated as well, even if they do not show signs of scabies.
Environmental Cleaning
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It is important to clean the dog's sleeping spot and to treat the area with a pesticide that will kill mites that may have fallen off the dog. Grooming tools, feeding and water bowls and toys should also be washed and cleaned. In addition, bedding should be washed in very hot water and dried in a dryer. If any of the dog's bedding is not washable, it should be thrown away or burned.
Zoonotic Potential
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Dog scabies is considered to be a zoonotic illness, meaning the mites can be transferred to humans. In humans, the mites can cause an itchy rash on the arms, abdomen and chest. Once the affected dogs in the household are treated, the human disease generally resolves itself.
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Resources
- Photo Credit Melissa Nelson
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Comments
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I am sure my dog has this. he jumped on a badger two weeks ago. the badger was on our garden and I loosed the dog out not knowing it was there. I treated him with flea shampoo but he kept scratching now he has very imflamed elbows legs and belly.
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man oh man I sure hope this is what my brothers dog has he has every symptoms of it.
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thankyou its helping.
