What is Sarcoptes Scabiei?
The Sarcoptes scabiei mite is the cause of scabies in pets. This microscopic mite is highly contagious and causes a variety of issues among animals.
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The Facts
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Sarcoptes scabiei is a tiny mite that can cause a lot of damage. Only about 0.2 to 0.4 millimeters in size, Sarcoptes scabiei invades the healthy skin of its prey and burrows underneath. Animals affected by the mite typically present the same types of symptoms, although they can vary.
Life Cycle
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A female mite burrows under the skin of an animal, where she lays eggs several times during the burrowing process. Once she is done laying the eggs, she dies. About three to eight days later, the six-legged larvae are developed. The larvae turn into nymphs, who then molt into adults while still in the burrows. The adult Sarcoptes scabiei will then mate, continuing the mite circle of life. A mite's entire life cycle is typically about two to three weeks and the mite will spend its whole life on the dog.
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Symptoms of a Dog Infested with Sarcoptes Scabiei
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The Sarcoptes scabiei mite tends to live on areas that have small amounts of hair, including the elbow, stomach, chest, armpits, hocks and ears. A dog with scabies will typically experience even more hair loss and excessive itching in those areas; however, if the infection spreads, the symptoms will also affect other parts of the body. Small, red pustules and yellow crusts may also accompany the hair loss.
Diagnosis
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A veterinarian will take skin scrapings to diagnose the Sarcoptes scabiei mite on a dog. The doctor will view her findings under the microscope. Diagnosing scabies on a dog can be quite difficult as only about 20 percent of infected dogs will have the mite appear on skin scrapings, states Pet Education. Therefore, many diagnoses and treatment is based on the symptoms the dog presents.
Treatment
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Many types of treatment are effective against the Sarcoptes scabiei mite, and what is prescribed is typically based upon the veterinarian's preference. Applying Amitraz, Mitabin and lyme sulphur dips are often useful, although messy and unpleasant. Selamectin is another treatment that is applied to the dog's skin once a month and also provides flea, tick and heartworm preventatives. In addition, the oral medications milbemycin oxime and ivermectin are also used to treat scabies; however, invermectin should not be used in shelties, collies or herding dogs because of potentially dangerous adverse reactions.
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References
- Photo Credit dog image by Ramona smiers from Fotolia.com
