How to Treat Sarcoptic Mange
Sarcoptic mange is a skin disease in dogs caused by Sarcoptes scabei mites. This skin disease causes an inflammatory response in dogs' skin similar to an allergic response. Sarcoptic mange can be painful for dogs and damages their skin, but you can ensure proper treatment by following these steps.
Things You'll Need
- Anti-mite medication or dip
- Antibacterial or anti-itch shampoo (optional)
- Residual insecticide (optional)
- Antibiotic
- Aveeno oatmeal rinse (optional)
Instructions
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5 Steps to Rid Your Dog of Sarcoptic Mange
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1
Observe your dog for signs and symptoms related to sarcoptic mange. As the mites that cause sarcoptic mange burrow in and out of your dog's skin and lay their eggs, your dog will itch frequently. Because the mites prefer to live on skin with less hair, you'll see red, scaly skin and hair loss on the elbows, ears, armpits, hocks, chest and belly. Severe infections will produce small, red pustules and yellow crusts on the skin.
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2
Take your dog to the veterinarian to diagnose sarcoptic mange by skin scraping, medication trial or biopsy. Skin scraping tests often cannot confirm sarcoptic mange because when the dog scratches itself, it breaks open the tunnels the mites have burrowed, and the scratching kills the mites. A Maybe Mange test is a medication trial that includes treating the dog for sarcoptic mange and observing the symptoms for 2 to 4 weeks.
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3
Treat with ivermectin, selamectin (Revolution®), moxidectin (Advantage Multi®), milbemycin oxime (Interceptor® or Sentinel®) or dipping. Use an antibacterial or anti-itch shampoo before using an anti-mite dip. Mitaban dip (Amitraz) or Lime-Sulfur dips administered weekly are often effective for treating sarcoptic mange. However, anti-mite dipping is labor intensive, while the other treatments are easier and clear up the mange much quicker.
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4
Wash all dog bedding, collars and harnesses in the washing machine or replace them. If your dog sleeps on your bed, wash all of your bedding in hot water and dry it in a hot dryer. You can also treat the dog's bedding with a residual insecticide like permethrin.
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5
Treat all other dogs in your home. Because of the mite's life cycle and its ability to live away from the dog's skin, you must continue treatment for at least 4 weeks.
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Tips & Warnings
To relieve your dog's itching during and after treatment, try using Aveeno oatmeal rinse made for humans. You may also want to ask your veterinarian for an antibiotic to control any secondary bacterial infections.
•Avoid using ivermectin if your dog belongs to the collie family, which includes Collies, Shetland Sheepdogs and Australian Shepherds. Dogs in the collie family commonly have a mutation that makes invermectin toxic in the high doses used to treat sarcoptic mange.
