Symptoms
Canine mange manifests as an inflammatory skin disease with severe itching, rash, and hair loss. The animals scratch and bite themselves frequently, inflicting additional skin damage and injuries that lead to skin changes such as pigmentation and crusting. The extremities, trunk, head and, less commonly, the back are most affected.
Causes
The cause of the disease is an infestation with the mite var. , which burrows into the skin of the animals, multiplies, and causes allergic reactions. The mite is highly contagious and is transmitted from dogs or other animals such as foxes, stray dogs, cats, and rats as well as indirectly through objects and surfaces. Humans can also be infested by the mites when in close contact with the animals, but the mites cannot reproduce in their skin. Repeated infestation is possible, however.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis is made by veterinary treatment with direct or indirect detection of the parasites. Other diseases that cause similar symptoms must be excluded. These include other skin diseases such as beipisel flea bites, allergies, and atopic dermatitis.
Treatment
For causal treatment, antiparasitic agents (acaricides) that kill the mites are used. Some are approved for this indication, and others are used off-label (selection).
- Amitraz
- Fipronil
- Ivermectin
- Milbemycinoxime
- Moxidectin / Imidacloprid
- Selamectin
All animals that are in contact with the dog should also be treated and intensive environmental treatment is also important. For symptomatic treatment, glucocorticoids are used against itching, allergy and inflammation and antibiotics against secondary infections.