Scabies in Dogs 101

What is scabies in dogs?
First and foremost, scabies in dogs are not the same as scabies in humans. Scabies in dogs are often caused by Sarcoptic Mites and Demodex Mites which is referred to as Mange. Sarcoptes is a genus of skin parasites and part of the larger family of mites collectively known as “scab mites”; they are also related to the scab mite Psoroptes, also a mite that infests the skin of domestic animals. Scabies in general is a skin disease that is highly contagious to other hosts. Mange is no different but has a slimmer chance of spreading to humans because if canine or feline mites settle on human skin, these mites do not survive for long and produce only a mild itch which eventually goes away on its own quickly. In addition, these mites prefer living on dogs. Pets are normally not a source of spread of human scabies.

Signs, Symptoms, and Diagnosis
When dogs catch scabies, the mite (a variety of hominis) burrows under it’s skin and deposits eggs which causes itching. These mites can take over a host completely within four weeks. Dogs usually contracts the disease when they are exposure to another animals during grooming or other types of physical skin to skin contact. Scabies can cause lesions on the ear tips and underarms of dogs. These visible red bumps will appear in these areas which will eventually harden and become crusty if the area is scratched frequently. This is a sure sign that your dog has scabies. If your puppy or dog shows an intense itch and skin lesions, you should have it tested for the mites. There are various tests but the most accurate test is one which involves a skin scrape where the top layer of the effected skin is scraped raw with a sterile surgical blade. This sample skin is then examined under a microscope for the mites and their eggs. However, as accurate as this might be, often times the scraping comes up negative despite the real presence of mites. As a precaution, a treatment is performed if the lesions and history support the diagnosis of sarcoptic mange.

Treatments for dogs with scabies
The recommended choice for Mange is Ivermectin. This treatment can be given orally or by injection and should be repeated after 10-14 days. Ivermectin should never be given to collies or collie mixes as these dogs can have a negative toxic reaction to the drug.

Another popular and less intrusive method is to use a lime-sulfer dip and a medicated miticide shampoo to clean your dog at 5-7 day intervals. The reason why this is the second choice is because the smell of this plant fungicide is awful. In addition, it will stain and discolor gold jewelry so make sure to take off any jewelry prior to use.

Finally, as with babies who suffer from eczema, your dog might need to take steroids and/or antibiotics to relieve the itch. This is normally recommended if the scratching is very bad.

Prevention
Scabies in dogs is very contagious and can spread to other dogs rapidly. Try to keep your home and its living space as clean as possible especially if your home is covered with carpet. Keeping your dog and home clean plus isolating the spread of this disease is your best bet in preventing scabies in dogs.