Pet Tips

Mange

You see the areas of hair loss on your dog. Certain mange mites, believe it or not, normally live in the hair follicle of all dogs. These mites can cause Demodex mange. These mites are not contagious to other dogs, cats, or people and never cause a problem unless there is a genetic factor or immune factor in the dog that allows mite numbers to increase. Unusually large number of mites causes hair loss and occasionally a redness to the skin - thus the nickname "red mange" or the technical name demodectic mange.

Vets diagnose demodectic mange by skin scraping and seeing the mite under the microscope. Treatment varies with the degree of infection. With just one or two spots, a topical medication is applied. With a more general infection, routine oral medication is given daily. Spaying and neutering an infected dog helps avoid reoccurrence.

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