Signs and Symptoms of Scabies in Dogs
“Scabies in pets most commonly appears on elbows, ear tips, faces, lower leg, and chest areas, but severe cases can affect the entire body,” Cooley says. “They can occur in any dog at any age.”
Because of that whole burrowing under the skin business, doggos infested with sarcoptic mites are truly uncomfortable. Cooley says common signs include:
Heres what scabies looks like on a dog.
“These can also be signs of other skin issues, so its important for pet owners to contact their veterinary team about any changes they notice,” she adds. “Licking or rubbing of the infected area can cause skin irritation or wounds, which can lead to secondary infections.” So if your pupper displays any of these symptoms, no matter how minor, schedule a professional exam as soon as possible before scabies gets worse.
People often ask if dog ear scabies is the same condition as ear mites, especially when they spot their pup scratching endlessly around their head. Ear mites, or otodectes cynotis mites, are actually another contagious mange pest that infests the external part of the ear. Their food source? Ear wax. Ick.
If your dog scratches only his ears or shakes his head a lot, or if his normally upright ears are droopy, hell need a vet visit pronto. Ear mites wont spread to other parts of his body like sarcoptic mites, but can cause permanent damage to the ear canal if left untreated.
So heres the good news: scabies in dogs is totally treatable without much discomfort to your furry pal. You also dont need to do extensive decontamination of your home, with the exception of thoroughly cleaning all bedding and grooming products.
Now the not-so-good news: depending on the level of infestation, the treatment program is extensive. If you have only one dog, he cant be around any other pups during treatment. Additionally, Mar Vista Animal Medical Center indicates that if you have multiple dogs at home, they all have to be treated for scabies, even if only one presents symptoms.
“Multiple treatments or a combination of treatments are often necessary to control scabies, and may include topical medications, injections to kill the mites and treat itching, medicated dips, or oral medications,” Cooley says. “Theres a possibility of adverse reactions or side effects with such treatments. Your veterinarian can help you understand these risks and your options.”
Generally, home remedies for scabies in dogs arent recommended, as the rapid life cycle of the sarcoptic mite takes a long time to fully eliminate. But your vet may suggest soothing shampoos to help ease itching.
Can You Get Scabies From a Dog?
Yep, youll likely get scabies from your dog if theyre infected and you snuggle or sleep with them a lot (and who doesnt?).
“While most diseases pets carry arent transmissible to humans, there are some that pet owners can contract from their pets, including a form of mange that is caused by the mite,” Cooley says. “Although these mites prefer dogs, humans and other animals that come in contact with an infected dog may also become infected.”
Cooley adds that diseases specifically transmitted from animals to people are called zoonotic diseases and can include everything from viruses to parasites to bacterial infections, among others.
Fortunately, since the canine mite is designed for a specific host, it cant complete its life cycle in people, so it will die in a few days. It may cause intense itching in the meantime, and possibly some welts or rashes. So youll likely need medical treatment.
However, its not always a dogs fault if you get scabies. According to the Centers for Disease Control, Sarcoptes scabiei var. hominis is the human itch mite, and frequently infests people in areas and institutions with high populations and crowding, especially in humid, tropical areas.
What does it do to the dog?
The presence of the sarcoptic mite causes intense itching. The dog will chew and scratch its skin constantly. This leads to the loss of large amounts of hair, especially on the legs and belly. Eventually, the skin will become thickened and will darken.
Yes. Sarcoptic mange is highly contagious to other dogs and humans.
Although sarcoptic mites are not able to complete their life cycle on humans, they will cause severe itching until they die.
Since the mite may be found in areas where infected dogs or foxes frequent, keep your dog away from these areas to attempt to prevent infection.
Diagnosis is made by a skin scraping examined under the microscope. It is common not to see sarcoptic mange mites when performing a skin scraping. This is because the mites burrow deep into the skin and it takes only a few mites to cause significant itching.
Just because no mites are seen, does not mean your dog does not have sarcoptic mange. A presumptive diagnosis may therefore be made, based on clinical signs. Sarcoptic mange may occur in any dog at any age.
There are several medications that are effective against Sarcoptes. Your veterinarian will discuss the best treatment for your pets condition and lifestyle. Treatment varies from medicated baths and dips to injections and oral medications. Many pets will require a combination of treatments to resolve this infection.
Topical treatments may be divided into two categories:
1) Dips. Some of the dips that are used to treat Sarcoptes include amitraz and lime-sulfur dip. Your veterinarian will provide you with information on how to use these dips.
2) Topicals. Medication applied topically to one or two spots while the animal is dry. These medications are applied every 14-30 days or as your veterinarian recommends. Some examples of these topical medications include selamectin, imidacloprid and moxidectin, fipronil among many others.
Just like topical medications, there are a wide variety of oral medications available for the treatment of sarcoptic mange. These oral medications may be prescribed in the form of liquid, pill, or flavored chew, depending on the medication prescribed. Some of these oral medications include milbemycin (the active ingredient of Interceptor® and Sentinel®), afoxolaner (NexGard®), fluralaner (Bravecto®), and sarolaner (Simparica®). These medications are used off label for the treatment of sarcoptic mange. The term off label describes the use of a drug for conditions other than what it was approved for. Many of these medications are given for multiple treatments. To prevent re-infection, discard any bedding where your dog sleeps, or wash it frequently in diluted bleach solution (one ounce bleach in one gallon of water). If you dog is still scratching four to five days after treatment has started, please contact your veterinarian.
How to Get Rid of Dog Scabies
The disease, scabies, is caused by a contagious mite. This mite is found on domestic and wild dogs or canids (coyotes, wolves and red foxes). Mites most often are transmitted through intimate or close contact such as in doggie daycares, grooming parlors, or dog parks. The mite survives only short periods in the environment although some dogs may pick it up in this way. The scabies mite is NOT caused by bad hygiene. Sometimes the cause may not be obvious.
Dogs who become infected with this mite become severely itchy! The itching may be near constant and interfere with your dog’s sleeping and eating habits. You may notice a very fine rash or just the itching at first. Over time the skin becomes very red, there is hair loss and flaking skin. Areas where hair is thinner (ears, elbows, ankles, belly) tend to be the most severely affected. However, some dogs may have a different pattern or no symptoms at all.
The severe itch from scabies is believed to be a hypersensitivity or allergic reaction to the mite. The number of mites on a dog at any given time is very small. We try to find the mite with skin scraping which is the best available technique. However, the mite is found less than 50% of the time because they are so few in number.
Although the mite is very hard to find fortunately it typically responds very well to treatment. There are several different treatment options available. Occasionally, we need to try more than one treatment for optimal results.
Since the mite is contagious to other dogs, you should not allow your dog to play with other dogs or be boarded until treatment is complete. If your dog has frequent contact with another dog they should be treated even if they do not have symptoms.
The mite is mildly contagious to human beings. A small number (between 10-20%) of people may develop a red rash on their forearms, ankles or waistband. This will resolve when your pet is treated. However, if you are uncomfortable from the itchiness please consult your physician. Human beings can develop their own unique form of scabies which is transmitted through close person to person contact. Humans are a ‘dead end’ for dog scabies mites. The mites do not reproduce and do not cause active infection. When humans catch scabies from another person these cases will require treatment prescribed by a physician.
Because the scabies mite does not survive very well in the environment extensive decontamination of the home is not necessary. However, any bedding or blanket that is used by your pet for sleeping should be laundered with hot water and detergent. You may want to clean any furniture your dog spends a lot of time on. It is possible to become re-infected from scabies but this is usually not from a failure to treat the home. It is just commonly present in the world of a dog.
Although dogs with scabies are some of the most severely affected dogs we see they usually make a complete recovery with treatment for the mite as well as any infections they may have developed.