What Is Mange, and Can Humans Get It?

"Mange" is a catchall name for a range of various illnesses that tend to affect pets. They're best known for causing hair loss, scaling and severe itching, and are caused by parasitic mites that cling to hair and get under a domestic animal's skin. The infectiousness of mange is dependent on the specific species of mite in question. Some species are capable of infecting humans as well.

Types of Mange

• There are two major mite species typically considered causes of mange. Demodectic mange, or "red mange," and sarcoptic mange, also known as "canine scabies," are the most common. Both are characterized by similar symptoms, including itching, hair loss and crusting skin, as well as secondary infections caused by scratching. Treatment for both generally requires a full-body clipping of the infected pet's fur, so as to allow medication to seep into hair pores. Mites of both species generally burrow into hair roots.

Demodicosis (Red Mange)

• Demodectic mange, caused by the Demodex canis mite, is a dog-specific disease caused by a combination of a weakened immune system and overpopulation of the parasite on the dog.

  Normally, Demodex canis has no apparent effect on dogs--they are born with the parasite, having contracted it from its mother, but their immune systems are usually sufficient to suppress the population of the mite. When the mite's population flourishes, it is visually apparent due either to a localized balding "spot" on the dog or a generalized infection causing massive hair loss.

  Treatment involves a full-body clipping of the dog's coat and the application of a mitaban dip. Dogs with only a localized infection, however, may be left as-is for the infection to clear up naturally.

  Alternatively, Ivermectin, an anti-parasitic drug, can be given orally. The drug causes neurological damage to the mites, paralyzing and killing the infection. Dosages of 0.15mg/pound are recommended for skin parasites, with a follow-up dose 14 days afterward. Note, however, that some dog breeds have high sensitivity to the drug, primarily that of collies and collie cross-breeds.

Demodicosis Infections

• Demodectic mange is triggered when a dog's immune system is compromised, whether by stress or illness, making it harder to naturally suppress the mite's population growth. In some dogs, though the mange infection occurs because the dog was born sensitive to the parasite.

  Disease vectors are usually from mother to offspring, carried on by the mother's cuddling while the offspring's immune system is underdeveloped. Generally, this won't cause problems, as the mites are naturally suppressed when the dog's immune system matures.

  Demodicosis is rarely transmitted to humans. As with dogs, the health of an individual's immune system affects likelihood of infection.

Sarcoptic Mange

• Sarcoptic mange, a highly infectious disease caused by the Sarcoptes scabiei canis mite, dig into and through a carrier's skin. Symptoms include severe itching and the growth of scabs, scales and crusting on the skin, as well as hair loss in affected areas.

  Treatment of sarcoptic mange usually involves the use of a lime-sulfur dip to kill the parasite--the dip is not to be washed off, though the smell will be unpleasant and reminiscent of rotten eggs.

  Ivermectin, as with red mange, can be used to treat sarcoptic mange. However, a higher dosages is required, requiring as many as four dosages every week. As with red mange, the use of ivermectin is not recommended for collies and related mixed breeds.

Sarcoptic Infections

• Unlike Demodectic mange, Sarcoptic mange is highly virulent even in humans. In fact, though called "canine scabies," it is possible for it to infect a wide range of domesticated creatures, including horses, cats and other livestock. If a dog comes down with Sarcoptic mange, it must be isolated from other pets and bedding, and areas that see a high level of traffic from the infected pet must be thoroughly cleaned and washed.

  Though mites can survive only a short time off a dog and cannot complete its reproductive cycle in human skin, they still cause severe itching and potential secondary infections when present.