Mangy mutt!!! How often have we heard that phrase? Not many words strike such a fear in the hearts of dog owners like the word "mange." It is important to understand how common this disease is, especially in pet shop puppies who have undergone a great deal of stress in their short lives, and often times come from less than desirable breeding lines.

The most common type of mange is Demodecosis, or as commonly referred to as demodex. The mite, demodex, is part of the normal make up of the skin. All dogs have these mites in small numbers and they do not present a problem.  Humans even have a small number of mites, usually residing in the eyebrows. The mite resides in hair follicles and glands surrounding the follicles. Due to changes in either the genetic or immune system of the animal, the mite begins to proliferate and causes signs of the disease.

Most cases in dogs occur at a young age, is often hereditary an is referred to as juvenile onset mange. The disease is transmitted by the mother dog during nursing and when the puppy becomes stressed, the mites take over in large numbers, causing hair loss and an itchy inflammation. Because of their immature immune system, they cannot fight off the mites taking over.

Demodex can be localized or generalized. Localized demodex is usually mild and consists of one to several patches of hair loss, with inflammation. The most common sites are the face and fore legs. With Generalized demodex, there are many lesions. These are reddened patches and may be itchy. Secondary bacterial infections may also occur as the numbers of mites increase. Diagnosis is made by "scraping the skin area" with a sharp blade in order to "lift" the parasite off of the skin. The scraped material is then examined under a microscope.

When Demodex occurs in an older dog, it can be much more of a serious problem, as it is many times the sign of an underlying cause such as cancer or an immune system problem.

Sarcoptic mange is another type of mange found in pet shop puppies, although it is not as common as demodex. Sarcoptic mange, also known as scabies, is caused by a mite that causes intense itching as it burrows under the skin to lay eggs. Dogs with scabies dig and bite at themselves with great ferocity. Their skin reacts with oozing sores, and secondary infection may set in. Unfortunately, the scarpotic mange mite can be difficult to find in a skin scraping making diagnosis difficult. Sarcoptic mange is contagious to dogs and humans.