Diagnosis of Mange in Dogs
If you suspect that your dog is suffering from mange, it is best that you take it to the vet right away. The veterinarian would then carry out different procedures to check whether or not your dog is suffering from mange or if it has an entirely different disease. If the skin lesions were indeed caused by mange, the necessary course of treatment will be performed.
To diagnose dog mange, here are the procedures that veterinarians normally do:
- Physical exams
- Sample analysis
- Isolation techniques
- Blood samples
- Mites observation and dissection
The first course of diagnosis would be a physical exam. The vet would check the scrapings on your dog, along with its general health condition and its behavior. They may take a scab or a scraping sample to further analyze it. The affected skin of dogs with mange is usually dried out, flaky, and sore. Hair loss is apparent as well.
Most mites are microscopic. This means that they are not visible to the naked eye. Veterinarians would have to use a powerful microscope to determine what kind of mites is present in your pet's body. This procedure is very important because it will direct the vet to the right course of treatment in order to get rid of all the parasites present in your dog's body.
Mange is a highly contagious skin disease. As such, other dogs are susceptible from acquiring them, especially if you have several pets living together. In the course of diagnosis, some vets would need to confine the dog to fully observe its condition.
They will be placed in a kennel where they won't be in contact with other animals. This way, the trends and effects of the disease are easily observed. This is important so that the right course of treatment can be carried out.
Certain mites can penetrate the blood. And because the blood of the dog suffering from mites may have altered, veterinarians would need samples for further analysis. Blood samples may also reveal what type of mites had infested your pet and how they can be flushed out. The types of antibiotics to use may also depend on the results of the blood sample.
Mites obtained from the dog are best observed with a dissection microscope. By doing so, vets would be able to see for sure what your pet is up against. If regular mites had caused the disease, there shouldn't be a problem as the regular course of treatment is sufficient enough. Problems would occur if rare or newer types of mites had penetrated the skin of your pet.