Can Dogs Get Scabies?

And what to look for if you think your pup has them.

September 10, 2024

In This Article:

What is Scabies in Dogs? Symptoms of Scabies in Dogs What Do Scabies Look Like? Diagnosing Scabies in Dogs Scabies Dog Treatment Frequently Asked Questions

Scabies, also known as sarcoptic mange, is a skin condition that affects dogs and is caused by tiny burrowing mites. While highly contagious and uncomfortable for your pup, scabies is treatable with proper veterinary care and medication.

What is scabies in dogs?

Scabies is a skin condition of dogs caused by the Sarcoptes scabiei var. canis mite. It is also known as sarcoptic mange. Scabies is transferred by direct contact with an infested dog or with bedding or other material carrying the mite. Scabies mites can live for up to three weeks on bedding and surfaces. Dogs infested with the scabies mite tend to be younger or have a compromised immune system. Most older dogs have developed a solid resistance to sarcoptic mange and are unlikely to have problems when encountering the mite.

The life cycle of scabies mites lasts 14 to 21 days. Adult mites usually live on the skin’s surface, but female mites will burrow down into the outermost layer of the skin to lay eggs. After hatching from eggs, larvae develop into nymphs and then adults. During this process, they feed on excretions from the damaged skin and make their way to the surface of the skin.

The scabies mite is adapted to live and reproduce on dog (and fox) skin, but it can be temporarily transferred to cats or humans. People exposed to sarcoptic mange can develop itchy bumps on their skin within a day, and these papules can last up to three weeks. Because humans are not the natural host for canine scabies mites, the mites are very unlikely to reproduce and create a lasting infection in people.

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Symptoms of scabies in dogs

The word “scabies” comes from the Latin word scabere, which means “to scratch.” This may give you an idea of the most consistent and irritating symptom of this skin disease. Dogs with scabies are intensely itchy and can even lose weight due to the amount of energy they spend scratching and chewing at their skin. Other symptoms of scabies in dogs include:

Hair loss
Skin irritation
Scaly or crusted skin
Secondary skin infections
Lethargy
Decreased appetite

Sarcoptic mange mites seem to prefer areas of the body with thin hair like the ears, elbows, hocks, and underside of the chest and belly. But scabies can show up anywhere on a dog’s body, and some severely affected dogs will have hair loss and itchiness all over.

The symptoms of scabies in dogs are primarily due to an allergic reaction to the mites’ feces, eggs, and bodies. This allergy causes the intense itching associated with scabies, as well as much of the skin irritation seen with the disease. There are often very few living mites on an infested dog’s body, but the mites cause such a strong allergic response that it seems like they are everywhere.

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What does scabies look like?

Early scabies lesions in dogs look reddish and have small bumps with thick yellow crusts. As it progresses, hair loss and worsening irritation of the skin are usually visible. Some dogs with scabies are just intensely itchy without showing significant skin lesions. Sarcoptic mange can look like many other dog skin diseases, including:

Environmental allergies
Flea allergies
Food allergies
Bacterial or fungal infections
Demodectic mange
Ringworm
Ear infections

There is a less commonly seen type of scabies known as “crusted scabies” or “Norwegian scabies.” Dogs with this condition develop severe, thick crusts on their skin. They often have overwhelming mite infestations, with hundreds or thousands of mites covering their body. Dogs with this version of scabies are suspected of having an immune defect that allows the mite population to grow out of control.

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Diagnosing scabies in dogs

Scabies can be a difficult condition to diagnose due to the scant number of mites on most dogs. Your veterinarian may use a combination of your dog’s history and symptoms, as well as diagnostic tests and response to treatment to determine that scabies is present. Dogs with crusted scabies are easier to diagnose due to the characteristic appearance of the crusts and the large number of mites associated with this version of sarcoptic mange.

Scabies can’t be diagnosed at home, so schedule an appointment with your veterinarian if you notice your dog scratching or losing hair. Be sure to let your vet know if you or anyone else in the household has developed itchy skin lesions. Your vet can’t do anything to help that, but it can be good information to help build a diagnosis. After gathering a history, your vet may do some of the following diagnostics:

General physical examination

This is part of any check-up for a dog and can help to find other problems or point to other diseases besides scabies. Your vet will note the location and appearance of any skin lesions. They may also check for evidence of other skin parasites like fleas or ticks that could cause skin issues.

If scabies is suspected, your veterinarian may check for a pinnal-femoral reflex. This is a fancy name for a test to see if your dog scratches intensely at their ear when the ear margin is rubbed. Unsurprisingly, this is not the definitive test for scabies, but severe itchiness is one of the hallmarks of the disease and separates it from demodectic mange and some other skin conditions.

Skin scrapings

Skin scrapings are the most commonly used way to identify sarcoptic mange. Scrapings are often taken from five or more areas of the body because the mites are so hard to find. The material removed from the skin is checked under a microscope for evidence of scabies mites or eggs. This test is positive only about a quarter to half of the time in normal scabies infestations.

Fecal examination

An unexpected way to look for scabies is to check a dog’s poop. Dogs with scabies constantly chew at affected areas and may ingest some of the mites while trying to get relief from their itchiness. These mites can sometimes be found on a fecal examination, though this is not super common.

Blood tests

Blood tests to detect scabies infestations are available in some areas. These tests rely on identifying the body’s allergic response to the mites as the way of diagnosing sarcoptic mange. Despite their convenience, these serologic tests are not used too frequently because they are not reliable in every dog with scabies.

Dogs need a month or more to develop detectable antibodies to sarcoptic mange mites, meaning the test will be negative in early scabies infestations. The antibodies can last more than six months after scabies has been eliminated with treatment; this results in false positive tests in dogs that have cleared the diseases. The test also cross-reacts with dust mite allergies, making it unreliable for dogs with this allergy.

Response to treatment

Because scabies can be a challenge to diagnose definitively, your veterinarian may try a treatment response trial to see if it resolves the condition. A positive response to therapy indicates that mange is the likely cause of your dog’s skin disease.

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Scabies dog treatment

Scabies is much easier to treat than it used to be. Dogs used to need weekly or twice-weekly trips to the vet for stinky and/or potentially toxic dips to get rid of sarcoptic mange. Safer, easier, and more effective options are now available from your vet. There are many drugs and drug combinations that can be used to treat scabies, and you may be familiar with many of them due to their use as medications to prevent or control heartworms, fleas, and ticks.

Your veterinarian may recommend a topical (spot-on) product like fluralaner (Bravecto), imidacloprid + moxidectin (Advantage Multi), or selamectin (Revolution) to clear your dog of scabies. Oral medications like sarolaner (Simparica), fluralaner (Bravecto), or afoxolaner (NexGard) can also be effective in treating sarcoptic mange. Sometimes a spot-on medication may be combined with an oral medication, but this is not always necessary. Most of these treatments have been shown to be 100 percent effective in clearing sarcoptic mange within two months.

Environmental decontamination and cleaning

Because scabies mites can live in the environment for weeks and can be transferred to and from other animals in the house, environmental control is a key part of ridding your dog of scabies. If one pet in the house is diagnosed with scabies or even suspected of having it, all pets in the house should be treated under your vet’s advisement. Bedding and toys should be washed in hot water multiple times as the disease is resolving, and surfaces should be cleaned frequently. Any people in the house suspected of having skin issues from scabies should discuss treatment with their physician.

Although scabies can make dogs completely miserable from itching, it is a treatable condition. So, don’t avoid that sweet shelter pup just because they’re a little crusty. You can be a hero and get them back to being a happy, hairy pup in no time.

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FAQs (People also ask):

Can I get scabies from my dog?

Scabies is transmissible from dogs to people. Scabies mites are host-specific, so they should not reproduce and result in a lasting infestation on humans, but they can cause skin irritation and itchiness in people handling dogs with scabies.

Why is my dog obsessed with licking their paws?

Paw licking can be a normal grooming behavior in dogs but may indicate a problem when it becomes an obsession. It often indicates itchiness due to allergies or other skin issues and should be checked by a veterinarian.

How can you treat dog skin diseases at home?

Treating skin diseases at home often involves bathing, grooming, and avoiding allergens. Your vet can help you pinpoint the cause of your dog’s skin problems and suggest solutions to help prevent flare-ups of skin disease.

References:

Dr. Bartley Harrison, DVM

Dr. Bartley Harrison, DVM is a small animal veterinarian based in North Carolina who has practiced emergency medicine since graduating from the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine. His primary interest areas include pain management, cardiology, and the treatment of shock.

He is a member of the Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society, American Veterinary Medical Association, and American Medical Writers Association. In addition to his clinical work, he writes pet health articles to help provide accurate information for both new and experienced pet parents. When he’s not working, he enjoys cooking, traveling, reading, and going on adventures with his dog.

Can Dogs Get Scabies?

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