86 EVERYTHING ABOUT DOGS. 



The following treatise on mange was written by DALZTEL, and to it your atten- 

 tion is called. A very able handling of the subject: 



SARCOPTIC MANGE. The mite producing this most nearly resembles the 

 itch mite of man, and as it is propagated by eggs, and transmitted by contact, 

 direct or indirect, here seems nothing impossible in the idea of stamping out this 

 chief "enemy to the comfort of a brave spaniel," if only we could get every dog 

 owner to be careful and clean. There is much virtue in an "if"; but at least we 

 can learn from the facts about the mange-mite that we need not harbor it in our 

 own kennels, and by stamping it out there, lessen it generally. Dirt unquestion- 

 ably harbors and encourages mange, although it does not produce it; left undis- 

 turbed by cleansing processes, the pests breed and multiply with great rapidity. 



When the mite reaches the dog, it burrows into the skin; the process, and 

 also a poisonous; fluid discharged by the creature, causes intolerable itching, and 

 to relieve this the dog scratched, with the result that the skin is broken, small 

 red points appear, and these become pustular and discharge a fluid which dries or 

 crusts and forms a scab; the hair falls off. The multiplication of the original 

 cause of the evil is rapid, and, left unchecked, the whole surface of the body soon 

 becomes inA^olved, while the poor dog is an object of pity, and from want of rest 

 and other causes sinks into a helpless condition. This state is often called viru- 

 lent or scabby mange, and presents many of the characteristics of BLOTCH. The 

 skin is harsh, dry, and rough, until small pimples appear, when therefrom oozes a 

 purulent matter, forming scabs, which mat the hair together, and bring it off in 

 patches as the dog rubs or scratches himself. The back, breast, and inside of the 

 thighs are generally the first places attacked, and every crease and wrinkle in the 

 skin becomes inflamed and moist with the irritating discharge. If the disease is 

 left unchecked, it soon extends over the whole body, reducing the dog to a 

 deplorable condition, disgusting to all who see him a,nd intolerable to himself. 

 These are severe and extreme cases. In others a dry, scurfy mange exists, marked 

 by little red spots, and confined to the joints of the legs, over the eyes, the flaps of 

 the ears,- etc.; and this may exist for some time without other damage than caus- 

 ing the dog great uneasiness and injury to his appearance by partially destroying 

 the hair and robbing it of its natural glossy appearance. 



The first thing 'to be done w>;th a mangy dog is to wash him. Let him have a 

 good sousing and scrubbing with a good soap and water, "hottish rather but not 

 so boiling as to turn him red;" dry well with a soft cloth, which must immediately 

 be boiled, and then dress him with one or the other of the several well known 

 mange cures. Whatever you use, see that it is applied thoroughly; see that it 

 reaches the skin where the mites are, and is not merely left on the hair. Chronic 

 cases of mange often take a month or two to cure. Sulphur is given as an inter- 

 nal remedy for mange, but it is not of any use. 



FOLLICULAR MANGE is due to another mite (Demodex folliculorum), very 

 different in appearance from the other (Saroptes) , which are short and thick, 

 whereas this, the Demodex, is elongated, and with a long, obtuse tail. These 

 parasites differ in their habits, the Demodex living in the hair-follicles, and 

 burrowing deep under the skin in the sebaceous gland that supplies the unctous 

 matter to protect the skin and keep it soft. The depth to which the Demodex 

 burrows renders Follicular Mange much less easy of transmission between dogs; 

 but it also makes a cure much more difficult, as the parasites are hard to reach. 

 This mite is identical with a parasite found in the human skin causing some 

 disfiguration of the face, but further than that it does no harm until transferred 



