CHAPTER XI 



TREATMENT OF MANGE AND SCABIES 



General Considerations. — Methods of treatment of scabies will vary 

 accordiag to the form of the disease to be dealt with and also according 

 to the kind and number of animals to be treated. As a general rule the 

 application of acaricides should be preceded by clipping the hair from 

 either a part or the whole of the body, depending upon whether the 

 affection is localized or general. The crusts should then be softened and 

 removed by washing with warm soapsuds and a stiff brush, after which 

 the remedy chosen may be applied. 



The whole process is to be repeated in ten to fourteen days in order to 

 destroy mites from eggs which escaped the first treatment. It is im- 

 portant that there should be clean surroundings and, especially where 

 emaciation is an accompaniment, an abundance of nutritious food. 

 Sarcoptic mange will require more energetic remedies than other 

 forms where the mites live upon the surface and among the crusts of 

 the skin. 



Internal medication is of little or no value. A cure can only be reached 

 by the destruction of the acari, accomplished by the local application of a 

 suitable acaricide. In the use of such agents their irritant or possible 

 toxic effects upon the animal treated are to be borne in mind. To avoid 

 a sudden and general checking of the cutaneous functions, ointments 

 and oleaginous materials are not to be spread over the entire body at 

 one application, nor should the body be dressed over more than one- 

 fourth to one-half of its area with preparations containing carbolic acid, 

 creosote, cresol, tobacco, or other such ingredients. Those containing 

 mercury or arsenic, in addition to these limitations, should never be 

 used upon animals such as cattle, dogs, and cats as these animals will 

 lick the dressed parts. 



Where large numbers of animals are affected in a flock or herd, in- 

 dividual treatment involving clipping, scrubbing, and the application 

 of remedies by hand, is not practicable. In such cases a method of 

 dipping must be resorted to. It is essential to the success of the treat- 

 ment that thorough disinfection measures be applied to surroundings 

 and to such portable paraphernalia as may serve as a means of reinfec- 

 tion. In this connection it should be borne in mind that the mites may 

 live from two weeks to a month or more off a host, the longer periods 

 usually amid favorable conditions, such as warm stables and blankets. 



