Handling Mange?

Isn’t sarcoptic mange the same thing as scabies in humans? Thought I remember my veterinarian saying that a long time ago.

When my oldest daughter was in kindergarten she ended up with scabies somehow and we went through the cream treatments for a bit to clear her up.
 
You are correct about the scabies. I wasn't aware that they were the same thing.
 

Attachments

  • Screenshot_20250312_100424_Chrome.jpg
    Screenshot_20250312_100424_Chrome.jpg
    61.3 KB · Views: 10
Just for a giggle... I have a good friend who is probably 20 years my elder. Randy. He was good friends with my folks and I've known him as long as I can remember. Lots of stories can be told about Randy, getting bucked off and shooting at his horse, trying to shoot a bird off the power line and catching the yard on fire, the list goes on. He has always hunted, trapped, fished, etc. and if you think of a mountain man, you'll picture ol' Randy! He and I entered a calling contest a handful of years ago. Hunted hard day and night from check in Friday morning till Sunday and only ever caught the glimpse of eyes in a spotlight once. Needless to say, we weren't driving the two hours back to weigh in at 2pm on Sunday. We got back to my house just about noon on Sunday with our heads hanging low and with a smile and "better luck next time", he got in his pick up and headed home. Randy lived about 6 miles west of me. About 10 minutes after leaving, I get a call from him. "Zach, I just shot a coyote!", "I'll be darned Randy. Here we've hunted some great country for a couple days straight, not seen a single thing and you kill one off the side of the road in a field?" He says, "Yep! Let's take him!" I tried to tell him that we'd be wasting our time just hauling a single coyote to a weigh in that was two hours away at two o'clock and it's now a few minutes past noon. He pleaded with me that it was a nasty looking, mangey coyote and he thought he had a chance at the ugly dog side pot but he coulnd't find it. I finally agree to head toward him to help him find it and haul it north to the weigh in. When I show up, I see his pickup sitting sideways, driver door swung open, in the middle of the road at the end of skid marks in the snow and Randy is running around a field of corn stubble waving his arms at me. I hustle out to him and Randy is so dang excited he's shot a coyote he's nearly slobbering lol. "I can't find him! I can't find him!" I asked "Where was he when you shot him?", "I'm sure he was right in this area." Randy says. I replied, "Let's try walking down these rows. He might have been further than you think he was. We'll be able to cut his track and figure out where he fell." So we walked a bit and sure enough 20 or 30 yards further we cut his track and followed them to what I can only describe as the nastiest, smelliest, scabbed up mangey coyote I had ever seen. I mean it was BAD!!! It was a miracle that the dang thing had even been able to survive the cold weather we'd been having! I took a look at it and said with one of those amazed and disgusted looks all in one, "Randy, you might just have the one to win the ugly dog." Again Randy was beaming and waving his arms in excitement while telling me the story. I had to cut him off and say, "If we are going to make it to the weigh in, we needed to leave ten minutes ago!" At that Randy and I looked at each other to see who was going to make the first move to pick the nasty thing up. Normally a dog with mange gets to stay where he fell, but this one had potential! I quickly realized he was hesitating to see if I would grab it. I stuck my hands in the air and said, "You shot it!". He gave me a shit eatin' grin and reached down to grab a back leg. Time was not on our side so we were hustling to close the 300+ yard gap back to the vehicles. The coyote kept tripping Randy up so he instinctively picked it up and threw it over his shoulder without realizing he'd done so. I didn't say a word but kinda giggled the way you do when you see a buddy do something stupid lol. We got back to the trucks, threw the dog in the back, drove to his house where he parked and jumped in with me and my wife who was along for the ride. Randy sat in the back seat as we hit the road., a grin ear to ear you could only imagine because you couldn't see it through his beard. Randy did have sense enough to throw the jacket he was wearing out at his house before getting in with us after he realized it was probably now infested with mange but he never did go wash his hands and I didn't realize it until while visiting about 60 up the road I seen him rubbing his beard in the rear view. I asked, "Randy, you didn't happen to wash your hands before we left did you?", "No," he replied with a half disgusted look that I would ask him such a thing. I said, "Were you wearing gloves when you packed that coyote to the truck?", "No". He looked at his hands. "Randy, you were just rubbing your beard!" "SON OF A $!#@" he says! Again, I giggled just seeing a buddy do something stupid. As we arrived to weigh in with literally seconds to spare, Randy jumped out and ran in to wash up. He came back out looking like a drowned rat. His shaggy hair and beard still dripping and smelling like the soap from the hand dispenser in the convenience store. We checked the coyote in we were sure was going to give him the side pot and to his dismay and my amazement there were at least three other coyotes that were in much worse shape than Randy's. I patted him on the shoulder, grinned and told him that at least he wasn't going home empty handed even if he didn't win the pot. He said "How's that?", I replied "You've got mange!". Randy did end up winning a door prize, just a hand call but that little call took his mind off of the worry of his new parasitic friends. He never did end up getting mange, so if you do, apparently convenience store hand soap is what takes care of it!

We still visit and laugh about that day. Ol' Randy.
 
They share the same name "scabies" but they are not the same mite;

While the mites that cause sarcoptic mange in animals, like dogs, can temporarily infest humans causing itching and a rash, they do not reproduce or survive on human skin, so the infection is usually self-limiting.

Here's a more detailed explanation:
  • Not the Same Scabies Mite:
    The mites that cause sarcoptic mange (or canine scabies) in dogs are not the same type of mite that causes scabies in humans, though the conditions share a name and some symptoms.

  • Transient Infestation:
    Humans can get these mites, but they can't complete their life cycle on human skin.

    • Symptoms and duration
      The mites will burrow briefly, causing itchy bumps and a rash, but the mites will eventually die off, and the symptoms usually disappear on their own within a few days.
    • Risk Groups:
      Individuals who are in close contact with animals like dogs or other wildlife (e.g., veterinarians, pet owners, wildlife biologists) are at a higher risk of being bitten by these mites.
    • No Treatment Required:
      Because the infestation is temporary and self-limiting, treatment is often not necessary.
 
Back
Top