This page quotes a published document. Everything below in quotation marks is copied word for word from https://capcvet.org/guidelines/sarcoptic-mite/, published by CAPC and retrieved on 2026-09-16. The quotations are excerpts; the document itself is linked and is the authority. Nothing has been reworded.
This page quotes the Companion Animal Parasite Council guideline for Sarcoptic Mite, section by section: the opening sentences of 8 sections, copied without change and linked to the guideline, which was retrieved on 2026-09-16. The guideline itself is the authority and carries the full text.
The guideline
Companion Animal Parasite Council, Sarcoptic Mite, at https://capcvet.org/guidelines/sarcoptes-scabei/. Retrieved 2026-09-16. Each heading below is the guideline’s own, and the quotation under it is how that section begins. The full section, and the species tabs where the guideline gives them, are on the linked page.
Synopsis
CAPC Recommends Different varieties of Sarcoptes scabiei infest a wide range of mammalian hosts, including dogs and other canids, human beings, horses, and cattle; cats are rarely infested with this mite. In all hosts, mites tunnel in the epidermis and produce an intensely pruritic dermatitis with hyperkeratosis and alopecia.
Species
Sarcoptes scabiei (canine mange mite, itch mite) Sarcoptes scabies with long unsegmented pretarsi on front legs and characteristic triangular spines
Disease
Infestations typically produce hyperkeratosis and alopecia. Lesions become highly pruritic and are often the cause of self mutilation.
Prevalence
Sarcoptic mange is among the most commonly diagnosed skin diseases in dogs, both in general practice and at referral/dermatologic specialty hospitals. Severe skin disease may be present even though repeated skin scrapings recover no mites.
Diagnosis
Skin scrapings for sarcoptic mange mites should be deep enough to examine the full thickness of the epidermis and produce a sample that is tinged with blood. Technique Place a drop of mineral oil or microscopic immersion oil onto a rounded scalpel blade (#10 or #20).
Treatment
Selamectin and topical moxidectin/imidacloprid are label approved for treatment of sarcoptic mange in dogs. Fipronil and flumethrin/imidacloprid collars are label approved as “aids in control of sarcoptic mange” and “aids in the treatment and control of sarcoptic mange” respectively.
Control and Prevention
Routine use of fipronil, topical moxidectin, selamectin, afoxolaner, fluralaner, or sarolaner likely will prevent infestations with Sarcoptes scabiei in dogs. Infected dogs can be kept separate to prevent the spread of mites to other animals through direct contact, but within a home, it is recommended to treat all animals due to the delay in clinical signs.
Public Health Considerations
People can develop a self-limiting infestation with S. scabiei from dogs. The lesions that are produced will be highly pruritic but usually clear without the need for specific treatment for the mite infestation.
Continue reading public health considerations on capcvet.org
Sources
- capc-sarcoptes-scabeiCAPC · retrieved 2026-09-16
“CAPC Recommends Different varieties of Sarcoptes scabiei infest a wide range of mammalian hosts, including dogs and other canids, human beings, horses, and cattle; cats” (Synopsis)
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