Posted on March 18, 2010 by Nancy Houser

Cheyletiella dog mange is referred to as the  ”walking dandruff” mange and is extremely contagious to cats and young puppies when they come into contact with one other. Its Cheyletiella mites are highly visible to the naked eye, as compared to the tiny spiderlike mites in  Sarcoptic dog mange and Demodectic dog mange where the mites cannot be seen without a microscope.

Known as the walking dandruff mange because of the amount of scales and flakes they produce on the dog’s skin, Chelietiella dog mange mites can be seen moving around on the dog to the naked eye, seen on the  epidermal layer or surface of the dog’s skin.  Living on the skin of the dog, once they fall off they are able to live for only ten days. Their location of choice is usually on the dog’s back, but can be found in other locations.

Symptoms of Chelietiella dog mange

Just one lonely little  Chelietiella mite hanging off by itself is more than enough to cause an infestation to develop in a young puppy or dog until a harmful number of mites are reached. Any animal who has a strong immune system and is healthy cannot get Chelietiella dog mange.

• Cheyletiella mange is very itchy, similar to Sarcoptic mange, or it can be absent from itching.

• Like Sarcoptic mange, it has hair loss, scaling and crustiness around the affected area.

• Areas of attack are the neck, head and the dog’s back.

• Red bumpy rashes combined with flaky skin in hair.

• Heavy dandruff over neck and back.

Treatment of Cheyletiella dog mange

Once a dog has been properly diagnosed with Cheyletiella dog mange, they need to be kept away from all dogs and animals who live with it. Places like bedding, favorite chair, pillows and couch covers, corner rugs, and their own special beds need to be washed and cleaned to stop the infection.

1. Pyrethrin shampoo and 2% lime0sulfur dips (LymDyp) can be used.
2. All-Natural Spot Treatment for Itching Containing Calendula, Tea Tree Oil, Oat Extract, and Grapefruit Seed Extract
3. Colloidal Oatmeal Conditioning Shampoo with Aloe and natural extracts to repel insects and soothe itchy skin

Cheyletiella mange is the least serious of the three dog manges, usually going away in less than a month. Insecticide shampoos or natural treatments relieve the symptoms for the dog, as long as they get a bath once a week to control the mites.

"Do I look like I'm feeling better?"

Related posts:

• Demodectic dog mange (red mange or demodicosis)
• Sarcoptic dog mange (scabies)
• Dog health problems at a glance
• Natural Dog Care for Allergies
• Hypothyroidism in dogs: Symptoms and Treatments