by Perry McCarney

Created on: December 31, 2009   Last Updated: June 01, 2010

Equine Mange

Mange is the common name given to skin diseases caused by mites. Not only horses and other mammals including dogs, cats , cattle and goats are affected by mites; birds, reptiles, insects and plants are preferred hosts to some of the hundreds of thousands of mite species. Other species while free-living as adults may use hosts at earlier life stages, or be opportunistic, preying on animals when they can.

Mites are very small animals, ranging in size from barely visible to the human eye down to microscopic. They are arachnids rather than insects, and therefore have eight legs instead of six, just like their cousins, the spiders.

Horses may develop mange due to infestations of six different types of mite. The mange is named dependent on the mite species or taxonomic family causing it. They are called sarcoptic, psoroptic, chorioptic, demodectic, trombiculotic and pyemotic mange.

Please note that you should always consult your veterinarian to confirm your horse's disease and determine the appropriate treatment regimen.  


Sarcoptic Mange

Sarcoptic mange is also known as equine scabies and is the severest variety of mange afflicting our horses. The mite species has the scientific name Sarcoptes scabiei var equi but is relatively rare. Sarcoptic mange is however highly contagious, the mites spreading and establishing infestations on new horses easily.

Confirmed cases should be kept isolated from other horses until the infestation has been eliminated. All the horses that have recently been in contact with the animal diagnosed with sarcoptic mange should be kept isolated and receive treatment, whether displaying clinical signs themselves or not.

While these mites prefer horses, they can feed on other mammal species including people, so protective gloves and garments and care should be taken when treating the patient.

Initial clinical signs of an infestation are:

* Severe itching (pruritus).
* Head shaking and rubbing against the stall or paddock fence.
* Hair loss (alopecia).
* Small hard lumps on the skin (eruptive papular lesions).

These mites burrow into the horses skin, so extreme itchiness always occurs as the first clinical sign, with lesions then developing. The lesions initially appear on the head, neck and shoulders. Because they are so itchy, rubbing against available surfaces by the horse soon develops thick crusting around them. Secondary infections by bacteria and/or yeasts may occur. If the infestation goes untreated, the mange may spread to

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