Part 1: Management of Mange in Sheep

Описание: The next videos you’ll see is all about mange or mites affecting sheep and goats. I compiled the videos as per the farms I visited.

Total 4 farms, where there were extensive mange infestations. I set aside time to visit and treat them to help these animals be free of mites and become healthier again.

Let’s go through them one by one and per the visit we made and the approach we made for the treatment.

FirstIy, I want to answer questions that may arise along the way as you watch the video and I want to raise them here now. I have about 10 that I think are common questions about this disease. (I referenced some of the sources to the articles I found online which are indicated in the statements where they are present) Here they are:

1. What is the parasite that causes mange?
Answer: The fancy answer is Sarcoptes scabiei var ovis infests sheep, and S scabiei var caprae infests goats, throughout the world but you don’t have to remember that just the word mites is fine. This mite infests nonwooly skin, usually on the head and face. Typical of scabies, lesions manifest with formation of crusts and intense pruritus. Affected animals have decreased reproduction, meat gain, and milk yield§. In goats, S scabiei var caprae is responsible for a generalized skin condition characterized by marked hyperkeratosis. Lesions start usually on the head and neck and can extend to the inner thighs, hocks, brisket, ventral abdomen, and axillary region. Both S scabiei var ovis and S scabiei var caprae are zoonotic. Mange is a contagious disease characterized by crusty or scaly skin, pruritus, and alopecia. Mange is a general term for cutaneous acariasis and is the result of infestation with one of several genera of parasitic mites. Source: MSD Manual Veterinary Manual

They lay eggs in the stratum corneum starting from male and female then female lays eggs

1. What is the specific species causing mange in sheep? And goats?
Answer: Sarcoptes scabiei var ovis infests sheep, and S scabiei var caprae infests goats, throughout the world.

2. How they infect the animals?
Answer: Lesions are characterized histologically by chronic inflammation, hypertrophy of the Malpighian layer, parakeratosis, and epithelial sloughing. A hypersensitivity response to the mites, mite feces, and saliva likely contributes to lesions (Hofing and Kraus, 1994) ScienceDIrect.com

3. What is their lifecycle?
Answer:
Eggs-Larva-Nymph-Adult male and female.
Eggs laid in the stratum corner part of the skin
Eggs hatches in 2-3 days.
Larval stage up to 4 days.
Nymphal stage lasts for 4-7 days.
Adults live for 1-2 months and reproduce during this period.
Entire life cycle is spent on the host.

4. What specific area of the animal’s body do they mostly gather?
Answer: his mite infests non-wooly skin, usually on the head and face. Typical of scabies, lesions manifest with formation of crusts and intense pruritus.

5. How long is the treatment and recovery?
Answer: At least 3 weeks or when the lifecycle of the parasite is eliminated and carrier animals are treated completely.

6. What age does it affect?
Answer: In older animals mostly in females.
Animals 1-2 months I’ve seen were usually unaffected probably due to immune response from the mother.

7. Impact on the herd?
Answer: Affected animals have decreased reproduction, meat gain, and milk yield.

8. How to prevent it?
Answer: Isolation of newly acquired and purchased animals. Another is skin scrapings collected from the edge of the skin lesion by scraping with a sterile surgical scalpel and deep until blood was aspirated. The skin scrapings were gathered in a smooth manner with a scalpel blade that was dipped in mineral oil sent to the laboratory for identification.

9. What is the treatment we used?
Answer: Ivermectin s.c., Doramectin IM, Sulfur Cream topical and were very effective for these farms.

Thank you for watching!

Music by: Music by: Frank Jonsson - Comprehension

#livestockfarming #sheepfarming #veterinary #manges