Many dogs with adult onset of mange have an underlying health problem that is suppressing the immune system and leads to the development of the mange. A dog with adult onset of mange should be carefully examined and have lab work performed to rule out any underlying cause. Diagnosis of demodectic mange involves finding a large number of mites in affected areas. The skin is scraped with a scalpel blade and the resulting material is examined under the microscope. A skin scraping is a simple, inexpensive test and should be performed on every dog with hair loss of any description in order to rule out mange as a cause.
Treatment varies with the severity of the symptoms.
As localized mange will resolve even without treatment, most veterinarians regard treatment for localized mange as a case of treating the owner, rather than the patient. Treatment may involve regular bathing to clear the hair follicles, application of insecticidal ointments to the affected areas, or antibiotics. There is no evidence that spot treatment of localized lesions will prevent generalized mange. In many cases, no treatment at all is the best treatment, with periodic visits to the veterinarian for scrapings to determine if the numbers of mites are increasing. Generalized mange, either juvenile or adult onset, is a serious and potentially life threatening disease, as unresponsive cases sometimes require euthanasia.