Stray Dog with Mange

Question
My daughter and I came in contact with a stray dog yesterday and after petting him we realized he had mange or some other skin ailment.  Is that contagious to humans?  We came home and thoroughly sanitized our hands but I'm still concerned.

Answer
Hi Lynda!Certain types of mange can be contracted by humans, but it is not very common especially if you sanitize your hands after touching the dog. I know someone that has been working with animals for years, and has dealt alot with those with mange and she never contracted it. Just be sure to sanitize your hands thoroughly after handling the dog. Most types of mange are not contagious to humans, so chances are it is not a contagious type. There are also other skin ailments that can look like mange, that are not contagious to humans either.
Since you had washed your hands, I would be sure that you have nothing to worry about.You should take the dog to the vet to get him checked.

If she is chewing the hair out of her body, morelikely, she is allergic to something in the environment. When skin disease affects the rump and back, I tend to think of a flea allergy first. You should have a vet look at her to see if there is some medical treatment that will give her some relief.

If she has flaky dry skin,itcould be a problem with dietary fatty acids. These make the skin cells resistant to drying out. Omega fatty acid supplements (available from your vet as like 3V caps or Eicosaderm) may stop the flaking. When the fur around the eyes falls out in a pup, I tend to think about demodex mange. You should let your vet do a skin scraping to look for the mites. Also, ringworm can show up like this.

If you see him itching,he could have fleas.If he is itching,please write back and I can tell you all about flea and how you can treat them without going to the vet.

I hope this helps!Nicole.D.