MANGE ON STOCK

Waikato Times, Volume 124, Issue 20734, 18 February 1939, Page 27 (Supplement)

MANGE ON STOCK

PROBLEM TO FARMERS External parasites are a constant problem to the farmer, comments a writer in an English exchange. Those oausing mange, he says, are of frequent occurrence, and hence of great practical importance. Mange parasites are better known as mange mites, for they are not insects, i.e., they do not possess three pairs of legs, but are minute members of the spider family, having a rounded body and four pairs of stumpy legs. Those affecting animals are all small, requiring a microscope to identify them, and all have powerful jaws and feet, by which they burrow into the skin, causing scurflness, loss of hair, and frequently painful sores. One family of mites, the sarcopts, are burrowing mites. They form small tunnels called galleries in the skin, in which from 10 to 30 eggs are laid. Larvae hatch out from the eggs, in the gallery, in about a fortnight’s time. Sarocoptic mange is a serious complaint. The movements of the mite cause severe irritation, more marked in hot than cold weather. Small pimples appear on the skin, and the animal rubs and bites at the affected part, so that the hair becomes rubbed ofT. Later the skin becomes wrinkled and the animal loses condition and even wastes. This is seen typically In animals poorly fed and overworked, and kept under dirty, damp and dark conditions. How It Affects Animals W When mange Is suspected, scratching the affected part will cause the animal to stretch out or turn round its head and make nibbling movements with its lips. -Cats and dogs make scratching movements, often very pronounced, with the hind limbs. These signs, however, are only an indication that the skin is sensitive; positive diagnosis depends on finding the parasite in scrapings of skin from affected areas. Sarcoptic mange in the horse is a ▼«ry serious condition. It is more common in farm animals than thoroughbreds, owing to the greater care and attention that the latter receive. It is oommon in countries where there is much trafficking in horses, and frequently occure in military horses In times of war. The first signs noted are itchiness. Small yellow pimples appear over the withers, shoulders, under the throat and between the legs, and from these spread ail over the body. The hair falls out. leaving dry, scabby patches. In n*lected eases, the skin becomes thickened, loose and wrinkled, and sores With black scabs occur where UM animal has rubbed itself. Pigs are often affected with sarcoptic mange- The animals rub themselves against the waUs and troughs, and small nodules appear over the ears and abdomen.