If your dog or pet has a lot of contact with other animals then they can catch animal scabies or mange.
Just as in humans, these tiny mites borrow in the dog’s skin and cause extreme itching and scratching for your pet.
Sometimes if your pets have animal scabies, these mites can cause irritation on human skin as well, if the mites get transfered from a pet to the owner.
The good news is that animal scabies won’t survive in the human skin for long. The scabies mite that infects dogs is called sarcoptic mange or mange for short.
These mites have adapted to live and reproduce in furry animal skin, so therefore, they don’t survive long on human skin. They will not survive long enough to reproduce and cause long term problems for the pet’s owner.
Sarcoptes scabiei Mites
Sarcoptes scabiei mites are the species that infects humans and have adapted to thriving in and on the human skin.
Vice versa, these mites can’t survive long on your pet’s skin.
How to Tell the Difference?
If you have an itchy spot and your pet has mange then you probably have nothing to worry about. Just get your pet treated and your itchy spot will clear up in a couple days.
Human scabies will spread and not stay localized to just one or two spots. See also the other resources on my site to help identify your symptoms further. Just know if your dog has scabies there is nothing for you or your family to worry about.
Now for your dog, that’s a different story, get him/her treated with a good insecticidal shampoo.