Sea You at Fetch Long Beach
|Articles|September 1, 2005

Idea Exchange: Pluck and scrape

When trying to diagnose demodectic mange, try plucking the hairs around lesions in addition to scraping the skin.

When trying to diagnose demodectic mange, try plucking the hairs around lesions in addition to scraping the skin. Demodex canis is a follicular mite, not a surface mite. When you pluck the hairs, the mites come out of the follicles with them. By using this method, I have found mites more often with less stress, pain, and undesirable cosmetic effects to the patient.

Dr. Curtis Cianci

Tinton Falls, N.J.


Related to this article

Photo: Stock Footage, Inc./Adobe Stock
Following World Rabies Day and a CDC health advisory on a 17% rise in exposure-related calls, Rodney E. Rohde, PhD, explains what the increase means, what people should do when they have an animal bite or scratch, and how clinicians should assess risk and administer post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP).