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A Scabies Mite in a Puppy's Stool Sample With No Symptoms

by A reader

Reader Question
About two months ago, we adopted a puppy from a hoarding situation. She is a Chihuahua and was found to have coccidia and roundworm. We treated her for this, and six weeks later another fecal test showed she was clear of those two things. However, they found a canine scabies mite in the sample, which was taken from our backyard. We were shocked, because she had no symptoms. She eats well, has grown like a weed and never itched in front of us or had skin changes.

We gave her some anti-parasite shampoo baths. Then I found some unusual bites on my arms that were not mosquito or flea bites, so we thought she might be a carrier and took her to the vet. The vet found nothing but prescribed a monthly parasite preventive for all of our dogs. Our other two dogs had always been kept well separated from the puppy, and none of them has ever had symptoms, only me. They have been on the preventive for two days and my arm has cleared up.

Our house has been turned upside down, taking our dogs out separately and keeping them in crates a lot of the day. We don't even know if our dog truly had this. Everything I read says this type of scabies doesn't last long on people, and it bothered me very little. None of our dogs have symptoms and I
clean everything thoroughly. My biggest question is: when can we interact again as a family? We have already given three shampoos to each dog and will continue once a week.


Answer from Our Team

It's possible your puppy carried mites without showing much itching, but a single mite or egg in a stool or yard sample isn't proof of scabies. Dogs can swallow mites while grooming, and other kinds of mites, including ones that live in soil, can show up in samples. That's why a vet usually diagnoses scabies from the skin signs and response to treatment rather than a stool test.

The good news is that the preventive your vet prescribed belongs to a class of medicines that is very effective against scabies mites, and treating every dog in the house is exactly what vets usually recommend. Ask your vet whether they want a second monthly dose before declaring everyone clear.

Once all the dogs have been treated and no one is itchy, the risk of spread is low. Mites survive only a few days off a dog, and your thorough cleaning helps. Many vets are comfortable with dogs mixing again a couple of weeks after treatment starts, or after the second dose, but check with your vet for your situation. Your own itchy bumps clearing up quickly is typical, since these mites can't live on people.

See sarcoptic mange (scabies) in dogs.

This is general information, not a diagnosis. Please follow your own vet's advice.

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