# What to do with coyotes with mange?



## DustinM (Dec 2, 2006)

Tonight I shot my first dog with mange. He had it pretty bad everything from the shoulders back to the hind quarters was pretty much bald. Well I wasn't sure what to do with it and I felt guilty about leaving it out there so I drug it back to the truck. Well after calling a few buddies they said to just leave it in the field and not to touch it at all because the mange is extremely contageous bug. Is this this true? What do you guys do with them?

Needless to say I have scrubbed everything down tonight.

Thanks Guys!


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## MossyMO (Feb 12, 2004)

You did the right thing by ending the coyote's misery and now it will no longer be able to transfer the disease to other coyotes. The coyote was all ready cold from the lack of fur, most likely was malnourished and weak. It would have frozen to death soon; you did the humane and right thing speeding up the inevitable. Congrats !!! 
Fur buyers do not pay anything for manged coyotes.


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## SDHandgunner (Jun 22, 2004)

Yes the Mange can be contracted by humans. There was a guy in Rapid City South Dakota a few years back that contracted the Mange. It almost cost him his life from what I remember and he had a lengthy hospital stay.

Yep you indeed ddid the right thing. Even if for some strange reason that Coyote would have survived he could have / would have spread the Mange to other animals.

Larry


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## DustinM (Dec 2, 2006)

Thanks guys it's nice to have that reassurance.


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## Fallguy (Jan 23, 2004)

We shot a mangy one last year and just burried it in the snow so people don't see it laying there and everything. It was on my uncles land so we ended up taking a few miles down the road to get rid of it. He had one of his farmdogs a few years ago get mange from a coyote and he ended up shooting that dog. We didn't want his other dogs getting it.

I know some people who carry a small bottle of lighter fluid and douse the coyote and burn it in the field. Obviously in a very snowy area. Seems like a good idea.


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## yooperyotebuster (Dec 13, 2005)

Fortunately I have never killed nor seen a coyote or fox with mange. I have heard stories of some in this area approximately 15 to 20 years ago. I do not know a whole lot about this subject. If I have heard correctly mange is caused by some kind of mite and is more prevalent in areas where the animals that can contract it are over populated. Where I hunt there is alot of hunting pressure and wolf predation. I would not mind losing a few wolves but I would not want this in the area. Anyone with info please fill me in.


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## R Buker (Oct 29, 2005)

There's a bit of misinformation here.

Mangey animals don't need to be burned. Mange mites don't survive long without a warm host to live on and they are tranferred animal to animal. The only way another coyote could get mange from a dead coyote laying in the field would be to eat on or roll on that dead coyote while it was still warm. This time of year that first night will kill the mites on that dead coyote. Best advice is to leave them lay where you shoot them as long as they are out of sight.

They guy who shot his dog because it had mange was either stupid or irresponsible or both. Mange can be treated in dogs.

Mange can be transferred to humans. But, the mites are fairly species specific. They will not survive long on a human but can cause some pretty intense itching while they are there andmay need treatment to get rid of it before it dies out naturally. Mange is not something that will kill a human and in fact, would not live long enough to hospitalize anyone. IF the guy in Rapid City had mange, it was likely the human form, Scabies. IF he had it bad enough to almost loose his life, he was one tough son of a gun. The only way it could get bad enough to hospitalize him was if he let it go (intense itching) and then IF his skin got infected and he became septic. All of which is very improbable.

Just wanted to clear the air.


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## Fallguy (Jan 23, 2004)

R Buker said:


> They guy who shot his dog because it had mange was either stupid or irresponsible or both. Mange can be treated in dogs.


"They" guy (my uncle) who shot his dog is neither irresponsible or stupid. He has a heart of gold and would probably give the shirt off of his back to you even after calling him stupid and/or irresponsible. While I don't agree with what he did, I doubt he has the money to take one of his farm dogs to the vet to treat him. He did as he saw fit for the animal. No offense to you Randy I am just defending my uncle. I have a great deal of respect for him.


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## R Buker (Oct 29, 2005)

I need to apologize for my wording on that line. I tend to take things from my own perspective and forget that others do not. I realize that mange is treatable and I likely spend way too much money on some of my dogs when they get sick.

Yes, I'm certain your uncle has a heart of gold and my "stupid" line was just that, Stupid, on my part.

I'm going to stand by the irresponsible part just a bit though. I seriously think that if we have pets, we have some responsiblity to care for them.


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## Fallguy (Jan 23, 2004)

R Buker said:


> I'm going to stand by the irresponsible part just a bit though. I seriously think that if we have pets, we have some responsiblity to care for them.


I can see that. And that is why I said I really didn't agree with how he handled it. Maybe I should have explained that when I mentioned it the first time. No problem-I too speak my mind without thinking quite often then look back and say...whoops!


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## DustinM (Dec 2, 2006)

So to re-cap the best all around scenario if you call in a coyote or fox with mange is to kill the animal so the disease does not keep spreading and you are also speeding up a definate process that the animals life will be taken by mange. And since mange does not live without a warm host you are best leaving it in the field out of site. From what I have read on all of your opinions which I believe are very good ones this is the most humane way to go about this and the safest for not transfering the mite weather it be to me or my dog.


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## R Buker (Oct 29, 2005)

bingo


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## Gohon (Feb 14, 2005)

> IF the guy in Rapid City had mange, it was likely the human form, Scabies


Scabies is not a human form of scabies. Scabies is just another name for Sarcoptic mange which is the most serious form of mange to attack your pet and is also transferable to humans. Fortunately scabies as it is also called in humans is self-limiting, the mite can burrow under the skin and cause itching, but cannot complete its life cycle on humans and dies within a few weeks


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## R Buker (Oct 29, 2005)

Gohon said:


> > IF the guy in Rapid City had mange, it was likely the human form, Scabies
> 
> 
> Scabies is not a human form of scabies. Scabies is just another name for Sarcoptic mange which is the most serious form of mange to attack your pet and is also transferable to humans. Fortunately scabies as it is also called in humans is self-limiting, the mite can burrow under the skin and cause itching, but cannot complete its life cycle on humans and dies within a few weeks


Sorry Gohon. That's not accurate.

Scabies, while a form of Sarcoptic mange is from a completely different mite than the sarcoptic mange that is in animals. And, as I said before, mange from an animal can be transferred to a human but they can't live long.

Scabies in a human is not self limiting. The mites will breed, lay eggs and repeat the life cycle over and over in a human.

Here's a quote directly from the CDC. "Did my pet spread scabies to me?
No. Pets become infested with a different kind of scabies mite. If your pet is infested with scabies, (also called mange) and they have close contact with you, the mite can get under your skin and cause itching and skin irritation. However, the mite dies in a couple of days and does not reproduce. The mites may cause you to itch for several days, but you do not need to be treated with special medication to kill the mites. Until your pet is successfully treated, mites can continue to burrow into your skin and cause you to have symptoms."

And this from the Mayo Clinic.

"Dogs, cats and humans all are affected by their own distinct species of mite. Each species of mite prefers one specific type of host and doesn't live long away from that preferred host. So humans may have a temporary skin reaction from contact with the animal scabies mite. But people are unlikely to develop full-blown scabies from this source, as they might from contact with the human scabies mite."


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## Fallguy (Jan 23, 2004)

Randy is right.

We had some students in our school last year who had scabies. This was in January-during the time I was out doing lots of coyote hunting. So I went down to chat with the school nurse and she told me the following:

Scabies is similar to mange but different.
Humans can get mange from an animal but the mite can't reproduce and it will go away quickly.

Pretty much what Randy said but not as detailed.


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## caribukiller (Oct 30, 2006)

burn it


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## Brad.T (Mar 29, 2004)

There is a documented case the one and only of a human dieing from Mange in MT. He was as assumed a mountain man that would not go to the hospital unless he was dieing and well.........He Died there was the documentation on another site from the state of MT i will see if i can find it.

Mange can be contracted by humans two of my co-workers at the taxidermy shop got it off of MN Black bear they went to the hospital and one shower with a body shampoo and it was gone.

I have read documentation in various forms on the fact that mange does NOT need a warm host. It can and HAS been found living in the dirt in dens and various places around a carcass that is why it is so difficult to stop.

If you shoot and infected animal bury the best you can so that animals birds ect don't come and investigate the carcass and contract the disease.

DUSTINM You did the right thing if you see an infected animal get it KILLED. You are doing the animal justice and putting out of its misery and saving it from a cruel death. I've seen a **** at the last stages of life from Mange IT'S BAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## caribukiller (Oct 30, 2006)

you are saposto burn an animal with mange because it will stay in the ground for a long time


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## MossyMO (Feb 12, 2004)

I have gotten two coyotes and one fox that had mange. 
The fox was not doing to well; I spotted it while I was driving down a gravel road 50 yards into the field on the passenger's side of my vehicle. I was able to come to a stop, jump out of my pickup and get behind my pick up and still have time to take it; it was moving that slow. As Brad said, mange is a cruel death.
The first coyote I got with mange was in good shape and had plenty of more time for his health to get worse, but the second manged coyote I took I found scavenging from an elk and buffalo rendering pile. By the look of the coyote it was very thin and this was the easiest meal it could find for itself.


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## R Buker (Oct 29, 2005)

Brad.T said:


> There is a documented case the one and only of a human dieing from Mange in MT. He was as assumed a mountain man that would not go to the hospital unless he was dieing and well.........He Died there was the documentation on another site from the state of MT i will see if i can find it.
> 
> Mange can be contracted by humans two of my co-workers at the taxidermy shop got it off of MN Black bear they went to the hospital and one shower with a body shampoo and it was gone.
> 
> ...


Yes to what you said with clarification.

First, someone could die from the complications of Scabies, ie, infection. But, they can't die from Scabies. But, they might go crazy from itching! 

Mange can be contracted from animals. I believe the two taxidermists picked it up. But, as stated before, it's self limiting because an animal mange mite can't reproduce on a human. Had they chose not to get treatment, it would have gone away on it's own.

And, you are right to a degree about mites not needing a warm host. Mites can live off a host for a very short time. The warmer the weather, the longer they can live. But, they must have a source of food to live. They do not live or survive in the soil more than a few days at most and then that's when it's warm out. In these freezing temps we get in ND and MN, the mites don't live long at all. So, if a coyote that has mange is in a den, leaves it and it's visited by another coyote an hour later, technically they could pick it up. So, it's true that it's not strictly animal to animal but the time frame without a host is so short that it's considered animal to animal. These mites don't "live" in the soil. Rather they "survive" for a short while without a host.

I don't mean to be a pain in the side but these are the facts on Mange/Scabies. It's documented all over the internet. Do a search and you'll find the facts.

Randy


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## R Buker (Oct 29, 2005)

That was interesting.

Gohon made a reply to which I just replied. Now his post is gone and mine makes no sense. So, I took mine out too...

I thought I was in the twilight zone for a minute there. :wink:


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## Gohon (Feb 14, 2005)

Well, since we..... or more correctly the thread were talking about Sarcoptic mange or Scabies as it is sometimes called and found in animals, in this case coyotes, I didn't think it necessary to clarify there are two forms Scabies, one that is transmitted from humans and one that is transmitted from animals. But I stand by my original statement that mange, or scabies caught from a animal is self limiting in humans and professional treatment is not required if you become infected by a animal. Reading from the same fact sheet you quoted from in your later post, http://www.cdc.gov/NCIDOD/DPD/parasites ... cabies.htm scabies contacted from another human cannot be don so by just casual contact. Bottom line............... if you come in contact with mange/scabies while hunting, don't worry about it. Take a good bath, wash your gear and clothes and you're ready to hunt again.


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## R Buker (Oct 29, 2005)

There it is! That one makes more sense and I understand what you were staying.

But, I think in most cases folks accept a difference in the terms Scabies and Mange. And they do so for clarification if nothing else. It's commonly accepted that Scabies refers to the human mite and mange refers to the animal mite.

With that to go on, if a hunter comes in contact with a mangey animal there is still a risk and they should not take it lightly. While they may not get a full blown case, the case they do get can be pretty miserable for a while.


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