Any discussion of mange will eventually get around to a discussion about skin scraping. Skin scraping sounds like a pretty painful process, but don’t worry–it’s not too bad. The skin scrape is a very common procedure that animal doctors use to diagnose anything from the average itch to a nasty fungus. And, incidentally, it’s part of diagnosing mange, too.

The Process of a Skin Scrape
Here’s how the skin scrape happens. The vet will select a spot on the animal’s skin where the mange is worst. The goal of a skin scrape is to see what’s happening in the skin, and hopefully to catch sight of the mites that are causing the mange. The doctor gently scrapes away the fur from a small patch of skin, and continues scraping away several layers of the skin, collecting the cells and debris in a small dish. The doctor must scrape the skin away, almost until the point of bleeding. Often, mites burrow deep within the skin, which is why several layers of skin are necessary for the skin scrape.

After the Skin Scraping
Using the cells from the skin scrape, the vet will take them in for a careful examination under a microscope. As mentioned, the doctor is looking for mites. Seeing mites will immediately confirm the case of mange, and finding out what kind of mites will give the doctor even more information with which he can work as he treats your pet’s condition.

The Point of a Skin Scrape
Why all this pain, all this scraping, and all this microscopic examination? After all, isn’t mange just mange? Shouldn’t you just do what you normally do to an animal with mange? Yes and no. First, there are several types of skin conditions that have symptoms similar to mange. Different conditions are treated differently. A misdiagnosis and a misdirected treatment could spell some serious trouble for your pet. Second, there are several types of mites, too. Not all mange is created equal. It helps to know what type of mange your pet is dealing with so you can treat it with them most effectiveness.