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Mange in Show Pigs: What It Looks Like and How to Treat It
Mange in pigs is caused by a tiny mite, Sarcoptes scabiei var. suis, that lives in the skin. It almost always starts inside the ear, as rusty brown wax around the ear opening. From there it can build into thick crusts and show up on the body. The only way to know it is mange is a skin scraping from inside the ear. If it is mange, every pig on the place gets treated at the same time.
We get asked about mange mites almost every day, and a lot of what gets passed around on social media is wrong. Here are the facts.
What mange looks like on a pig
Mites almost always set up first inside the ear, and the ear is where you will see it first.
- Early: rusty brown wax in and around the ear opening. It is easy to write off as a dirty ear.
- Spreading: crusts start to build at the edge of the opening, with flaky scale around them.
- Advanced: thick, lumpy, tan crusts build up at the base of the ear.
- On the body: red bumps and scabby, crusty skin, mostly behind the front legs and between the back legs.
Itching is the hallmark. A pig with mange rubs and scratches, and you will see rubbed hair and scratch marks where he has been at it.
Look in both ears. Mange usually shows up in both. If a pig has a sore spot somewhere on his body but both ears look clean, it is almost certainly not mange.
A head tilt is probably not mange either. A pig that tilts his head has a problem in one ear, most likely water in the ear or an ear infection. That still deserves a call to your vet.
How to know for sure: the skin scraping
To make a sure diagnosis, do a skin scraping from the inside of the ear and look for the mites.
- With a microscope: put a drop of mineral oil on the scraping and look at it on low power. Live mites move through the oil.
- Without one: put the scraping on a black sheet of paper and gently blow away the dry skin. Mites show up as white or light gray specks, and they move. Skin flakes sit still. Mites walk.
A scraping that comes up empty does not rule mange out. If you still suspect it, have your vet take a scraping.
Where mange comes from, and where it doesn’t
- Size and color: the mite is under 1/32 inch long and gray to white. You can see it with the naked eye against a black background.
- Life cycle: from egg to adult it happens only in the skin of a pig, and takes about 10 to 15 days.
- Off the pig: mites and their eggs survive only a short time. They last longer when it is cool and moist and less time when it is warm and dry. At normal barn temperatures, about 70 degrees, a mite lives less than 2 hours away from a pig.
The takeaway: mites cannot survive in bedding. The shavings or straw you bought at the farm store is not where the mites came from. Mites spread pig to pig. Survival off the pig only matters in practice in winter, in barns that are not heated.
When it isn’t mange
People often post pictures of pigs with skin problems on social media. Without fail, the Facebook “veterinarians” diagnose mange, and then tell the poster the mange came from bedding bought at a certain farm store. More often than not they have the diagnosis wrong, and now you know the bedding story is hogwash too.
Show pigs are prone to dermatitis, and much of it starts at the wash rack. Every wash strips away the natural oils and the skin microbiome that protect the skin. If shampoo is not rinsed out completely, dermatitis is almost certain. Many of the lesions I see posted look more like garden-variety dermatitis than mange.
Fly bites are another common one. They show up as separate spots you can count, with normal skin between them.
When you wash, keep water out of the ear itself. Rinse behind the ear and around its base, wipe the outside with a damp cloth, and dry it afterward.
That is why a scraping matters. I wrote more about other skin problems here: skin problems in show pigs, and why it is usually not mange.
Treating mange
If the scraping confirms mange, work out the treatment with your veterinarian. The key is to treat every pig on the premises at the same time. That stops the pig-to-pig spread.
- Injectables: ivermectin or doramectin (Dectomax) are the treatments of choice. Give two doses about 18 days apart. The second dose catches the mites that hatch after the first one.
- Prolate: you can use Prolate with the injectables or on its own. Spray the whole pig every 3 days, 6 times over 18 days.
- Use a sprayer with a wand. You cannot get good coverage of the underside without one, and the underside is where body lesions show up.
- Withdrawal times: show pigs are food animals. Every one of these products has a withdrawal time on its label. Plan treatment around your show dates, and ask your vet.
Provilli will help those lesions heal. It is useful for other kinds of dermatitis too.
Mange facts at a glance
- Mange starts in the ear: rusty brown wax first, then crusts.
- Mites live their whole life cycle in the skin of a pig.
- Off the pig, mites survive less than 2 hours at 70 degrees.
- Mites cannot survive in a bag of shavings or a bale of straw.
- Not every skin lesion is mange. Confirm it with a skin scraping.
- Treat every pig on the place at the same time: ivermectin or doramectin, a Prolate spray program, or both.
Our show pig supplements page sorts every True North product for show pigs by the job it does, so you can match it to what your pig needs.
Questions show families ask about mange
What does mange look like on a pig?
It starts in the ear as rusty brown wax around the ear opening. It can build into thick, lumpy, tan crusts at the base of the ear. On the body it shows up as red bumps and scabby, crusty skin, mostly behind the front legs and between the back legs. Pigs with mange itch and rub.
How can I tell if my pig has mange or something else?
Do a skin scraping from inside the ear. Put it on black paper, blow away the dry skin, and watch for white or gray specks that move. Under a microscope, a drop of mineral oil on the scraping lets you watch the mites move through it. Look in both ears, too. If both ears look clean, mange is unlikely.
Can pigs get mange from shavings or straw?
No. Mange mites survive off a pig for only a short time, less than 2 hours at normal barn temperatures. Mange spreads from pig to pig, not from bedding.
How do you treat mange in show pigs?
Treat every pig on the place at the same time, so the mites cannot pass back and forth. Vets use an injectable such as ivermectin or doramectin, a Prolate spray program, or both. Your vet sets the program and the withdrawal time.
Does a head tilt mean my pig has mange?
Probably not. A tilted head points to a problem in one ear, most often water in the ear or an ear infection, and mange usually affects both ears. A head tilt still deserves a call to your vet.
How long do mange mites live off a pig?
Not long. At about 70 degrees, a mite lives less than 2 hours away from a pig. They last a little longer when it is cool and damp, which is why unheated barns in winter are the only real concern.