Back throughout a good portion of last year and this year, there have been the sightings and captures of the infamous 'coyotes with severe mange' occurences. I haven't seen this link posted anywhere else, so take a look, it's happening again. The only thing that I find odd about these is the fact that they happen all over the United States from Maryland to Texas and even parts of California. I'm not 100% convinced that these are coyotes with mange. Even Whitley Strieber has had the DNA analyzed and the results came back inconclusive. I've seen that you have some of the older pictures in the image gallery, so.. here you are.

http://www.kltv.com/Global/story.asp?S=3048669&nav=1TjDXFJ9

What about the dead one, the one that doesnt bleed and people are thinking is El Chupacabras? Is it just a cayote, too?

I didnt think it would be El Chupa, though. The dipictions could never be farther off.

Aye, it was the one that a farmer killed and it supposedly didn't bleed and when they took pictures of it.. a lady pulled it up by the ear and it crumbled into dust. I'd agree with you though, the only reason why people are pinning it as a Chupacabra is the fact that once again, they aren't sure what it is.

Some other interesting facts is that this animal supposedly has a voracious appetite and has killed dozens of chickens and devoured them in a matter of one night. Also, others have seen the animals and that they are very agile and can easily jump over six foot fences. One man claimed it jumped his fence and ate his dog before his eyes.

Eyewitness accounts though, so who can really say. People like to be on television and the local news, so sometimes they will say anything to do so.

how is it ugly... if it was given a good wash and better fed it would be adorible...

lol, not like you'd keep it as a pet though.

Exactly. People who are not sure of what these strange looking dog-like creatures are immediatley assume its a chupacabra, ridiculous. That canine does not look like a goat sucker, I'll tell you that. I really doubt that it had a voracious appetite, killed dozens of chickens and devoured them in one night, and can jump over six foot fences. Seems a little...Beyond!

True, people will say anything to either fool peoples minds or just get themselves to appear on television. I just believe that its a dog who is suffering from severe mange...

I had a dog with mange once. It wasn't pretty, and the poor thing was miserable. I doubt he would do any jumping, let alone over a 6 foot wall. (Of course, we took him to the vet and got him patched up.) He didn't have a voracious appetite, either.

Seems more like a strange mutation or cross-breed. Very interesting, though.

Got some information based on mange:

Mangy mutt! is a curse uttered when Fido steals the roast or eats the garage door, or it's a sad lament over the condition of a dog whose skin is a mess. Kids are cautioned not to touch a mangy dog for fear that the mange will ooze from the hapless pooch to the child and cause his skin to rot and his hair to fall out.

These myths about mange reach gigantic proportions causing fear to strike in the hearts of dog owners. Mange? Not my dog!

But it could well be your dog.

Mange comes in three varieties: Demodectic, Cheyletiella and Sarcoptic. It is caused by different species of mites, tiny eight-legged critters related to spiders.


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Demodectic Mange
Demodectic mange is caused by Demodex canis, a tiny mite that cannot be seen without the aid of a microscope. This mange strikes puppies from three to 12 months old.

The demodex mite is commonly present in the pores of puppy skin and usually does not cause symptoms, and it not at all certain what causes them to activate. The mites can produce a substance that lowers the dog's resistance to them and make use of an opportunity to multiply.

It's also possible that some lines of purebred dogs carry lowered resistance to the mites, and that stress can trigger an active infestation. In any case, demodectic mange symptoms include thinning of the hair around the eyes and mouth and on the front legs that evolves into patches of hair loss approximately one inch in diameter. This mange may correct itself within three months or may require treatment.

However, demodectic mange can also begin as a localized infestation and develop into a generalized case with multiple hair-loss sites on the dog's head, legs, and body. This is a far more serious condition and requires veterinary attention. The dog's skin is sore, crusty, and oozing; the hair follicles are clogged with mites and debris. Treatment is extended and requires bathing in medicated shampoo and application of an insecticide to kill the mites.


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Cheyletiella mange
Cheyletiella mange is also known as walking dandruff. It affects puppies and is caused by a large reddish mite that can be seen under a magnifying glass. This mange is identified by the dandruff dusting that occurs over the dog's head, neck, and back.

Walking dandruff is highly contagious but short-lived. It causes mild itching. The mite that causes the mange dies a short time after leaving the host.


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Sarcoptic mange
Sarcoptic mange, also known as scabies, is caused by a microscopic mite. The female mite causes the characteristic intense itching as they burrow under the skin to lay their eggs. The eggs hatch in a few days, develop into adults, and begin laying their own eggs in less than three weeks.

Dogs with scabies dig and bite at themselves with great ferocity. Their skin reacts with oozing sores, and secondary infection may set in, requiring treatment with an antibiotic in addition to treatment for the mites. Unfortunately, the sarcoptic mange mite can be difficult to find in skin scrapings, and unless the veterinarian parts the hair and carefully examines the bare skin for the characteristic pin-point bite marks, diagnosis is difficult. Furthermore, the presence of a secondary skin infection can hamper the search for the mite bite marks.

Telltale signs of sarcoptic mange are crusty ear tips, fierce itching, and hair loss, particularly on the ears, elbows, legs, and face in the early stages. Later on, the hair loss spreads throughout the body.

Sarcoptic mange is contagious to canines and humans. If the dogs share sleeping places or if the infected dog sleeps on beds or furniture, everyone will begin scratching. It is not unheard of for the family dog to infest the kids, the kids to infest their playmates, and the playmates to infest their pets and parents with scabies. Fortunately scabies in humans is self-limiting, that is the mite can burrow under the skin and cause itching, but cannot complete its life cycle on humans and dies within a few weeks.

Veterinarians now use Ivermectin in two doses, two weeks apart, to kill the mites. They may also prescribe steroids for short-term use to relieve the itching until the mites begin to die off and give the dog some relief. Itching usually begins to subside within a few days of the first dose of Ivermectin.

Canine skin damaged by sarcoptic mange and secondary skin infections can take weeks or months to recover, depending on the scope of the problems. Frequent medicated baths may be necessary to soothe irritated skin.

Mange damage can mimic that caused by other skin conditions, including autoimmune diseases, bacterial infections secondary to flea allergies, and contact dermatitis, making it impossible for the pet owner to diagnose with any success. If your dog suffers from irritated, itchy skin, make an appointment with the veterinarian. Early diagnosis of any of these problems will give you a head start on a cure and will be less uncomfortable for the dog and your wallet.

Source: http://www.canismajor.com/dog/mange1.html

I would of posted pictures up, but it might disturb some people. If it wont, tell me because I could get some good pictures.


*Updated my avatar and signature! *

On several occasions I have had to "remove" coyotes infected with mange. I have had close proximity interactions with as many as 50-70 infected coyotes. In the U.P. of Michigan coyotes are plentiful. Mange runs in cycles as the population of coyotes does. They do NOT have a voracious appetite. They will NOT be jumping over any fences-let alone a 6 foot fence. As the mange progresses they become more and more lethargic and unpredictable. They do become more dangerous-but not more agressive.Only more dangerous because of the unpredicability. All I know is that coyotes are more succeptable to mange than other species.

Hey deerfly!

Interesting facts. Also, does mange have an effect on the dogs personalty/behavior as raybes does?

I have only seen 2 dogs with the mange. They were both treated before the full effects were felt. They did each show signs of lethargy, tho.

I would imagine that any animal with any sort of bad enough physical infection would become lethargic and sickly, not jumpt eight feet high.

So basically if a dog is infected with mange, it becomes drowsy and slow. So like dragonlady mothman said, how would that provide energy for a dog to jump six feet in the air!?

that's what I'm saying-the story of an infected animal jumping fences or going on a feeding binge is highly unlikely.whatever animal is eating a dozen chickens and jumping fences-isn't an animal with mange.

Exactly...so what was doing it?

Either fake or like most people would say - CHUPACABRA!

I wont make any assumption on that. If I waas there and I personally could view eveidence-then I would. All I know is that I don't know.

I disagree that El Chupa is nothing more than a stray dog. Dogs dont kill that way. I'll beleive it's some bored kids before i beleive El Chupa is a dog.

In a situation like that-it turns out to be an animal acting outside of its' norm. I have seen it before. With all species of predator-there are "rouges". They act outside of the species' norm. As Mysterman said-could be a fake story.

Well actually the chupacabra is not known for what figure it could possibly be. I'll tell you this though, dogs are not an animal that people consider as the chupacabra. I just said chupacabra because beside the mange dog sleeping and dozing off, their could of been a chupacabra since it fits the description of killing and blood sucking dozens of chickens in one night, but that was mostly a joke.

Any unexplained animal attacks end up as "Chupa". Why is that?

that's one theory ive heard on so-called "chupacabras attacks", that it's a stray dog.

but dogs dont drink blood and leave the meat!

Any random attack, unknown attack, strange mutilation - it all falls upon the chupacabra. Why!? Because people have a crazy creative imaginitive mind and the wierdest and most unknown animal should be responsible (from the views of people) for the strangest mutilations. Why? Who knows -

I'm glad to see someone here who has actually been in contact with animals that have had mange. Question though, I know that in cases of mange.. let's say sarcoptic for now causes severe lethargy, weight loss and such but, does it cause parts of the body to just disintigrate?

With these particular animals, experts believe that is sarcoptic. Another couple of things said were that the second animal that was killed, the woman that worked at a vet saw it's 'mate' run in front of her car and that it was extremely fast. The first that was recovered had the skull examined and they found that the jaw was fused together in a way that shouldn't be possible.

And I certainly agree with the fact that it couldn't jump that high or scale fences that way, I'll see what else I can find out.

Yeah, it is good to have members who actually experienced encouners. Gives a whole new view and ideas.

Sarcoptic mange does not cause disentegration of body parts.

Sarcoptic mange (technically is is called notoedric mange in cats), commonly know as scabies, is caused by an external parasite that burrows deep into the skin. It is contagious to other pets and occurs in many different animals. It causes intense itchiness, especially affecting the ear margins, elbows, and face. People can pick up this disease from their pet and show symptoms of itching, but it goes away by itself in a short time and does not require treatment in most cases.

It is important to note that the diagnosis of this skin condition, like most skin conditions, can not be made just by looking at a pet. Diagnostic tests are mandatory to arrive at a correct diagnosis and achieve a satisfactory outcome to therapy. Stating that an animal looks "mangey" is not the same thing as making a positive diagnosis of mange. Pets that have Ringworm , Demodex. and allergies can look like they have Sarcoptic mange.

Cause
Sarcoptic mange is caused by a mite called Notoedres, a microscopic ectoparasite that burrows in to the skin.

Symptoms
The most prevalent symptom of sarcoptic mange is intense itching called pruritis. This itching will inflame the skin and cause scabs with a secondary bacterial infection (pyoderma) occurring due to the trauma. The areas most commonly affected are the ear margins, elbows, and face. Some pets will shake their ears excessively and cause an aural hematoma (swollen ear). These symptoms can mimic those of other skin conditions, so the rules of the diagnostic process should be carefully adhered to.

Diagnosis
The primary way to diagnose sarcoptic mange is to do a skin scraping where the patches of alopecia occur. Finding these mites under the microscope can be very difficult in this disease. A pet that has the symptoms of Sarcoptic mange and is negative on skin scrapings for the parasite can still have the disease. In these cases we commonly treat for the disease anyway, because the treatment is highly effective.

Treatment
The usual treatment for Sarcoptic mange is a drug called Ivermectin. It is an injection given weekly for up to 4 weeks. Most pets decrease their scratching rapidly after the first injection. Some dogs, particularly Collies, Shetland Sheepdogs, and Old English Sheepdogs do not tolerate the medication well. In these pets we use a dip called Lyme Sulfur that is also very effective. The disadvantage to the dip is the odor it causes and the staining of white coated animals. All pets in a household should be treated regardless of whether they are showing symptoms or not. Pets that have secondary skin infections from the trauma might also be put on antibiotics.

Prevention
Good nutrition and plenty of play and exercise are always important to maintain the proper balance to fight off disease. All pets in a household that has a pet diagnosed with this disease should also be treated.

I didn't put up a link or put up a warning because these pictures, maturely and honestly, aren't as gross as usuall gross pictures. The following pictures are victims of sarcptic mange:


(On the left cheek)


(Clearly visible all over)

This picture might be a little gross. WARNING!
http://www.biosci.ohio-state.edu/~parasite...optic_mange.gif


(spreading from the lower part of the body to the upper part)




(Even on pigs)!