|Articles|May 18, 2017

Don't just scrape by on your skin sampling skills

Author(s)Kimberly S. Coyner, DVM, DACVD

This how-to handout on performing a skin scraping will help improve your chances of catching an infection with mighty sneaky mites in veterinary patients.

If you think a veterinary patient might be infected with Demodex, Sarcoptes or Cheyletiella species mites, you can increase your likelihood of capturing one or more of these mites within a skin sample by varying your technique depending which type you most likely suspect. Keep this pictorial how-to on performing a skin scraping from Kimberly S. Coyner, DVM, DACVD, on hand and help manage the mange! Click here to download the PDF.

From exam room tips to practice management insights, get trusted veterinary news delivered straight to your inbox—subscribe to dvm360.

Don't just scrape by on your skin sampling skills

Related Content

How Do I Say...?: Preblocked scheduling that ends daily chaos

Preventing lost dogs on July 4: Stress cues, safe spaces, and recall training

What your team won't tell you: Why good intentions aren't enough to understand your practice culture

Putting inclusion into action in veterinary medicine

AI tech trends in 2026

Latest CME

Clinical Empathy: The Exam Room Skill That Can Transform Your Team

4 Hidden Financial Problems Veterinarians CAN Find & Solve

Is Premises Flea and Tick Control Still Needed?

Do You Know JAK? How Janus Kinase Inhibitors Work and how They have been Game Changers for the Treatment of Canine Atopic Dermatitis

Early Diagnosis, Staging, and Management of CKD

Perfect Timing: protecting dogs from tick-borne infections

Maximize the Value of Your Multi-DVM Practice in Today's Selling Landscape

Treating Diabetes in Dogs and Cats: How to Get Started on the Right Foot

Chronic Pain Management: Looking beyond NSAIDs

5 Ways to Build Better Patient-Client Relationships With AI: Strengthening Care and Connection in Veterinary Practice

Mastering Atopic Dermatitis: Multimodal Management for Holistic Control

Ultra-Easy Ultrasound: Handheld Diagnostic Imaging for Picture-Perfect Outcomes - Case Studies

How to Optimize Skin Biopsy Results

Effective Cardiac Auscultation: What are You Hearing?

Modulating Immunity: Mushrooms, Oats, and Colostrum

That’s not my job!: Practical solutions for workplace toxicity

Strategically Planning How to Set Up Your Finances for a Banner Year

Save More Teeth with ReGum Vet

Introduction to Rigid Endoscopy

The Affordability Gap In Veterinary Care - Insights, Market Trends & Practical Approaches To Supporting Pet Parents

Mitigating fear, anxiety, and stress for patients in isolation and quarantine housing

Unlock Your Business's Potential: How to Use Your P & L to Calculate Your Make-Break Target

Demystifying Fiber: How to Approach Fiber-Responsive Diarrhea in Dogs and Cats

Advances in Feline Perioperative Pain Management

Old Dogs, Fat Cats: Perioperative Pain Management in the Geriatric and Obese Patient

2024 AHS Canine Guidelines Update

Chat FecalGPT? Using AI for Revolutionary Parasite Diagnostics and Prevention

All things allergies! From nose to tail and ear to paw..

Safety Shows Respect: OSHA compliance as a way to boost morale and bond teams

Cobalamin Status in Patients With Chronic GI Disease and Management

Why 2+DVM Practices Are at Risk Today: Myths Guide Many Decisions...Not FACTS!

Chronic Disease Management in Practice: Enhancing Care Through Personalized Recommendations

Make or Break: How the Right Mentorship Program Can Define Your Veterinary Career

Can I help my client’s Cruciate Ligament-Deficient dog when TPLO/TTA isn’t an option?

The Role of JAK Inhibitors in Treating Pruritus Associated with Allergic and Atopic Dermatitis in Canines

Creating a Calmer Clinic

Senior Renal Care/CKD: Early Diagnosis and Slowing Progression with a Multimodal Approach

Tick Tidbits: Novel Insights & Protection Updates on These Tiny Troublemakers

Repurposed Drugs—An Economical Way Forward for Cancer in Vet Med?

Changing Outcomes, Saving Lives

Conservative Management of Cruciate Injury

Flex Your Veterinary Skills: Mastering Joint Health with Flexadin

Veterinary Professional Liability- Common Claim Drivers

Managing Canine Atopic Dermatitis in 2024

How to Become a STELFONTA® (tigilanol tiglate injection) SUPERSTAR: Part 1 of 4

How to Become a STELFONTA® (tigilanol tiglate injection) SUPERSTAR: Part 2 of 4

Photochemical Laser Therapies and Case Studies

Paws and Reflect: Transforming Pet Health with Nutrition for Obesity, GI, and Urinary Tract Wellness

The Heart of the Matter: Managing complex congestive heart failure

Four Tactics That Make Financial Failure Virtually Impossible

Puppy Socialization or Infectious Disease Prevention – Can’t We Have Both??

From Diagnosis to Lifelong Care: Advancing Feline Chronic Kidney Disease Management

Suture Basics and Applications

Save More Teeth with ReGum Vet Podcast

A Modern Approach to Canine Atopic Dermatitis: is there a better way?

Trending on dvm360

Q&A: Managing anemia, appetite loss, and phosphorus in feline chronic kidney disease

How Do I Say...?: Preblocked scheduling that ends daily chaos

Applying the principles of intravenous drug delivery

Keeping senior pets hydrated and comfortable all summer long

Feline veterinary hospice offers cats and clients familiar comforts (Part 2): Guiding in-home hospice care and euthanasia planning