Last Updated: 05/05/2025
Help us save the Wombats
Bravecto has partnered with WIRES to combat mange in Australia. Find out how you can support the cause.
Author: Dr Teagan Lever BVSc (Hons)
Reading Time: 26 minutes - medium read
Last Updated: 05/05/2025
Bravecto has partnered with WIRES to combat mange in Australia. Find out how you can support the cause.
Author: Dr Teagan Lever BVSc (Hons)
Reading Time: 26 minutes - medium read
Bravecto has partnered with WIRES to combat wombat mange in Australia and WIRES have estimated that so far they have treated over 1,000 wombats. Find out how you can support the cause.
Wombats are not only absolutely adorable, they are an iconic Australian marsupial. Unfortunately there is a significant parasitic disease, Sarcoptic mange, which severely affects wombats and is one of the greatest threats to them in Australia.
Until recently, treatment has proved difficult, time-consuming and with varied results but there is new hope with Bravecto Spot-on for Dogs showing great promise for the loveable species.
Mange is a skin disease that is caused by a tiny parasitic mite that burrows into the skin of an animal causing a painful infection. Mites can also affect humans, as well as many animals, a condition commonly known as scabies. It has been recorded that scabies, or Sarcoptic mange affects 150 species of wild mammals around the world with wombats suffering the worst form of mange known as crusted mange.
The mites cause irritation of the skin which leads to intense itching and resulting in hair loss and inflammation. Unfortunately, this disease in wombats can be fatal, causing a thick and itchy skin, severe skin infections and even impairment to their vision and hearing.
Sarcoptic mange causes significant animal welfare and conservation concerns, especially for bare-nosed wombats living in Australia. Mange is the biggest threat to wombats in NSW and is estimated to be present in 90% of local populations. Due to the intense itchiness that the mites cause, the wombats scratch themselves causing open wounds and scabs. Unless the mange is treated, the infestation progresses and eventually the wombats are so severely compromised that they die from secondary infections.
Treating wombats with early clinical signs of mange will lead to complete resolution of mange. Increased rates of mange are often associated with high wombat densities and periods of environmental stress like drought.
The wombat pictured was a part of important research and had an ear tag fitted so it could be tracked in the field.
Until recently the best available option for treating mange in wombats was to use a weekly treatment of Cydectin solution applied directly to the wombatâs skin. This treatment was time consuming and took months to work, with many wombats not recovering at all. As Sarcoptes mites are highly contagious and can live in the burrows in the absence of wombats for up to three weeks, it made it even more difficult to treat and eradicate the mange in the wombat populations.
Bravecto Spot-on for Dogs is a topical treatment that treats and controls fleas, ticks and mites in dogs. The active ingredient in Bravecto is called fluralaner.
In 2019 MSD Animal Health (the manufacturer of Bravecto) supported an Australian Research Council grant with the University of Tasmania on the safety and efficacy studies of fluralaner use in wombats. It was found that fluralaner was effectively able to control mange in wombats with just 1 to 3 treatments. From this study, since March 2022, Bravecto Spot-on for Dogs has been granted a permit by Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicine Authority to allow for use in wombats to control Sarcoptic mange.
This permit has provided a breakthrough in managing the disease and conserving the well-being and welfare of wombats living in Australia. Bravecto has partnered with WIRES Wildlife Rescue to distribute Bravecto Spot-on for Dogs for volunteers around Australia to use on wombats. This will significantly improve the welfare of wombats in Australia and help combat this deadly disease.
Mange is extremely contagious and so the faster wombats receive treatment, the higher their chance of survival and a reduction in spread of the disease. The Bravecto Spot-on for Dogs treatment is effective in breaking the lifecycle of the mite and is long lasting, providing a much needed hopeful aim of abolishing the disease in localised wombat populations.
WIRES is Australia's largest wildlife rescue organisation. It has been in operation for over 35 years rescuing and caring for sick, injured and orphaned wildlife. Bravecto has partnered with WIRES by donating 2,000 doses per year of Bravecto Spot-on for Dogs to WIRES for use in wombats.
WIRES have allocated 933 of these doses to 10 external organisations treating wombat mange. These organisations include Mange Management Victoria, ARC Tasmania, Wildlife Rescue South Coast, Wombat Rescue ACT, ACT Wildlife, Snowy Mountains Wildlife Rescue and Water NSW, Wildlife Carers Network Central West and SONA.
The remaining doses have been distributed to WIRES members across 13 branches in NSW to treat mange in wombats.
It has been estimated that based on the Bravecto supplied to WIRES, external organisations and community mange treaters, over 1,000 wombats with mange have been able to be treated so far.
Wendy is a wombat that lives under a house in Jamberoo, NSW. She previously had severe mange which was treated but has unfortunately early signs reappeared in the last few months and she was treated again. When a member of the public saw Wendy, she noticed that Wendy was not only showing signs of mange but she also had a baby in her pouch.
Surprisingly, there is another wombat, a male which also lives under the same house. He also has mange that is worse than Wendy's but he has now been treated with Bravecto and will be closely watched for recovery. The volunteer is keeping a close eye on all the wombats and there have been some rare glimpses of the baby running alongside mum and both are looking well. Even though Wendy has been through two horrible mange infestations, she is presently healthy and well enough to raise her baby.
When you buy any Bravecto product on Pet Circle between 1-31 October, 2023, $1 will be donated to WIRES to support the treatment program for wombat mange, including helping with the program administration and distribution of Bravecto doses and other supplies to WIRES members and partner organisations.
If you would like to help more, WIRES has also recently introduced a new WIRES Community Mange Program, designed to help those in the community who would like to be actively involved in treating wombats with mange.
If you are a resident of NSW and over 18 and want to volunteer to help treat wombats with mange in your community, you may be eligible to join the WIRES Community Mange Treatment Program. Join the fight to save wombats by enrolling here - WIRES Mange Treatment Course.
IMPORTANT: Please do not purchase Bravecto with the intent to treat wombats directly by yourself. Wombats can be very territorial and charge, so special handling training is required to do this work. Bravecto should only be applied to wombats by support teams working with official organisations treating wombat mange, like the WIRES Community Mange Treatment Program. If you believe a wombat in your area may have mange, please take note of where they are, leave them and contact WIRES.
Want to read more? Check out our other articles:
Your guide to fleas, ticks and worms
How to make pet dental care easier
Want to know more? Check out our Discover Page for more tips on keeping your pets happy and healthy.
