Can you get scabies from pets?

Animals do not spread scabies to humans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Human scabies and animal scabies are different types, but animal scabies can cause mange in pets. The mites that result from mange can burrow under a persons skin and cause itching and irritation.

A person who has mites that were spread from an animal does not require medical attention; only the animal must be treated to prevent future infestation, explains the CDC. Scabies is spread from human to human through close skin-to-skin contact, often through a sexual encounter. Human scabies is also rarely spread by using a shared towel or article of clothing that an infected person wears.