Subcutaneous tick in dogs - demodicosis

The skin in dogs is much more sensitive than in humans. Therefore, what people feel after an insect bite does not compare with the feelings of our pets. Given that dogs are much more likely to be attacked by bloodsucking parasites, this phenomenon can be called a real disaster for them. One of the parasites is a subcutaneous tick in dogs or demodicosis, it is not only a cause of discomfort, but also the culprit of various animal diseases. It is impossible to protect pets 100% from him, so dog owners should know what kind of parasite it is and how to deal with it.

Demodecosis: basic information about the disease

This is an invasive disease, in another way - iron gland, which is caused by endoparasitic mites localized inside the sebaceous glands, hair follicles, and also penetrate the internal organs.

A manifestation of demodicosis is skin dermatitis , hyperkeratosis (thickening of the stratum corneum of the epithelium), damage to tissues of internal organs, and general exhaustion of the body.

There are recorded cases of diagnosing the disease in 2-month-old puppies, but most often infection with a subcutaneous tick occurs in young dogs - from six months to two years of age.

The so-called "youthful" demodicosis most often infects individuals of the following breeds:

• German shepherd dogs
• boxers ;
• Chihuahua
• pit bull terriers;
• Pugs
• collie;
• Afghan hounds .

A tick is localized, that is, only one part of the body is affected, or generalized - when a tick spreads to various tissues and organs. Given the varying degrees of damage, there is no single prognosis for a cure.

With a localized form, the lesion is present only on one part of the body, but there may be several sites. This type of disease has a benign character and the main symptom is hyperemia of the skin in the limbs or muzzle. If the disease is accompanied by an infection of a bacterial origin, then suppuration or the appearance of dry patches of the skin is possible.

With this degree of the disease, the prognosis is quite favorable. In 90% of cases, a sudden remission occurs for a period of three weeks to two months, regardless of which therapy is used. In other cases, dog demodicosis develops into a more complex - generalized form. There are breeds that are prone to this particular form of subcutaneous mite lesion:

• boxer;
• dachshund ;
• Shih Tzu
• Dalmatian
• shar pei.

There are a certain number of factors contributing to the fact that the localized form of the disease flows into the generalized:

• genetic addiction;
• the state of the immune system;
• the presence of diseases associated with the endocrine system. (Cushing's syndrome, oncology, etc.)

In this situation, it is difficult to make a prognosis; relapses of the disease often occur. Only in 50% of cases dogs recover without the use of special therapy. But only on condition that secondary infection suppresses immune mechanisms.

Pets with a reduced resistance to infections are at risk of subcutaneous mites; the following breeds are at risk:

• dwarf pinchers;
• Chihuahua
• toy terriers;
• dachshunds
• boxers and others

Often infected young individuals with immunodeficiency. The disease is transmitted by contact, when communicating with carriers of the parasite or sick animals. In addition, the dog can become infected through care products and various materials.

Varieties of Demodecosis in Dogs

Once on the skin of an animal, parasites can cause three types of diseases:

• Scaly demodicosis is the main symptom of an ailment - peeling of the skin surface. In this case, the risk of getting pathogenic bacteria to the affected areas increases, which causes a strong inflammatory process.
• Pustular demodicosis - on the skin there are small compacted nodules - pustules, their size does not exceed 3-4 mm. Purulent exudate with putrid odor is released from pustules. Blood-purulent discharge dries on the skin of the pet, forming brown crusts. This type of disease requires long-term therapy.
• Often, both forms of the disease develop simultaneously in dogs, in this case the animal loses its appetite, since the tick is most often localized on the organs of the gastrointestinal tract.

Symptoms of demodicosis in dogs

In most cases, the subcutaneous tick first affects the area of ​​the dog’s head - eyebrows, lips, cheeks, then the neck, joints of the legs suffer, in the case of a generalized form, other parts of the body are affected. At the localization sites of the parasite, the following is observed:

• the skin turns red, cracking, suppuration is formed;
• on the affected areas, hair falls out , bald patches form;
• itching may be absent or may be weak, therefore, with demodicosis, the dog sometimes does not itch, but can lick the bite sites; but if he does eat, the animal will itch all the time;
• the pus released from the pustules smells of rot;
• the dog can shiver even in hot weather, since the disease disrupts thermoregulation.

Initially, small lesions increase significantly over time. All inflamed surfaces lose their coat. Naturally, the disease also affects the behavior of the dog, the pet becomes lethargic, irritable, tries to avoid communication even with its owner.

What to do if a dog is bitten by a tick

Of course, all the owners are interested in the question, is it possible to remove the parasite on its own? The answer is no, and you should not even try to do it. Ticks penetrate the hair follicles and glands, and there are a lot of them on the body of the animal.

Each dog owner should know what to do and how to behave properly in this case:

• Firstly, you should not try to treat a pet yourself, since even an experienced veterinarian is not so easy to diagnose a subcutaneous tick. Therefore, as soon as lesions were found, it is necessary to immediately deliver the animal to the clinic.
• Secondly, it is necessary to facilitate the specialist’s task by preparing a detailed anamnesis - gender, age of the pet, from which and when it was vaccinated, what ailments he suffered, whether there are allergic reactions .
• Thirdly, before visiting the clinic, you should not use any external means, trying to eliminate the symptoms of the disease - itching, pain, etc. Since the doctor first of all takes an analysis - scraping from the affected areas.

Let the owners not be scared, the procedure will not cause discomfort to the pet. The veterinarian pinches the skin between the thumb and forefinger, presses to remove the parasite from the hair follicle. After the received material is carefully studied.

Ticks are often found in healthy dogs. If a scraping analysis reveals one or two parasites, the analysis is re-taken. To identify concomitant diseases in an animal, other biomaterials are taken for analysis - blood and urine for a general analysis, feces. An ultrasound examination is mandatory.

Dog demodicosis treatment

For the treatment of the disease, complex conservative therapy is prescribed, which has two directions:

• Elimination of parasitic insects.
• Normalization of the immune system of the body of a sick pet.

Often used drugs with acaricidal action - Ivomek, Iversect, Amitrazin, Ivermek. These tools can eliminate ticks from all surfaces of the body.

It is recommended to treat the affected areas with antiseptic drugs - Fucorcin (Castellani solution), a solution of Furacilin or salicylic acid, and then apply external acaricidal agents - Amitan, Amitraz, Ivermectin, Acarabor.

Treatment also requires careful cleaning, not only of the place where the dog sleeps, but of the whole house. Parasitic insects cannot stand the purity and use of disinfectants, so the risks of reinfection in an animal’s own house will approach zero.

Do not treat your beloved pet yourself, as demodicosis has similar symptoms that accompany another disease - otodectosis . In the second case, the ear tick causes damage. Demodecosis is extremely rarely localized in the auricles, whereas the ear mite affects them. Despite the same origin of the ailments - they are both provoked by parasites, their treatment is different. Carrying out therapy that is not appropriate for the disease, you can not only not achieve positive dynamics, but also significantly harm your pet.