A subcutaneous tick in dogs, or demodicosis, is a serious enough disease. As a rule, such a pathology develops due to the genetic predisposition of the animal. Intradermal parasites require special attention, as they can provoke various complications, as a result of which your animal will suffer. It is worth noting that the causative agent of the disease is present in the body of any dog, however, it can cause the development of the pathological process only if the pet has a weakening of immunity and exerts an influence from the outside.
Please note that the waste products secreted by the subcutaneous tick in dogs are strong allergens that cause severe itching, the formation of painful wounds and hair loss. As a rule, an animal can get sick from May to September, as the disease is seasonal in nature. Most often, demodicosis is manifested in dogs aged from six months to two years. Sick animals provoke the development of pathology, and the tick is transmitted at the moment of direct contact with them through the eyes, ears, face and hygiene items. Small puppies are often infected by their mother. In addition, demodicosis in a dog can be detected due to malnutrition of the animal, surgery or past infections of an infectious nature. Long-term antibiotic therapy, the presence of worms and even rickets can contribute to the activation of the tick.
Forms of the disease. Which breeds are more prone to infection
There are two types of demodicosis: localized and generalized. Parasites that provoke the development of the disease live in the hair follicles and sebaceous glands. When they get on the dog, their life cycle is a maximum of an hour, but subsequent exposure to the body can last a whole month. A localized form of the disease in 90% of cases is diagnosed in animals up to 2 years of age and develops in one part of the body. In this case, the pathology is benign and affects only a limited area. In this case, the dog has reddening of the skin and deterioration of the coat. Most often, English and German shepherds, Dalmatians, boxers, collies, pugs and some other breeds are exposed to this form of demodicosis.
Generalized subcutaneous tick in dogs occurs after 2 years of age and accounts for 10% of all infections. In this case, characteristic symptoms are observed in several parts of the body, including on the limbs. The breeds are usually affected by such breeds as pit bull, dachshund, bulldog, beagle and some others. Generalized demodicosis is more difficult than localized, and its development depends on factors such as the presence of endocrine diseases, a weakened immune system and a genetic predisposition.
Symptoms of the disease
The owner of an animal can detect demodicosis only at the second stage of its development, since the primary signs of a subcutaneous tick in dogs are difficult to diagnose because of their ambiguity. So, the main symptoms of the disease that can be noticed:
- unwillingness of the dog to communicate with the owner, its irritability;
- poor appetite;
- the dog is very itchy and tears the skin to blood;
- baldness of certain parts of the body is observed, redness appears, the affected areas are covered with bran-shaped scales;
- the dog is shaking from chills, as it disrupts the process of thermoregulation;
- ulcers appear, which subsequently burst and smell bad;
- if appropriate measures are not taken in time, a fungal or bacterial infection may join the demodicosis, as a result of which the dog will lose weight and may die from blood poisoning or exhaustion.
Diagnosis of the disease
Only a veterinarian can identify a subcutaneous tick in a dog. To understand when to seek professional help, you need to carefully monitor your pet. The initial stage of demodicosis, as a rule, resembles ordinary skin dermatitis, so you should pay attention to how your dog smells. If a fetid odor emanates from him, you should sound the alarm.
Diagnosis of the disease is not difficult. First of all, an analysis is carried out for demodicosis, which is a microscopic examination of pustules taken from the affected area. If there is infection, the result will show it clearly. In order to correctly conduct an analysis for demodicosis, it is necessary to take the material for the study from the deep skin layers by scraping with a special tool. For these purposes, hair follicles from lesions are also suitable. To exclude the presence of other diseases, the dog takes blood for examination, since demodicosis most often manifests itself as a secondary pathology. In 50% of cases, a subcutaneous tick is the first sign of a weakening of the protective functions of the animal's body.
Disease treatment
If your pet is bitten by a subcutaneous tick, then treating the animal without contacting a veterinarian is unacceptable. Please note that collars and drops that should be applied locally will be ineffective in such cases. A disease such as demodicosis must be treated comprehensively. As a rule, veterinarians use etiotropic therapy for this - injecting antiparasitic components of biological origin. In this way, the destruction of entire colonies of subcutaneous mites that live in the sebaceous glands and hair follicles. In parallel with this, antiseptic treatment of the skin with a solution of fucorcin or salicylic acid should be carried out. For this, you can also use aversectin ointment or any other drug that the veterinarian will prescribe.
However, only drug treatment for demodicosis is not enough. Strengthening the dog’s immune system should be done, as well as eliminating skin atony and hormonal abnormalities. For this, you can use not only medical supplies, but also home recipes that will help to supply the animal with the necessary vitamins and minerals. In addition, it is important to properly care for the pet and carry out hygienic manipulations.
It is worth noting that some drugs for subcutaneous ticks in dogs can cause adverse reactions because they are toxic. Therefore, you need to give your pet other medications at the same time, the action of which is aimed at protecting the liver and restoring the strength of the animal. These include drugs such as Heptral, Karsil and LIV-52. The main treatment involves the elimination of the causative agent of demodicosis and the consequences of its life. The ultimate goal is to restore the integrity of the skin of the dog, its immunity and the normalization of hormonal levels. The course of therapy, as a rule, takes a lot of time - about 2-3 months.
Demodecosis Medicines
Symptoms and treatment of a subcutaneous tick in a dog are interconnected. The stronger the disease manifests, the more difficult it will be to get rid of it. One of the effective modern drugs for demodicosis is "Immunoparasitan". It is a suspension with a protein-lipopolysaccharide complex. This medication is used for injection from subcutaneous ticks in dogs, which must be carried out for 6 weeks every 5 days. If the animal is diagnosed with a severe stage of the disease, then after treatment with "Immunoparasitan" the veterinarian can prescribe drugs such as "Ivomek" or "Amitrazin", which should be injected intravenously.
Drops of "Stronghold" or "Lawyer" can be applied to the lesions. In order to reduce the staphylococcal effect on the dog's body, antibiotics are often prescribed, and to strengthen the hair follicles, it is recommended to give the pet preparations containing sulfur. And their liniments, such as Cyclone and Amitraz, are recommended to be rubbed into the skin affected by demodicosis. If the animal has reduced immunity and an increased amount of corticosteroids, you should add a couple of drops of iodine solution (5%) to the feed, as well as "Chloditan".
To eliminate itching and redness, veterinarians advise lubricating the lesions with sea buckthorn oil with vitamin A or Pikhtoin. Do not forget to comb out your dog regularly, because during treatment, particles of the affected skin will die and peel off. You should also conduct an antiseptic treatment of the dog’s body every day with a solution of salicylic acid or Fucorcin. If the dog is waiting for puppies, then before the offspring (about a week), it is necessary to carry out prophylaxis with the Ivomek preparation to prevent infection of the babies.
Therapeutic Shampoo
To eliminate seborrhea, dermatitis and subcutaneous ticks, veterinarians often advise washing a pet with special tools. One of these products is Doctor, a demodicosis shampoo. After applying this product, the dog will itch less and smell good. Under the influence of the active components of the shampoo, the pathological secret and the remnants of damaged skin are removed. In addition, after washing, the effectiveness of antimicrobial and antiparasitic drugs increases significantly.
Shampoo "Doctor" has antipruritic, deodorizing and antiseborrheic properties. It quickly removes inflammation, prevents the formation of blackheads, saturates tissues with oxygen, normalizes the production of subcutaneous fat, and also has an antifungal and antimicrobial effect against yeast-like fungi and staphylococci.
Shampoo "Doctor" is very easy to use. It should be used an hour before applying medications to the affected areas. Rub the shampoo until a rich foam forms, then rinse with running water and repeat the procedure again. 10 minutes after repeated application, the foam must be thoroughly washed off. Depending on the rate of secretion of skin secretion, it is recommended to use shampoo at intervals of two to three days.
If you use this product for a long time, the dog may begin to peel off the skin. In this case, the animal should be shown to the veterinarian. Contraindication of the drug is the hypersensitivity of the pet to its components.
Traditional medicine for pet health
Not sure how to remove a subcutaneous tick in a dog? Perhaps folk recipes will help you. However, before using them, you must always consult a veterinarian and get his approval. So, what can be done to save the animal from torment:
- You can prepare a healing broth from wormwood and honey, which should be given to the animal as a drink, 1/2 cup every two hours.
- A good result shows an ointment made from the roots of celandine. Raw materials should be poured with refined vegetable oil, simmered over low heat for several hours and carefully filtered. It is recommended to add a little sour cream to the composition, after which you can rub it into the affected areas of the skin, and also bury it in your ears.
- Masks from mashed juniper, roots of elecampane or sour apples will be useful.
Do not forget that folk remedies are not as effective as drug treatment, although they are more sparing. In any case, the last word should say, of course, the veterinarian.
Are sick dogs dangerous for humans?
Many are interested in the question of whether it is possible to become infected by a subcutaneous tick from a dog. This disease, of course, is contagious, but is dangerous only for other animals. And if your pet is sick, then you have nothing to fear, since a dog subcutaneous tick is harmless to you. Despite the fact that it can penetrate your body, the parasite will not be able to live on it. However, there were cases when a person was still infected with dog demodecosis, but this is only possible with very weak immunity, which is incompatible with life.
The same is true for dogs: a person cannot infect them, because they have different types of demodectic mites. However, in any case, close contact with a sick animal should be avoided, because, as they say, God saves a person who is safe.
Disease prevention
A subcutaneous tick in a dog, the symptoms and treatment of which we examined in the framework of our article, is a rather serious problem that can even lead to the death of an animal. In order to avoid the development of pathology, it is necessary to take good care of your pet, constantly improve its health and prevent the possibility of infection with demodicosis from other dogs. To wash the animal, use products that are specifically designed for this. So you can strengthen the hair follicles and prevent the tick from getting under the skin. Veterinarians advise rubbing sulfur-containing ointments into the dog’s body, as well as adding a little iodine solution to drinking water.
So that your pet can safely walk, put on it a special collar against parasites. Also for these purposes, you can use various sprays and drops. Replace the old collar with a new one in a timely manner so that its effect does not stop, and apply drops in the dosage that is suitable for your pet.
Conclusion
Spring is a wonderful time for walking with a dog in a park or forest. However, so that such a walk is not overshadowed by a tick bite, you must know how to protect your dog from this trouble. Take care of your four-legged friend and visit your veterinarian regularly. Let your furry pet feel free and run wherever he wants.