Demodicosis or subcutaneous tick in dogs: home treatment, symptoms and visual photos. Hypodermic tick in a dog? Symptoms and treatment of demodicosis at home

Spring, veterinarians warn, is the beginning of the season for the incidence of piroplasmosis - deadly for dogs, carried by ixodid ticks. Currently, piroplasmosis is registered almost throughout Ukraine, where there are its main carriers - ticks. Pet owners should take care of prevention, be aware of the signs of the disease and first aid measures for a tick bite.

Although the disease is well understood and highly effective treatments are available, piroplasmosis is often fatal, usually because the animal is brought to the veterinary clinic too late. The longer piroplasmosis proceeds, the more severe the consequences for the dog's body.

Piroplasmas are located in the salivary glands of the tick and, when bitten, along with the saliva of the tick, enter the blood of the dog. The disease has a pronounced seasonal-peak character: the warm season (spring-summer). Peak incidence occurs in May-June and August-September. However, the disease can be observed from April to the end of October.

Usually ticks attack dogs while walking in places overgrown with bushes or tall grass. A newly attached tick is no larger than a pinhead; having sucked blood, it can reach the size of a large bean. Be sure to carefully inspect your pet after each walk for ticks, and carefully comb out the coat.

How to get a tick out of a dog?

If you notice a tick that has stuck to a dog, in no case try to pull it out, since only the body comes off, and the head remains and causes inflammation. To remove a tick, you need to drop some oil, alcohol, gasoline on it.

After a few minutes, the tick will either fall off on its own or loosen its grip, and then it can be pulled out (preferably with tweezers). The tick should be grabbed by the head. After removing the tick, treat the wound with a 5% iodine solution.

Not every dog will become infected if attacked by a tick. But, unfortunately, the tick does not indicate whether it can infect or not. So, now your main task is to carefully monitor the health of the pet and measure its temperature several times a day. The incubation period of piroplasmosis lasts 6-10 days. The course of the disease is most often acute, but it can be chronic, as well as super-acute, when dogs die in a matter of days. Therefore, when the first symptoms are detected, you should immediately contact a veterinarian to confirm the diagnosis and start treatment.

Symptoms to watch out for are:

Dark urine (or brown, brown, red urine)
Yellowing of the visible mucous membranes and whites of the eyes
shortness of breath
Weakness (lethargy)
The dog falls on its hind legs. Difficulty walking.
Temperature 39.0 - 40.0 C or higher (Normal should be 37.5 - 39 ° C, in small breeds up to 39.5)

pathogen destruction
removal of intoxication and maintenance of the general condition of the body

The destruction of the pathogen, the removal of intoxication and the maintenance of the general condition of the body - the main thing after the discovery of piroplasms

1. For the destruction of the pathogen, preparations of the group of organic dyes (berenyl, azidine, verbiben) and imidocarb derivatives are used. A common feature of these drugs is their toxicity not only to the pathogen, but also to the patient. Since the drugs do not have a preventive effect, they are used only after the diagnosis is established, under the supervision of a veterinarian!

2. To relieve intoxication and maintain the body, a large number of medicines are used: saline solutions, vitamins, heart preparations, etc. the volume and duration of treatment depends on the patient's condition. In any case, the recovery period lasts at least one month and requires control tests.

Prevention of piroplasmosis consists in preventing the attack of ticks on an animal, for this dogs are treated with acaricidal preparations, which are available in the form of collars (Kiltiks, Bolfo, Harts), sprays (Frontline, Defendog, Bars) and drops on the withers ("Advantix", "Frontline", "Harts", "Bars", "Serko"). These funds are distributed over the skin and hair without being absorbed into the blood. In contact with treated hair and skin, the tick dies. These products, unfortunately, do not provide 100% protection against ticks, the effectiveness of these drugs depends on how much time has passed since they were applied. Protective equipment must be used in advance (2-3 days before going out into nature or leaving for vacation).

When purchasing protective equipment in veterinary pharmacies or pet stores, be sure to pay attention to the expiration date, the integrity of the package, and the instructions in Russian. Be sure to read the instructions! It must be remembered that:

When using anti-tick drugs, contact allergies are possible.
When using the spray, it is necessary to treat not only the body of the animal, but also the paws, and the head, as well as the groin area, armpits and behind the ears, especially carefully.
If your dog has long hair, then the spray consumption increases up to 2 times.
If your dog bathes (or you bathe) frequently, then the frequency of anti-tick treatments should be increased.
Packing drops at the withers must strictly correspond to the weight of your dog.

Very often, owners turn to veterinary clinics with a request to vaccinate their pets against piroplasmosis. Unfortunately, there are no such vaccinations in Ukraine yet. There is a vaccine against piroplasmosis Pirovac® abroad, but it is not certified here and is not officially imported. The effectiveness of this vaccine is about 80%.

Despite taking precautions, keep a close eye on the animal and check it regularly. If signs of illness occur, contact your veterinarian. Remember, self-treatment can cause irreparable harm to the health and life of the dog!

If you find similar symptoms in your dog - do not experiment! It is necessary to urgently contact the veterinary clinic, if for some reason this is not possible, use the service of calling a veterinarian at home.

Demodexes, or subcutaneous mites, are found in every dog. But the signs indicating their presence do not always appear. - the disease is not contagious, but it is treated hard and for a long time. Pathology brings a lot of inconvenience to both the animal itself and its owner.

Causes of the development of a subcutaneous tick in a dog

In the presence of a pathological source from the outside, the disease progresses in animals suffering from immunodeficiency.

Most often, dogs become infected in May-September. To a greater extent, demodicosis affects young animals from six months to 24 months.

An infected dog acts as an infection provocateur, and a tick is transmitted by direct contact.

Other reasons for the development of demodicosis include:

The presence of pinworms.
Rickets.
The presence of infectious diseases.
Long term antibiotic treatment.
Operational interventions.

Veterinarians distinguish between juvenile and generalized demodicosis.

Mites provocateurs live in the hair follicles of the skin and sebaceous glands. The size of an adult varies from 201 to 260 microns.

The mites live in the hair follicles of the skin.

The main symptoms of demodicosis in a dog include:

impaired thermoregulation;
hair loss;
skin redness;
the presence of an unpleasant pungent odor;
constant itching.

The behavior of a sick dog changes dramatically. The animal becomes restless, tries to avoid contact with the owner. Appetite is usually not disturbed.

The dog becomes restless.

Sometimes the first warning sign is the appearance of a strong "doggy" smell from the skin . It gradually intensifies.

The main forms of the disease

Demodicosis occurs in 2 forms: pustular and scaly.

They are united common feature - loss of coat on certain parts of the body of the animal. There is roughness and redness of the skin.

There is redness of the skin in the dog.

The mildest form of the disease is scaly. Small round bald patches form on the paws and muzzle of the pet. The changed shade of the skin coarsens, cracks.

Pustular form of the subcutaneous tick

The pustular form is characterized by the appearance of pustules.

Their color ranges from yellow to black. But more often pustules of a reddish color are formed. When an infectious process is attached to demodicosis, the development of pyoderma is observed. It promotes the appearance of ulcers. The skin becomes moist and wrinkled. First of all, the limbs of the dog, its muzzle, ears and eyebrows are affected.

In the pustular form, the skin becomes moist.

With a localized form, there are no more than 5 lesions. Their size does not exceed 25 mm. In other cases, we are talking about generalized demodicosis.

Is a subcutaneous tick transmitted from a dog to a person?

People with a very weakened immune system are at risk. At the same time, a tick transmitted by a sick dog can live under human skin for only 1 cycle. Then he dies.

People with a weakened immune system are at risk.

Subcutaneous tick treatment

Therapy for subcutaneous ticks in dogs should be comprehensive.

Severe forms of pathology lead to damage to the internal organs of the animal.

First of all, this applies to the lymph nodes, stomach, heart.

The use of external means

The drug Amidel-gel will save the dog from painful symptoms.

You can save a dog from painful symptoms with the help of drops such as:

Prazicide complex.
Cydem.
Amit-forte.
Acaromectin.
Ivermek spray.
Amidel gel.
Decta.
Dana ultra.

Injections

Usually, injections are given to an animal with a pustular form of a tick.

The medicine is injected both subcutaneously and into the muscle of a sick dog. Injections such as Aversektom K&C and Eprimek are prescribed.

The course of treatment with injections is from 7 to 10 days.

Treatment at home

Therapy for demodicosis at home involves:

strengthening the immune system;
liver protection;
local processing;
hypoallergenic nutrition.

The dog should be given hypoallergenic food for nutrition.

Can be used acaricidal shampoos, ointments . During the primary therapeutic course, 6-7 treatments are performed. After a 7-day break, you need to do the second approach.

Prevention of the liver

Almost all drugs against subcutaneous ticks adversely affect the functioning of the liver.

In order to support the functioning of this body, the veterinarian prescribes the use Karsila. Sometimes this remedy has a side effect. The dog has increased urination. In some cases it is observed.

Karsil is designed to support the dog's liver.

It is desirable to feed a sick animal with special food. If the pet eats only "natural", then he needs to be given chicken or turkey meat. In order to reduce the load on the liver, it is recommended to reduce portions. It is better not to give treats before the onset of remission.

The use of folk remedies

It is allowed to treat a sick dog with folk remedies. When demodicosis is usually used:

tar soap;
celandine roots;
juniper fruit.

tar soap it is desirable to carry out 1-2 times / 7 days. The use of birch tar is allowed.

juniper fruit recommended to use with sour apples. They need to be thoroughly rubbed, then applied to problem areas.

Celandine roots are poured with vegetable oil in proportions of 1 to 1. Then the medicine must be heated for 3-4 hours at a temperature of 50 grams and strained well. The product is applied to the treated skin 1 time / 24 hours.

First of all, it is necessary to exclude the contact of a pet with stray dogs.

Do not let your dog off the leash while walking.

Do not let your pet off the leash while walking. If possible, you should avoid places where there are stray animals.

Puppies should be vaccinated as soon as possible.

conclusions

A female dog that has been found to have a tick must be spayed.

Bitches that have been found to have a subcutaneous mite should be spayed, as the risk of transmitting the disease to the litter is very high. The operation is prescribed only after the completion of the full therapeutic course.

Video about demodicosis in dogs

Every dog has subcutaneous mites (another name is demodexes), but they do not always manifest themselves. What provokes the development of the disease? What are the signs and how to cure a subcutaneous tick in a dog? More about this in the material below.

Important! Demodicosis is not contagious to other dogs and humans and is not transmitted from sick animals to healthy ones.

The disease occurs in two forms:

scaly (another name is squamous);
pustular (another name is pyodemodecosis) - may be the result of a scaly form or an independent disease.

According to statistics, the disease often develops in young pets under 2 years of age (juvenile demodicosis), since it was during this period that the immunity of the animal was not yet strong.

Attention! In terms of prevalence, the disease can be localized (local) and generalized (general).

Symptoms of a subcutaneous tick in dogs and diagnosis

Symptoms of demodicosis in dogs manifest differently depending on the type of disease:

Scaly demodicosis- the easiest form. Rounded bald patches appear on the dog's body (usually on the muzzle and paws). The skin in these areas turns a little red, may become coarse and cracked.
With pustular demodicosis the skin swells, pustules form on it (their color can be yellowish, brown-red or even black), from which pus is released. If an infection joins the disease, pyoderma occurs, which leads to the formation of ulcers. The skin itches a lot, becomes wrinkled, moist, thick, and smells unpleasant.

First of all, the skin on the head (ears, muzzle, eyebrows) and paws of the animal is affected. Symptoms of a subcutaneous tick in dogs with a localized form are 4-5 lesions (no more), and their diameter does not exceed 2.5 cm. In other cases, demodicosis is generalized.

In order to make a diagnosis, the veterinarian examines the animal, then conducts a deep scraping from the affected area of \u200b\u200bthe skin(the upper layers of the epithelium are removed with a scalpel until blood appears and placed on a glass slide). The resulting tissue is examined under a microscope. Subcutaneous mite in dogs: a photo of the affected areas reflects the foci of hair loss.

To assess the general condition of the animal and identify the underlying diseases, a blood test (biochemical and general), urine and feces analysis, and, if necessary, an ultrasound examination are prescribed.

Subcutaneous tick in dogs: home treatment

Treatment of demodicosis is a long process. Even 1-2 years after the onset of remission, the animal is not considered healthy, since with any weakening of the immune system, the disease begins to manifest itself again. The most difficult to treat is the generalized form, since in this case a large area of \u200b\u200bthe skin is affected.

Treatment regimen for pustular form and generalized demodicosis the following (the dosage of each of the drugs is prescribed by the veterinarian after examining the animal):

Advocate gives a good effect. It can be used both during the treatment of any form of demodicosis, and in the spring and autumn months to prevent recurrence of the disease.

Important! Collies, bobtails, shelties and any of their crossbreeds, drugs containing ivermectin are strictly prohibited.

Folk remedies

As an addition to the traditional scheme treatment of demodicosis in dogs with folk remedies is allowed. Here are some recipes:

Celandine roots are poured with sunflower oil in a ratio of 1: 1, then heated for 3-4 hours at a temperature of 50 degrees and filtered. The mixture is applied to the mite-affected areas of the skin once a day.
Sour apples or juniper berries are ground, and then applied to problem areas.
To wash a dog suffering from demodicosis, use tar soap. Birch tar can be applied to the affected skin.

Attention! The use of folk remedies must be agreed with the doctor who observes the pet.

Prevention

Activation of the subcutaneous tick contributes to the weakening of the immune system, any other disease of the puppy, the use of drugs containing hormones. Young and older dogs get demodicosis more often, ticks can become active after any stressful event, estrus or pregnancy.

There is evidence that the subcutaneous tick, in contrast, more often affects representatives of certain breeds of dogs. From each other, animals can become infected through close contact or using the same equipment: combs or cages.

Ticks can be asymptomatic all their lives on the skin of a dog, and only under favorable conditions, for example, with increased humidity of the skin, they reveal themselves, causing characteristic symptoms.

Demodicosis in dogs: symptoms and signs

Hypodermic mites cause hair loss

The disease manifests itself as small, rough patches of skin covered with scales. Most often they are localized on the skin near the eyes, muzzle and limbs, but with a generalized form, the disease can affect large areas of the skin. With the diagnosis of "subcutaneous tick", the symptoms may vary depending on the form of the disease.

There are two forms of demodicosis: local and generalized.

The local form can be expressed by one small area of the skin, with redness and peeling. Scales are formed moderately, there are no signs of acute inflammation. There may be slight itching, hair loss. The local form of demodicosis is not necessarily treated, but with an increase in the area of \u200b\u200bthe lesion, local treatment is necessary.
The generalized form is characterized by the formation of large lesions, pustules and nodules, the skin becomes wrinkled, inflamed, and an unpleasant odor appears. Often a bacterial infection joins, the dog loses its appetite, weakness and other symptoms of intoxication are observed.

Subcutaneous tick in dogs: treatment and recovery

"Acaromectin" is applied externally

Demodicosis is treated with special acaricidal preparations, which are used as an external treatment, and in the form of injections. Ivomek injections should not be given to dogs of certain breeds, such as collies or bobtails - they have an intolerance to this drug. Ivomek is also dangerous in the treatment of other breeds of dogs, as it is toxic and greatly affects the functioning of the liver.

Local treatment of areas affected by ticks is done with Acaromectin, an analogue of Ivomek. The advantage of its use is that minimal damage is caused to the dog's body, since Acaromectin effectively destroys ticks without affecting the liver. It is important to prevent the dog from licking the treated areas, for which you can sprinkle them with chloramphenicol powder, which has a strong bitter taste.

To treat the affected areas, you can use a tar emulsion, but it has a very strong smell, abscesses and weeping places are lubricated with synthomycin ointment. During treatment, the skin can be treated with various drying and antimicrobial drugs: Rotokan, Sangviritrin or Chlorophyllipt. This relieves inflammation and removes an unpleasant odor.

If an animal has demodicosis, then it is necessary to fully feed, supplement food with drugs that increase immunity and the body's overall resistance to infections. To do this, you can use extracts of Eleutherococcus or Echinacea, B group vitamins, such as Neuromultivit and food sulfur.

The best drug for local skin treatment is Acaromectin, it destroys the subcutaneous mites, while the treatment does not harm the dog's digestive system.

Prevention of demodicosis in dogs

Vitamins and walks strengthen the immune system

Avoiding demodicosis is not always possible, and the main principle in the prevention of this unpleasant disease is proper nutrition and strengthening the immune status of the body. The dog must be ready for stressful situations: moving or changing the place of residence. For this puppy, it is necessary to socialize, diversify walking routes, go to visit with him.

Dogs that carry ticks should not be bred, but if the disease is asymptomatic or localized, the owner may not be aware of the presence of Demodexes. If a local form of a subcutaneous tick is detected, it is advisable not to give the dog hormonal drugs and immunosuppressants so as not to provoke the spread of the disease.

Signs of demodicosis in dogs of different breeds and ages in the photo:

Is self-medication justified?

Demodicosis or glandular disease is a common disease in dogs caused by the subcutaneous mite Demodex canis. Almost all animals and people can be carriers of this insect. It is quite simple to cure a dog from a subcutaneous tick, but for a long time - a whole range of medications will be required for a positive result.

The course of treatment involves the neutralization of the causative agent of the disease and the elimination of the consequences of demodicosis. The ultimate goal: to restore the immunity of the animal and the integrity of its skin, as well as rid the dog's body of hormonal complications.

The treatment process is quite long and lasts at least two to three months.

So what and how to treat subcutaneous ticks in dogs?

Stronghold or Advocate preparations can be applied to the skin for the treatment of glandular disease.

Chlorophos should not be used to disinfect animal hair. Due to the presence of phosphorus compounds in it, which are poisonous, it can cause unpleasant and painful complications.

In parallel, to reduce the effect of staphylococcal microflora on the pet's body, it is recommended to administer antistaphylococcal drugs - antibiotics.

To strengthen the hair follicles, sulfur-containing preparations should be added to the dog's food. Also, their liniments Amitraz and Cyclone can be rubbed into the skin areas affected by the mite.

If the dog's skin immunity is suppressed and an increased content of corticosteroids is observed, it is recommended to add a few drops of a 5% iodine solution with the addition of Chloditan to her food.

In case of iron gland disease, the dog develops areas of baldness, which, in order to alleviate itching and irritation, must be treated with sea buckthorn oil with Pichtoin and vitamin A.

During treatment, the dog must be combed to remove dead skin particles that will form during the peeling process. Also, the dog's body is treated daily with antiseptics - Fukortsin or salicylic acid solution.

Due to the use of antibiotics in an animal, adverse liver dysfunctions may occur. To prevent this from happening, we can recommend the use of hepatoprotectors: Heptral, LIV-52, Karsil.

It is important to carry out the prevention of demodicosis, especially in pregnant females, giving them, a week before the offspring, Ivomek. This will prevent infection of the puppies.

Traditional medicine will also help

If you find a subcutaneous tick in dogs, home treatment or folk remedies can be quite effective.

A decoction of wormwood with honey is often used, which is given to the dog to drink half a glass approximately every two to three hours.

You can prepare an ointment from the roots of celandine, which is poured with refined sunflower oil. The composition should be simmered at a temperature of 40-50? C for several hours and filtered. Before the procedure, you can add sour cream. The ointment is rubbed into the animal's scalp, ears and instilled into the nose.

You can also make masks from pureed sour apples, grated juniper berries or elecampane roots.

But it should be borne in mind that folk remedies are, of course, gentle means of combating ticks, but are much less effective than medications, as a result of which treatment can be delayed. So the final choice is yours!