Parasite Series: Demodex: “Demodicosis”, “Red Mange” Demodex is a non-contagious type of mange. Most commonly affects puppies or older dogs. Presents with patchy hair loss and secondary bacterial infection. Make Canine Skin Solutions™ Recovery Shampoo & Spray a part of your dog’s life! Mange is a general term for a skin disease caused by mites. Demodex mites cause a non- contagious form of mange (importantly- not all forms of mange are contagious!). All dogs have a small population of demodex mites that do not cause skin problems. These mites are transferred to them at birth from their canine mothers. But some puppies and adult dogs develop an infection when these mites increase in numbers. Causes of Demodex Infection: • Puppy’s immune system is not fully mature allowing overpopulation of the mites. Because this has a genetic cause, puppies with generalized demodex infection should be treated but spayed or neutered and not used for breeding. • Medication related: Dog is receiving medications for other diseases (allergies, cancer, auto-immune disease, etc.) that may suppress the immune system (prednisone or other steroid medications, chemotherapy medications are examples). • Adult dog’s immune system “stressed” due to other illness (hypothyroidism, hyperadrenocorticism [Cushing’s disease], whelping or surgery, etc.). • “Idiopathic”: spontaneously development due to an unknown cause (dog appears otherwise healthy) – this is the most common cause in healthy adult dogs. What this infection looks like: • These mites live inside the hair follicle and “push” the hair out leading to hair loss (“alopecia”) and secondary bacterial skin infection. Your dog may or may not be itchy. • Infection may be localized (less than 5 spots) or generalized (greater than 5 spots, greater than 2 feet, or large areas affected such as the face or back). Treatment recommendations can be different for each form. Treatment: • Localized Demodicosis: topical therapy alone may be effective in some cases • Most localized cases are mild and regress spontaneously; however, approximately 10% of cases will progress to the generalized form. • Topical therapy: focus on resolving bacterial infection as part of therapy • Generalized Demodicosis: topical therapy & medications to kill the mites is needed
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Parasite Series:
Demodex: “Demodicosis”, “Red Mange”
Demodex is a non-contagious type of mange.
Most commonly affects puppies or older dogs.
Presents with patchy hair loss and secondary bacterial infection.
Make Canine Skin Solutions™ Recovery Shampoo & Spray a part of your dog’s life!
Mange is a general term for a skin disease caused by mites. Demodex mites cause a non-contagious form of mange (importantly- not all forms of mange are contagious!). All dogs have a small population of demodex mites that do not cause skin problems. These mites are transferred to them at birth from their canine mothers. But some puppies and adult dogs develop an infection when these mites increase in numbers.
Causes of Demodex Infection:
• Puppy’s immune system is not fully mature allowing overpopulation of the mites. Because this has a genetic cause, puppies with generalized demodex infection should be treated but spayed or neutered and not used for breeding.
• Medication related: Dog is receiving medications for other diseases (allergies, cancer, auto-immune disease, etc.) that may suppress the immune system (prednisone or other steroid medications, chemotherapy medications are examples).
• Adult dog’s immune system “stressed” due to other illness (hypothyroidism, hyperadrenocorticism [Cushing’s disease], whelping or surgery, etc.).
• “Idiopathic”: spontaneously development due to an unknown cause (dog appears otherwise healthy) – this is the most common cause in healthy adult dogs.
What this infection looks like:
• These mites live inside the hair follicle and “push” the hair out leading to hair loss (“alopecia”) and secondary bacterial skin infection. Your dog may or may not be itchy.
• Infection may be localized (less than 5 spots) or generalized (greater than 5 spots, greater than 2 feet, or large areas affected such as the face or back). Treatment recommendations can be different for each form.
Treatment:
• Localized Demodicosis: topical therapy alone may be effective in some cases
• Most localized cases are mild and regress spontaneously; however, approximately 10% of cases will progress to the generalized form.
• Topical therapy: focus on resolving bacterial infection as part of therapy
• Generalized Demodicosis: topical therapy & medications to kill the mites is needed
Parasite Series:
Demodex: “Demodicosis”, “Red Mange”
Demodex is a non-contagious type of mange.
Most commonly affects puppies or older dogs.
Presents with patchy hair loss and secondary bacterial infection.
Make Canine Skin Solutions™ Recovery Shampoo & Spray a part of your dog’s life!
Assessment of severity must be done by a veterinarian- this form can be associated with mild to severe secondary bacterial infection. Some animals can be extremely debilitated and feel sick depending on the underlying cause and degree of bacterial infection present.
Topical therapy treatment of generalized demodicosis:
• Shave dogs with longer hair coats to facilitate bathing & topical therapies
• Take care not to get shampoo in your dog’s eyes; protect the eyes with an eye lubricant if needed (GenTeal® ointment is an example).
• Gently bathe with lukewarm water using an antibacterial shampoo to help remove all heavy crusts from the skin, allow a contact time of 5-10 minutes. This will help the shampoo to facilitate crust removal.
• Towel dry
• Repeat bathing on a weekly or twice weekly basis
• Systemic antibiotics may be needed (4-6 weeks depending on severity)
Medications to kill the mites- required in generalized disease
Your veterinarian is instrumental in determining which treatment option is best for your dog! This is important because some dogs can suffer severe negative reactions when certain drugs are used. Systemic therapy (anti-parasite medications in the form of dips, top spot preparation, oral or injectable medications should not be used without the supervision of a veterinarian.
• Amitraz dips (monoamine oxidase inhibitor) weekly to every other week; contraindicated in small dogs, dogs less than 4 months of age and/or diabetic dogs. Can cause sleepiness, slow heart rate and respiratory rate, and elevation in blood sugars.
• Ivermectin: currently approved as a monthly heartworm preventative only but can be a highly effective therapy for severe demodicosis. Dosing of this drug is very important due to potential for negative side effects. Ivermectin should not be used to in some breeds (Collies, Shelties, Old English Sheepdogs, & other sheep herding breeds) but negative side effects can potentially occur in any dog. Negative side effects can include tremors, muscle weakness, dilated pupils, vomiting, diarrhea, and seizures. As a precaution, testing for ivermectin sensitivity can be done via Washington State University’s Veterinary Clinical Pharmacology Laboratory (www.vetmed.wsu.edu.vcpl). Also- Ivermectin CANNOT be used in dogs receiving monthly Spinosad (Comfortis®, Trifexis®) for flea prevention.
Parasite Series:
Demodex: “Demodicosis”, “Red Mange”
Demodex is a non-contagious type of mange.
Most commonly affects puppies or older dogs.
Presents with patchy hair loss and secondary bacterial infection.
Make Canine Skin Solutions™ Recovery Shampoo & Spray a part of your dog’s life!
Prognosis:
• Generally GOOD! But depends on a number of factors including severity, age, duration of disease, and presence of underlying illness.
• Adult onset demodicosis is more difficult to treat and may require long-term therapy.
• Examination by a veterinary dermatologist can be of great benefit in these cases.
Older Labrador with Demodex
Young English Bulldog with Demodex
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