Dealing With Mites, Dog Skin Problems By Kelly Marshall At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

So you treat your dogs very well. You give them their routine bath, the monthly visit to the vet and of course provide the medications that are prescribed to prevent any kind of skin inflammation or infections. But did you know that in spite of the best precautionary measures, dogs of any breed can easily become targets of some serious skin problems, caused by certain breeds of parasites?

An example of these parasites can be Mites. They are the principal agent that causes irritation that later exacerbates into inflammation. Below is a list, that includes the names of these mites, the symptoms shown by dogs when attacked by them and the requisite measures that must be taken to counter the infections.

• 1. Name of the mite: Demodex.

• Infection it causes: pustular dermatitis. If it gets infected in young puppies the skin problem is called juvenile pyoderma.

• Common name of the disease: Mange

• Symptoms: rashes around the head and shoulder of young puppies; hair loss, flaky or oily skin, characteristic mousy odour.

• Class of dogs generally attacked: carried by most dogs this parasite is harmless till the time that your dog doesn’t become too stressed. And puppies are a prime target due to weak natural defences or immunity.

• Preventive measures: take your dog to the vet within 24 hours of the start of the infection to prevent scarring. He might prescribe antibiotics to heal the infection and a special shampoo that reduces oiliness and takes care of the smell.

2. Name of the mite: Sarcoptes, commonly known as scabies.

• Infection it causes: by burrowing through the skin of the dog these parasites drill long tunnels, inside which they lay their eggs. They can also infect humans but in humans the infections dies down quickly. Yet one should be careful.

• Common name of the disease: Mange

• Symptoms: red spots on ears, hocks and elbows. The tunnels are visible on human skin.

• Class of dogs generally attacked: dogs of all ages.

• Preventive measures: the dog on the detection of infection must immediately be taken to the vet to prevent the spread of infection to humans. The vet may prescribe chemicals that are also present in insecticidal shampoos. To calm the dog down and prevent him from scratching the infection and worsening it, he may also be treated wit certain kinds of drugs.

Besides these two microscopic kinds there is another kind of visible mite; it is called the Octodectes. The unique fact about this mite is that it can actually be seen as white moving dots on dogs’ ears, with naked eyes. It causes inflammation of the ear.

So as you see, even the cleanest of dogs can fall victim to common parasites. There is nothing to worry about it; such an infection does not mean that you have been neglectful. Just take the right precautions and see your dog getting better in no time at all. And thus you have it, dealing with mites, dog skin problems.

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