Interesting Cases

Itchy Skin

Hair loss in dogs may occur for a variety of reasons (fleas, allergies, mange, and bacterial infections). Depending on the location of the lesion(s), age of the pet, and the physical changes of the skin we will determine what type of diagnostics tests need to be performed. Scrapings from the skin, fungal cultures were collected from these two patients. In both instances a mite named Demodex canis was found.

There are several different types of mange; the most common is demodectic mange or "demodex". Demodex is a mite normally found in small numbers in the hair follicles of healthy dogs. The mites are transferred from a bitch to her pups while the pups nurse. In most cases, the pups live with the mites without any problems. In some cases, however, an immune defect allows the mites to grow in large numbers causing skin irritation and hair loss.

Juvenile (puppy) onset of demodex usually occurs between ages 3 and 6 months when the immune system is not fully developed. It is believed that a genetic defect in the immune system allows the mites to multiply and become a problem. This means puppies from the same litter can be affected and may pass the defect along to subsequent litters. Therefore, affected dogs should not be bred.

Demodex is not contagious to normal healthy animals. However, older animals with a defective immune system or an immune suppressive disease can have this mite. The prognosis and treatment in these older animals is much worse than puppy onset demodex due to the presence of an underlying disease.

Treatment for juvenile demodex consists of special dips in a medicated solution, which can be done at home or through a groomer. Dips are applied every 2 weeks for a total of 4-8 treatments. Skin scrapings are taken at the 4th treatment until mites are no longer present. Treatment is usually successful for puppies.

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