Scabies mites in pets

Scabies mites are insidious and invisible parasites of our pets. Many pathogens can cause scabies in animals, but the most common ones for dogs are Sarcoptes (sarcoptosis), for cats Notoedres (notoedrosis) and Otodectes (otodectosis, ear mite).

Pets experience debilitating itching day and night, may scratch themselves until they bleed, and shake their heads when they have ear itch. Pets literally lose interest in life, the joy of walking, playing and socialising with the owner. In places of scabies hair falls out, bald areas appear, the skin peels, and in the ear lobe accumulates unpleasant-smelling contents. Dogs may whimper from the pain and on a nervous basis begin to damage objects in the house.

Interesting facts about itch mites:

Itch mites can only be seen through the magnification of a microscope, and the first symptoms of the disease can appear two weeks after infection;

They are tiny parasites that live on the horny layer of the skin, and chew passages deeper just to reproduce. The male dies immediately after fertilising the female;

The life span of the mite can be one month, during which the female tunnels into the deep layers of the skin for 3-4 cm and lays up to 80 eggs during her lifetime. Each egg will take up to one week to mature, then a larva will emerge, which will have to go through several stages to become an adult parasite;

These parasites do not depend on the season of the year, they are comfortable all year round on the body of a cat or dog, because the host's body creates very comfortable conditions for them to live;
Scabies mites do not cause disease in humans, but they easily pass from one animal to another, affecting huge populations of domestic cats and dogs. The surprising thing is that even a pet that is not walking outside can become infected - the owner is quite capable of bringing the invisible parasite on their hands, shoes or clothing.

Diseases caused by scabies mites

Sarcoptosis, notoedrosis and otodectosis often run in a chronic form. And cats and dogs will experience itchy, irritated skin not only from the movement of the mites within the skin, but also from their waste products (toxins) that the parasites leave in their wake. The toxins are quickly absorbed into the animal's bloodstream and slowly but surely poison the entire organism.

Each pathogen has favoured hosts, habitats and distinctive differences:

Sarcoptosis - more common in dogs, lesions are seen on the head, chest area, lower abdomen and at the root of the tail. The dog experiences itching, scratching of the affected areas, and soreness. So-called scabs appear in the affected areas;

Notoendrosis - the disease is more peculiar to cats, but dogs can also be infected. It develops around the eyes, nose, on the ears and at later stages it spreads to the limbs. Bald patches appear, irritations in the form of rashes;

Otodectosis (ear scabies) - the causative agent of this disease spends its life cycle only within the ear drum. Cats are statistically more often affected, but any carnivorous animal, including dogs, can get sick. Animals constantly shake their heads, scratch to scratch and bleed their ears, around the ears. Inside the ear canal, a foul-smelling brown discharge regularly forms. The latter are just the product of the mite Otodectes cynotis.

It is only possible to make an accurate diagnosis in a veterinary clinic with special equipment, so it is worth showing your pet to a veterinarian at the first sign of the disease.

Treatment of diseases caused by scabies mites

It is worth remembering that if not treated properly, symptoms can disappear and reappear until the death of the pet, depriving it of the joy of life. 

Therefore, when choosing a drug, the key criteria are:

Effective effect on the source of the disease - the mite;

Local analgesic effect. The pet, even in sleep, experiences constant itching, in the places of scratching pain, which bothers him for a long time. Application of the drug can cause even more pain, resistance and desire to get rid of the applied product. The presence of an analgesic component in the preparation will comfortably relieve the pet from itching and soreness;

Presence of an antibiotic. Suffering from scabies, the animal introduces pathogens into the lesion foci. At the site of scratches, scabs, bacteria have all the conditions for reproduction, worsening the already unhealthy condition of the cat or dog. Antibiotic will prevent the development of secondary microorganisms.

To combat this unpleasant disease, the company "Apicenna" offers the preparation Dekta Forte. Its composition contains:

Insectoacaricide, effective from the first application on scabies mites, without harming the pet;
a local anaesthetic with immediate antipruritic effect;

a broad-spectrum antibiotic that will prevent the development of secondary bacterial microflora.
Separately, it is worth mentioning the regularity of treatments - for Dekta Forte, two or three applications will be enough to effectively combat any agent of scabies. It is enough for the owner to put a reminder for the next treatment and there is no need to devote fixation and treatment of the pet every day.

The most common mistake of owners is to stop treatment at the first disappearance of symptoms. It is necessary to follow the treatment scheme according to the instructions and listen to the recommendations of the attending veterinarian in order to reliably and permanently rid the pet of scabies mites.