* MITES
A recent trip to the clinic for little “Teddy” revealed that there’s more to this playful pug than meets the eye! “Teddy” is a bright and happy normal 6-month-old pup, but he had small patches of fur missing under his neck. Free of itch, redness or irritation, there was no obvious cause for these hairless spots.

On close inspection however, and with the aid of a microscope, tiny mites could be seen amongst the skin cells and debris scraped from the surface of “Teddy’s” skin. These mites were identified as being the humble Demodex canis – the scientific term for a small dog mite only 0.1 to 0.4mm in length.

The mites have a body that’s shaped like a cylinder and eight stumpy legs attached to an almost see through body, a perfect combination for living in a hair follicle! Small numbers of these mites normally exist in harmony on normal dogs and rarely do they cause a problem. In some cases, and especially in young dogs however, these hair follicle-dwelling creatures multiply to excess – and cause the hair to fall out in patches.

 

It is not a contagious problem, so other pets and people in the family are not at risk of ‘catching’ the mites. Sometimes the body’s own immune system can combat the excess crawly inhabitants and the problem goes away by itself, but in the worst case and if left untreated the hair loss can progress to affect the entire body. Also, secondary infection can develop which can make the skin red, sore and itchy. Luckily, there are effective and simple treatment options to control Demodex but it does take some time for the hair to fully grow back.

So, with a little persistence and patience “Teddy” should be sporting his full and handsome coat again.