What You Need To Know About Demodectic Mange And The Mites That Cause It

Dogs that have been attacked by Demodetic mites will show extreme hair loss and weakened immune systems. This is because of the mites burrowing three to five layers deep in the dog’s skin and attacking the hair follicles. These microscopic pests typically appear in all puppies but mostly attack puppies from the age of six weeks to just over a year old.

These bloodsuckers have eight legs and appear in the pores. This causes a localized infection at first. If it’s not treated immediately, it spreads and is very hard to treat then. It can take months of costly veterinarian visits and medical treatments to get rid of them once it spreads.

A characteristic symptom of Demodetic Mange is described as a wet puppy dog odor. Veterinarians can typically tell by looking when a dog has demodex, but will perform a skin scraping to be sure. There may or may not be intense itching involved with this infestation, but frequently the demodex causes acute secondary bacterial infections. These come from infected pores as well as from the dog scratching so intensely and abusing his skin.

Demodex causing mites don’t bite and exist on the blood of the dog, nor do they consume any blood. They reside in the pores of the skin and hair follicles. Their food comes from the skin and hair oil found there.

These mites look quite similar to Narcotic Mange mites. While notoedres cati is the primary mange causing culprit in cats, it can also infect dogs. However, it won’t complete a full life cycle on humans. It will just cause itching and a rash. This is also known as “face mange” because it starts at the top of the ears and moves over the face and body. If your cat is itching really badly and has hair loss on her head and neck, you may want to have her checked for neoteric mange.

Female mites burrow into the skin and lay eggs as she goes. Once she lays the eggs, she dies. The eggs hatch larvae in three to five days. These grow into nymphs and then adults. This entire life cycle takes two to three weeks.

Summary

Knowing more about the mites that cause Demodetic Mange in your pets can help you spot the symptoms quickly and get help that much faster.