Dog Parasite Skin

"Dog parasite skin includes problems with canine fleas, dog mange,  ticks and ear mites. In general, treatment involves immediately addressing any dog skin symptoms, removing the parasite from the dog's body, and then implementing some type of long term prevention plan. In order to prevent canine parasite problems from returning, a dogs environment should be  cleaned thoroughly by vacuuming the area, disinfection and washing all of the dog's items. There are symptoms, diagnostic approaches and treatment options that are unique to each parasite which are described below." 

Dog Parasite skin are often caused by several types of insects. Listed below are the most common types of parasites and suggested approaches to treating the problem.

• Dog Mange
• Canine Fleas
• Ticks on Dog
• Canine ear mites
• Canine lice

 While some dog parasite skin problems can be diagnosed based on the symptoms, often trial and error helps to solve the problem, with a dogs response to treatment indicating the cause of any dog skin conditions and other related symptoms. 

Signs of Dog Mange

Dog Parasite skin problems caused by dog mange is due to a mite that burrows under the skin of the dog. There are two types of mites that cause the condition resulting in either demodectic (localized mange with some itch) and sarcoptic (red patches in one or multiple locations and severe itching). Canine scabies is another name for sarcoptic canine mange.

Dog Mange Symptoms 

The dog parasite skin problems that are symtoms mange dogs include red areas from scratching or reaction to the toxins from the mites which irritate the skin. Other dog mange symtoms include scaling around the eyes, nose and mouth and itch. Areas affected can be hairless with pimples and puss.

Picture Dog Mange - Dog Parasite Skin Problem
(Sarcoptic or Canine Scabies)

Diagnosis of Canine Mange

If you take your dog to the veterinarian for a dog parasite skin problem, they will do a skin scraping and look for signs of mites under the microscope. Diagnosis is only 50% accurate since your Doctor would have to scrape skin from the exact area where the mite is located,  or if the mites are gone due to scratching, the toxins left behind could cause the symptoms. If the skin looks like mange, most owners will begin treatment and determine it was mange if there was improvement.

Treatment of Dog Mange

There are three treatment options for a mange dog parasite skin problem .

Prescription - Your Veterinarian will prescribe a dip that is applied to the skin such as Mitaban (a substance that kills mites). If there is infection from scratching they may also prescribe an anti-biotic.

Home Treatment - Home treatments for this type of dog parasite skin problem have been shown to be effective. You can purchase an over the counter dip or an easier to apply option such as Dermisil for Pet Mange which is a dip that mixes with your dogs shampoo. This helps the treatment process as it makes the treatment more familiar to your dog. 

To avoid reinfestation, a dogs home should also be disinfected with a product made for this purpose such as Benzarid. Any home should be thoroughly vacuumed and all of the dogs belongings should be washed either in a washing machine or by using a liquid detergent.

Canine Fleas

Canine fleas (called Flea allergy dermatitis or FAD)  are the most common type of dog parasite skin problem.  When fleas feed on a dog, they insert saliva into the bite that causes skin sensitivity in the dog (basophil hyersensitivity).  

Fleas can be most easily spotted on a dogs stomach or around the base of the tail.  They look like fast moving small black specs. If you are not sure if you are seeing fleas or just plain dirt, use a flea comb to remove the black specs and place some of the black specs on a wet paper towel and crush.  If the paper turns red, then your dog has fleas.  

Symtoms of Canine Fleas

Symtoms of a canine flea dog parasite skin problem are typically a combination of bumps and pimples (called pruritus). Dog flea bite skin reactions occur either right after being bitten by a flea or they have a delayed reaction in 1 to 2 days.  A dog can also have an immediate and delayed skin reaction at the same time.

Flea bites are usually found on the rear, under the legs, tail and belly. Dog flea Symptoms usually start at the tail and rump (rear end).  Itching can cause hair loss and dry skin.  A dog with fleas will be act like it is uncomfortable, resulting in the dog trying to chew, scratch and lick affected areas.  This in turn will create secondary dog flea symptoms such as broken hairs, discolored hair that is brown in color, alopecia (hair loss),  areas of red skin (erythema),  discolored skin, skin scaling, firm skin bumps (papules), and papules that have opened, which are then crust covered.

If you only see dog parasite skin flea symptoms on the rear half of your dog, fleas are the most likely cause.

Diagnosis of Canine Flea Allergy

Brush your dogs coat over a white sheet of paper. If you see grains of sand on the paper, it is fleas (the sand is actually flea eggs and feces).  It also looks like a combination of salt (eggs) and pepper (flea feces).

A veterinarian will take a dogs history, look for visible symptoms such actual fleas, and flea feces in addition to specific skin tests.  The veterinarian will also differentiate this condition from other possible causes of the dog skin condition.

Treatment of Canine Fleas

Canine flea treatment involves removing any fleas currently residing on a dogs body,and addressing any symptoms such as itch, prevention of future canine flea problems, and elimination of fleas from the dog and owners home. Whatever approach you choose, be sure to follow the manufacturers directions.

To remove fleas immediately, owners can use a herbal dip such as Dermisil combined along with a herbal shampoo in what is called a flea bath.  Dips have a residual effect to prevent fleas from returning to your dog.  Flea shampoos alone will kill fleas, but do not have a residual effect.

After bathing your dog in a dip or other treatment recommended by your veterinarian, use a topical spot on to both treat and then prevent future dog flea problems (or a tablet product described below). Popular brands of dog flea medicine topical products and ingredients are:

•  Frontline Plus (fipronil) - liquid topical product that kills fleas in 24 to 48 hours.  Provides protection for 90 days and ticks for 30 days. Frontline Plus (unlike plain Frontline) also kills lice and helps to control sarcoptic mange (regular frontline just addresses fleas and ticks).  Frontline Plus is labeled for puppies under 8 weeks.  Regular Frontline should not be used with puppies under 10 weeks (check the label).  Retains effectiveness when wet.
• Advantage (imidacloprid) - topical applied 1x per month, kills 98% to 100% fleas within 12 hours. Not to be used on puppies under 7 weeks.  A newer brand/formulation is called Advantix. 
•  Revolution (selamectin) - topical 1x a month product that protects against fleas as well as heartworm, roundworms, hookworms, fleas, ticks, and mites.

These products are more expensive than lower cost brands that tend to contain permethrin, but are worth spending for. They are generally considered to be safe and should be started 1 month prior to the flea season which is usually April.  Check the manufacturers directions for all products for proper use and other precautions. For example, many of these products cannot be used within 3 days of the flea bath and puppies (usually under 10 weeks of age) have certain restrictions as well.

In addition to dog flea spot on topical preparations, there are also different tablet based products that can help with a flea infestation.

To speed healing in cases where there is a more severe dog parasite skin flea infestation, a veterinarian might recommend Capstar tables (Nitenpyram).  Capstar comes in a tablet form and immediately kills fleas on the dogs body.  It is often used in combination with a longer term preventative such as the spot ons Revolution/Frontline Plus. 

Pills such as Sentinel (lufenuron plus milbemycin, also a preventative for heartworm) or Program (lufenuron - very popular) are given to a dog 1x per month with food, and are known as IGRs or insect growth regulators. This means that they don't kill adult fleas, but prevent the flea larvae from becoming a pupea (the stage before adulthood, thereby interrupting the flea lifecycle).  These are available with a prescription and take from 30 to 60 days to fully work as the flea fully work as a complete preventative (existing adult fleas die and larvae are prevented from becoming adults).  These are used as an alternative to spot ons.

For more information on this dog parasite skin see our guide to dog flea medicine.

We do not recommend the use of dog flea collars or any type of collar for dog parasite skin prevention as these can get caught on objects and harm the dog.

A dogs environment should also be disinfected to ensure that all fleas are gone and kept from reinvesting the dog.  This can be accomplished with a quality disinfectant such as Benzarid and by a complete vacuuming of the affected areas.  It is a good idea to repeat treatment after 3 to 4 weeks.

Products such as Mineral Salts, Borax and Fossil Dust (diatomaceious earth) will help to kill both larvae and flea eggs in a dogs environment, but not adults (don't use if you also have a cat). Because of this they will take some time to work. These are not necessary if you use the Benarid combined with vacuuming the home .

Ticks and Lyme Disease Dog

Ticks are small gray dots that appear on the skin. They absorb dog blood and will fall off when full. Ticks can spread from dog to human (not any disease contracted by a dog, only the tick which can then spread the disease to humans).  

Not all ticks carry lyme disease.  Smaller ticks, which are deer ticks, carry lyme disease, while the larger American Dog Ticks carry other diseases as indicated below.

Problems usually occur from May through August, but can happen on any day that is above the freezing mark.  Not all dogs exposed to lyme disease become ill.

Diseases associated with the American Dog Tick are:

• Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever:  bacterial disease that causes fever, lethargy and respiratory issues such as cough
• Ehrlichiosis: bacterial disease causing lethargy, appetite loss, fever
• Babesiosis: caused by protozoa which cause jaundice/yellowing of the skin, vomiting, fever and weakness
• Tick paralysis: paralysis which starts with hind legs and then causes paralysis of the chest and diaphragm.  This toxin will cause death if the tick is not removed 

If you believe your dog has been bitten by a tick, watch your dog for changes in behavior (energy, appetite) over a 3 week period.  If you see any change, see your veterinarian.

Ticks usually need to be attached to a dog for 24 hours in order to spread Lyme disease, however disease can be spread in 5 to 20 hours.  If ticks are removed sooner, then the disease will not have had time to transfer to the dog.

Symtoms of Lyme Disease - Symptoms of Lyme disease, the disease transmitted by ticks include leg pain or lameness, which comes on suddenly. This is usually the most noticeable dog Lyme disease symptom. Other symptoms are a lost desire to eat, tiredness, cough, depression and enlarged lymph nodes.  There may or may not be a ring on the skin (known as a bulls-eye rash).

Lameness can last for an extended period of time.  Dog kidney disease is another problem associated with Lyme disease dog. 

Dog Lyme Disease Diagnosis - Blood tests can detect if a dog has been exposed (Western Blot, ELISA). X-Rays are also used to look at joint swelling.

Treatment of Ticks and Lyme Disease Dog - Dog lyme disease treatment involves the use of antibiotics for 2 to 4 weeks.  Prevention includes some of the flea products which also kill ticks such as Frontline Plus.

See our guide on lyme disease dog treatment for more information.

Canine Ear Mites

Canine ear mites (otodectic dog mange) are also types of dog parasite skin.  While this parasite affects the ears, the other type of mange, sarcoptic dog mange or dog scabies, effects the ear tips as well as other parts of the body.

The mites enter the ear and irritate the ear and ear canal. The mites cause the ear to fill with remains from the mites possibly causing infection. If you see something that looks like coffee grounds in the ear, it could be mites.

Symptoms of Canine Ear Mites

Symptoms of dog ear mites include itch, scratching and head shaking.  The dogs ears become crusty, red and scabs form on the ears.

Diagnosis of Canine Ear Mites

A veterinarian will look at dog ear wax under the microscope and will be able to identify the presence of mites.

Treatment of Dog Ear Mites

Your veterinarian can prescribe drops to treat the condition such as Acarex, Mitox and Tresaderm. Dogs undergoing treatment should also be bathed with a a shampoo that contains pyrethrins or with Revolution as mites escape the ears and attempt to reside on other parts of the dog's body.

It is rare for ear mites to spread to humans. Treatment is important to avoid long term damage to the ear.

If your dog has ear mites, be sure to clean the dogs environment with a disinfectant such as Benzarid, by thoroughly vacuuming the home, and by washing all of a dogs belongings with a liquid detergent.

Canine Lice

Canine Lice are spread when one dog comes in contact with another dog. Lice can occur in even the cleanest of dogs, although they are not common.

You might be able to see the lice with the eye as they are small and flat parasites (no wings).  Areas on a dogs body where lice usually appear include the ears, head, neck, shoulders  and the area between the genitals and the anus.

Treatment for lice includes a shampoo that contains pyrethrin and use of anti-lice products such as Frontline Plus. Lime-sulfur dips such as Dermisil are also effective.

Be sure to thoroughly vacuum you home to ensure that the lice do not remain in your dogs environment.  Cleaning with a disinfectant such as Benzarid that is strong enough to kill insects which cause dog parasite skin problems is also recommended.

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References Dog Parasite Skin: