Hey
ya'll! Murphy here. You caught me napping. Made the doc take me for a
really long run, today. We got a little moistened - ok, we got
absolutely soaked, but what a great day! Had a little peanut butter
afterward and it has been just about a perfect day!
So what have we been talking about? Itchy pets! Well, let's see what we have talked about - fleas, allergies, medications. One cause of "the itchies" that we haven't talked about are skin parasites other than fleas. The doc says he doesn't see them as often as he used to.
Two major types are lice and mites. The doc gave me these great pictures, here, so you can see what they look like. Nasty looking little things, aren't they? They make us itch! And itch badly.
Mange is caused by mites. Mites can live in the hair follicles and can make us intensely itchy. Some mites are contagious and some are not. Demodex is a mite that is usually in puppies. It is not contagious to people or other dogs or even cats. It can be a challenging parasite to get rid of. There is one medication that can usually kill all of the parasites, but dogs may need daily medicine for more than 3 months. The medicine cannot be used in certain dogs, such as many collies & shelties. There is a test to see if individual members of those breeds can take the medicine.
Scabies or sarcoptic mange is another mite. These mites are contagious to people. And they make animals and owners itch very badly. Fortunately, the doc says these are much easier to get rid of!
Lice are not as common as they used to be, either. Part of the reason is that they are easily gotten rid of. People will sometimes blame their pets for getting lice, but the lice of cats and dogs cannot live on people and the lice of people cannot live on pets. The doc says they are "species specific", meaning dog lice only live on dogs, cat lice only live on cats and people lice only live on people and on and on.
So, now that you know more about the creepy crawlies that can live on your pet's skin, I hope they never catch them! No one needs that kind of itch!
Have a great week, ya'll! Go outside and play! Or get your get involved in a great game of laser chase. Either way, enjoy the fun times with your pets!
So what have we been talking about? Itchy pets! Well, let's see what we have talked about - fleas, allergies, medications. One cause of "the itchies" that we haven't talked about are skin parasites other than fleas. The doc says he doesn't see them as often as he used to.
Two major types are lice and mites. The doc gave me these great pictures, here, so you can see what they look like. Nasty looking little things, aren't they? They make us itch! And itch badly.
Mange is caused by mites. Mites can live in the hair follicles and can make us intensely itchy. Some mites are contagious and some are not. Demodex is a mite that is usually in puppies. It is not contagious to people or other dogs or even cats. It can be a challenging parasite to get rid of. There is one medication that can usually kill all of the parasites, but dogs may need daily medicine for more than 3 months. The medicine cannot be used in certain dogs, such as many collies & shelties. There is a test to see if individual members of those breeds can take the medicine.
Scabies or sarcoptic mange is another mite. These mites are contagious to people. And they make animals and owners itch very badly. Fortunately, the doc says these are much easier to get rid of!
Lice are not as common as they used to be, either. Part of the reason is that they are easily gotten rid of. People will sometimes blame their pets for getting lice, but the lice of cats and dogs cannot live on people and the lice of people cannot live on pets. The doc says they are "species specific", meaning dog lice only live on dogs, cat lice only live on cats and people lice only live on people and on and on.
So, now that you know more about the creepy crawlies that can live on your pet's skin, I hope they never catch them! No one needs that kind of itch!
Have a great week, ya'll! Go outside and play! Or get your get involved in a great game of laser chase. Either way, enjoy the fun times with your pets!