Canine helminthiasis is an inflammatory parasitic disease of dogs characterized by increased numbers of mites in hair follicles, accessory glands and skin surfaces. Helminths are found in the hair follicles of the ear canal, eyes, around the mouth and in the inner hairless areas of the four canines, and to a lesser extent in the sebaceous glands. They often cause folliculitis, boils and alopecia. Skin diseases caused by wormy mites are more prevalent in the summer, and breeds such as the Shar-Pei, Pekingese, Dachshund and Bulldog have a high incidence of wormy mite dermatitis. Some pet owners abandon their dogs because they don’t look good after they get worm mites. However, the cure rate for crepuscular mite disease is still very high when you know about it. Pathogenesis: The worm mite is a small shaped parasitic mite. The female is 0.25-0.30 mm long and 0.045 mm wide. Males are 0.22-0.25 mm long and about 0.045 mm wide. The mouthparts consist of a pair of bearded limbs, a pair of spiny chelicerae and a suboral plate; the thorax has four pairs of very short legs, and the abdomen is elongated and densely covered with transverse lines. In males, the reproductive pores are open on the back. In females, the reproductive pores are on the ventral surface. The eggs are poke-shaped and about 0.07-0.09 mm long. The developmental history consists of four stages: egg, larva, worm, and adult. Etiology: A skin disease caused by canine helminthic mites. It is considered normal for dogs to have a very small number of wormy mites. When the mites overproliferate, clinical signs of worm mite disease occur. Dogs with juvenile generalized crepitant mites are generally genetically predisposed. The adult form of crepitus is usually associated with an underlying disease (e.g., Cushing’s disease, hypothyroidism), immunosuppressive drugs, or immune depression (immunosuppression) due to cancer. Symptoms: Crepitant mites are generally clinically divided into three categories: localized crepitant mites, systemic crepitant mites, and foot crepitant mites, with the following common symptoms: 1. Localized crepitant mites: usually the first lesions are located in the mouth and nose, the skin around the eyes, around the mouth, head, ear canal locations, front legs, and trunk, with varying degrees of erythema, depilation, hyperpigmentation, and scaling in these locations. 2. Systemic crepitant mites Generally due to uncontrolled localized crepuscular mites thus causing explosive spread, symptoms are approximately the same as localized crepuscular mites, and in severe cases can be secondary to systemic disease and peripheral lymph node disease.3. Foot crepuscular mites: erythema, swelling, and secondary superficial or deep septicemia between and on the toes. Diagnosis: Initial diagnosis with history and clinical symptoms, followed by further laboratory tests. Laboratory tests are mainly microscopic examination of skin scrapings. The skin tissue is then scraped with a razor blade and placed on a slide, and a narrow, translucent, milky white worm is visible under a low-powered light microscope, or a hair root is plucked from around the lesion and placed on a slide for observation under a low-powered microscope. Treatment: Once the dog is suffering from worm mite disease, the local area can be cleaned with a warm disinfectant solution to remove dirt and crusts. Antibiotics against infection, etc. Prevention: Crepitant mite skin disease in dogs is a stubborn and recurrent disease, but it can be effectively prevented by doing the following: 1. bathe the dog regularly to keep the dog clean and hygienic; 2. disinfect the living environment and dog utensils; 3. check the health condition of the dog regularly, and isolate and treat the dog immediately in case of hair loss and itchy body. Before treatment, remove intestinal parasites, improve feeding management and increase nutrition. 4. Quarantine the sick dog in time to cut off the transmission route. Note that for the treatment of helminth mites, the more conventional treatment at this stage is still the use of ivermectin, generally speaking, the treatment period is about 1-3 months, it should be noted that the use of ivermectin is prohibited in Collies.
