Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Demodicosis in dogs and cats - diagnosis and treatment options
By Mueller, Ralf S et al.·Published in Veterinary dermatology·2020·Centre for Clinical Veterinary Medicine, Germany·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Diagnosis and treatment of demodicosis in dogs and cats: Clinical consensus guidelines of the World Association for Veterinary Dermatology.
Plain-English summary
A young dog with skin problems was diagnosed with demodicosis, a condition caused by mites that can lead to hair loss and infections. To treat this, veterinarians often use medications like amitraz or isoxazolines, which have been shown to be effective. For older dogs and cats, it's important to check for other health issues that might weaken their immune system and contribute to the problem. In cats, lime sulfur dips and amitraz baths are the most effective treatments. With the right care, pets can recover from demodicosis and regain healthy skin.
People also search for: dog skin problems treatment · cat demodicosis symptoms · amitraz for dog mites · lime sulfur for cat skin issues
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Demodicosis is a common disease in small animal veterinary practice worldwide with a variety of diagnostic and therapeutic options. OBJECTIVES: To provide consensus recommendations on the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of demodicosis in dogs and cats. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The authors served as a Guideline Panel (GP) and reviewed the literature available before December 2018. The GP prepared a detailed literature review and made recommendations on selected topics. A draft of the document was presented at the North American Veterinary Dermatology Forum in Maui, HI, USA (May 2018) and at the European Veterinary Dermatology Congress in Dubrovnik, Croatia (September 2018) and was made available via the World Wide Web to the member organizations of the World Association for Veterinary Dermatology for a period of three months. Comments were solicited and responses were incorporated into the final document. CONCLUSIONS: In young dogs with generalized demodicosis, genetic and immunological factors seem to play a role in the pathogenesis and affected dogs should not be bred. In old dogs and cats, underlying immunosuppressive conditions contributing to demodicosis should be explored. Deep skin scrapings are the diagnostic gold standard for demodicosis, but trichograms and tape squeeze preparations may also be useful under certain circumstances. Amitraz, macrocyclic lactones and more recently isoxazolines have all demonstrated good efficacy in the treatment of canine demodicosis. Therapeutic selection should be guided by local drug legislation, drug availability and individual case parameters. Evidence for successful treatment of feline demodicosis is strongest for lime sulfur dips and amitraz baths.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31957202/