Subcutaneous tick in a cat - symptoms, photos, treatment and prevention

Good day. Somehow I was returning home and saw a kitten on the street.

I approached him and was a little taken aback: in many areas of the skin the baby did not have hair. She pulled herself together and decided to help the poor animal.

A consultation with a friend's veterinarian helped determine that such damage comes from the activity of a subcutaneous tick. A treatment program has been developed and now the kitten is feeling fine. I want to tell you in detail about the cat's subcutaneous tick and how best to deal with it. You need to act quickly and decisively.

Subcutaneous ticks in a cat (Demodecosis). Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

Cats of various breeds and ages, domestic and outdoor, suffer from this disease. This disease is also known as red scabies. We are talking about a subcutaneous tick in cats or demodicosis. A.

What is demodicosis?

Subcutaneous tick or demodicosis is a disease that has a parasitic etiology. It affects the skin and hairline of a cat, and causes its parasitic mite, which is called Demodex (Demodex cati or Demodex gatoi).

Once in the body of an animal, it may not manifest itself in any way until the right moment - a decrease in immunity. Against the background of a weakened organism, demodicosis aggravates and mite vital products poison the cat's body.

Is a cat subcutaneous tick dangerous for humans?

As you know, people also suffer from demodicosis. But subcutaneous ticks that affect cats and cats are not contagious and are not transmitted to humans, but they deliver a lot of discomfort to the animal itself. The disease in humans and cats is caused by different types of parasites, pathogens (in humans, this is Demodex folliculorum and Demodex brevis).

How does infection happen? Transmission methods

An animal can become infected with demodicosis during contact with another sick pet, kittens can be infected by their mother.

Veterinary practice knows cases when infection with demodecosis occurred during the period of intrauterine development of kittens.

Forms of the disease

Veterinarians talk about the allocation of several forms of the disease - localized and generalized.

In the first case, the local part of the animal’s body is affected, or sections of demodicosis can be found in several places on the skin. While the signs of demodicosis are absent on the paws of a cat.

Such animals are no longer recommended for breeding, as there is a high risk of transmission of the disease to future offspring.

Diagnosis and symptoms of the disease

The animal must be diagnosed by a veterinarian. But, according to some characteristic symptoms, the owners of cats themselves can determine that she has a subcutaneous tick.

There is a high probability that this is so if you notice:

• Reddened areas on the body of the animal.
• The appearance of rashes on the body, with nodules and pustules.
• Deteriorated coat.
• Hair loss in the eye area - “demodectic glasses” in a cat.
• Hair loss in the area of ​​the foci of the disease.
• Change in skin pigmentation.
• The appearance of bleeding wounds on the skin.
• Worsening well-being

In the case of a generalized form, the disease also affects the internal organs of the cat, which affects the appetite and behavior.

A good veterinarian will certainly offer you to take scrapings from diseased parts of the animal’s body in order to study them in the laboratory. In this case, one test will not be enough. At least 4-5 are needed to make an accurate diagnosis.

Proper treatment

Do not self-treat cats with demodicosis at home unless your veterinarian has prescribed it. All drugs whose goal is to fight the pathogen are highly toxic. Incorrect dosage and frequency of administration of drugs can lead to the death of the animal!

Subcutaneous ticks are very difficult to treat.

For the treatment of localized demodicosis, it is necessary to use special shampoos, which include benzoyl peroxide or chlorhexidine.

Affected areas of the skin should be treated with peroxide and a chlorhexidine solution, so that after applying special medicines for ticks, available in the form of ointments, gels or liniment.

If we talk in more detail about drugs and remedies against Demodex tick, then these are acaricidal drugs.

In some cases, it is recommended to apply special oil solutions. In parallel with external means, it is recommended to include immunostimulants for cats in therapy.

In the case of a localized form of the disease, a month later, remission may occur, the symptoms of inflammation disappear. But do not rush to deceive yourself. This does not mean that the animal is healthy. It's just that the disease is in sleep mode, in order to activate under favorable conditions, but in a more severe form.

The nature of the treatment is affected by the age of the cat and the breed, in order to achieve stable remission, a long course of therapy is required, which lasts up to 12 months.

Treatment of the generalized form begins with the elimination of the disease that triggered the outbreak of demodicosis, combining this course with the course of treatment for a localized form of the disease. Mandatory intake of vitamins and immunostimulants. In severe cases, a course of antibiotics is also prescribed.

The appointment of veterinary drugs must be handled by the veterinarian who leads the cat. If necessary, he will adjust the treatment regimen, including new drugs and excluding ineffective ones for your case.

This applies to bowls of a cat, a cat's house, a claw-claw, combs for combing wool, toys. If it is not possible to disinfect them, it is better to part with them.

Treatment with folk remedies

There are folk remedies for treating subcutaneous ticks at home, before applying these methods - it is recommended to consult a veterinarian so as not to harm the health of the pet even more.

Such an alternative treatment involves:

Relying on these home-based methods alone is not worth it. But, as an auxiliary therapy, if the veterinarian does not prohibit this, you can use it.

Tick ​​Prevention

By supporting the animal’s immunity with vitamin complexes (purchased at a veterinary pharmacy), timely vaccination, and systematic treatment for fleas, you reduce the risk of infection with demodicosis.

Timely contacting a veterinarian, if a subcutaneous tick is suspected and following its recommendations clearly, allows you to get a favorable prognosis for your cat.

Subcutaneous tick (demodicosis) in cats

Demodecosis in cats is a parasitic disease in which the skin and hairline of animals are affected. The cause of this disease is the demodex subcutaneous tick.

Cats of different breeds and at any age are sick with demodicosis. Infection occurs by contact with sick animals, kittens can pick up a subcutaneous tick from the mother. Cases of intrauterine infection are also known.

The thing is that a subcutaneous tick in a cat can be present constantly and in the normal state of health of the animal does not manifest itself in any way. But, as soon as the pet has a decrease in immunity, the vital products of the parasite begin to adversely affect the body of the pet.

There are two forms of the disease:

1. localized - one area of ​​the animal’s body is affected, sometimes several areas are affected, but there are no signs of the disease on the legs;
2. generalized - several sites on the animal’s body are affected and at the same time the cat’s legs are involved in the process, this form is more severe than localized. It should be noted that after cats tolerate this form of demodicosis, most veterinarians advise sterilizing pets. This is because there is a high risk of transmission of the subcutaneous tick by inheritance.

Symptoms

Usually, the signs of demodicosis in cats develop gradually, and the sooner you seek the help of a doctor, the higher the chances of your pet recovering.

Diagnostics

To determine the subcutaneous tick in cats, scrapings are taken from the affected areas of the body (at least 4-5 samples) for further examination under a microscope.

Treating a disease

A localized form of a subcutaneous tick after a month can give a remission, that is, the inflammatory process subsides, and the external manifestations of the disease gradually disappear. But this does not at all indicate that the animal has recovered, especially if you have not used the treatment.

Just a tick for a while, so to speak, has lurked and the next outbreak of the disease will develop into a more severe form. Therefore, it is extremely important to diagnose the disease at an early stage and begin adequate treatment of demodicosis.The nature of the treatment may differ from the breed of the cat.

Localized form. With a subcutaneous tick in cats, “Doctor” shampoos with benzoyl peroxide or “Elite” with chlorhexidine are used to cleanse the skin.

The affected areas are treated with a solution of chlorhexidine or hydrogen peroxide. Thus, cleansing the skin of scabs and crusts. After processing, the skin should be gently and well dried.

If the veterinarian does not forbid you to use Citeal, then this drug can be diluted with water and washed in the affected areas of the cat’s body, then rinse and dry well. This procedure is performed every 2-3 days.

Use a skin application of preparations of Stronghold or Lawyer according to the scheme: 2-4 application with an interval of a month on the skin in the area of ​​the cat's shoulder blades.

After cleansing the affected areas from crusts, ointments, gels or liniments can be applied: sulfuric ointment, Demos liniment, Amidel gel, Ivermek gel, Aversectin ointment.

Special means are used against the subcutaneous tick in cats, which must be diluted before use according to the instructions, and then treated with the resulting solution to spray the affected parts of the body by spraying or lubricating - Neostomazan; ready-to-use sprays - Acaromectin, Ivermek, Tsidem, Perol.

It is mandatory to use drugs in combination, observing all the requirements of the veterinarian plus drugs that stimulate the immune system: Immunoparasitan, Gamavit, Gala-vet, Immunol, Maksidin.

Generalized form of demodicosis. Treatment of this form of subcutaneous tick must begin, first of all, with the elimination of the primary disease, which caused an exacerbation of demodicosis.

Outwardly, the same drugs are used to treat demodicosis in cats as in the localized form.

The introduction of Dectomax (0.3 ml per 3.5 kg of cat's weight) or Cydectin (0.4 ml single dose) should be carried out strictly on the recommendation and under the supervision of a veterinarian, since these drugs can be dangerous to the health of the pet.

If a secondary infection joins, then the doctor prescribes injections of antibiotics - Kanamycin, Betamox, Baytril, Amoxicillin, etc.

With any form of subcutaneous tick in cats, the use of vitamin-mineral complexes and immunostimulating drugs is mandatory.

It is necessary to disinfect household items of a cat, starting from food bowls and ending with a sunbed.

Folk remedies

I would like to note right away that treatment for subcutaneous ticks in cats at home with folk remedies is very dangerous for the life of your pet!

Prevention of demodicosis in cats

The main preventive measure is maintaining the immunity of your pet through timely and regular vaccination, a balanced diet, and providing your cat with vitamins and minerals.

A huge role in the prevention of demodicosis in cats is played by the systematic treatment of animals from fleas and ticks.

Is a cat's subcutaneous tick dangerous for humans?

Despite the fact that people also suffer from demodicosis, the subcutaneous tick that cats suffer from is absolutely safe for humans. The disease in humans and cats causes different types of parasites.

But be careful, if you have several cats and one of them is sick with demodicosis, then it should be isolated, and the rest of the pets should be monitored to detect infection in the early stages.

Subcutaneous tick in cats

A subcutaneous tick in cats or demodicosis is a parasitic disease in which skin and hair integument can be affected. The cause of the disease is a demodex tick. A cat may become ill after contact with sick individuals.

Description

If the cat is healthy, then the parasite is in the body of the animal, not letting itself be known. But when the pet’s immune system weakens with any disease, the tick begins its dangerous activity.

Thus, two forms of demodicosis are distinguished:

Symptoms

Demodecosis often has a pronounced form not immediately. The sooner the owner of the animal will notice the disease and begin treatment, the greater the chances of a painless condition and a quick recovery of the cat.

The most common symptoms of this disease are:

• the spread on the body of scales or nodules with slight discharge of pus;
• change in the volume of wool;
• severe redness of the skin;
• peeling around the eyes or “demodectic glasses”;
• wool begins to fall out in shreds;
• discoloration of the dermis;
• severe itching;
• wounds with blood clots;
• in a neglected form, a violation of the internal organs of the animal is possible;
• decreased appetite;
• apathy.

Diagnostics

There are two ways to diagnose a disease: on-site (when all the signs of demodicosis become apparent) or by a method of analysis (when they take a scraping from 3-5 areas of the affected dermis and study them in detail using a microscope).

In particular, if treatment has not been carried out. The tick temporarily stopped its activity, but the next time, an outbreak of the disease will proceed in a more severe form. That is why it is very important to notice the ailment at its initial stage of development, and immediately apply the treatment.

Treatment

This disease is treated for a sufficiently long time. Subcutaneous tick in cats, the treatment of which directly depends on the form of the disease, has several types of therapies.

Localized treatment. In this case, a shampoo based on benzoyl peroxides or chlorhexidine is used. Sick areas of the animal’s skin are treated with antiseptics: peroxide or chlorhexidine. So the skin is cleansed of excess skin. Then the treated places should be dried by applying a dry towel to them.

Also in the treatment of demodicosis use such solutions as: Amitraz or Butoks. Medications are applied to the affected area of ​​the cat's body once a week, for a month.

After cleansing the skin from crusts, it is customary to apply therapeutic gel preparations or ointments to the affected areas:

In addition, soluble agents or sprays are used in the treatment of the disease.
Oily preparations are used for localized places (for example, Mycodemocide). In addition to ointments and solutions, the cat must be given medications that strengthen the immune system: Gala-vet, Immunol and others.

Drugs such as Dectomax or Cydectin are administered to a cat under the supervision of a specialist. If you exceed the dose, drugs can adversely affect the condition of the pet.

If the appearance of another infection is noticed, the specialist may prescribe the use of antibiotics, for example, Kanamycin.

Disease prevention

At any stage of the disease, a subcutaneous tick, a cat needs to take vitamins and immunostimulating drugs.

To avoid this ailment in the cat, it is important to keep the house clean. Rinse toys regularly and wash mats and pillows that your pet likes to sit on. Dishes for food must be frequently disinfected.

It is also worth saving the cat from contact with domestic animals. If several cats live in your house at once, the sick individual should be isolated before recovery and carefully monitor the condition of the second. To diagnose a subcutaneous tick in early development.

How to treat at home?

It is worth saying that such treatment can cause irreparable harm to the health of the four-legged. The main methods of home therapy include the following:

1. Once every 2 days, the cat needs to make baths from the decoction of chamomile and bathe it in them.
2. Treat affected areas of skin with tincture of calendula.
3. The localization area of ​​the subcutaneous tick can be treated with kerosene once every 2 days without washing it off after application.
4. You can wash the diseased areas of the cat’s skin with soap from birch tar.

Subcutaneous ticks in cats are quite common. And if you do not start the process, but identify the symptoms of the disease at an early stage, then the disease does not give complications, and its treatment passes quickly.

Symptoms and treatment of various forms of subcutaneous tick in cats

Domestic cats can be affected by endoparasitic ticks, which are the causative agents of diseases such as demodicosis. Most often, the disease occurs after the contact of a pet with an infected animal.

Inhabiting the body of an animal, it begins to multiply, while laying eggs in the hair follicles. After a while, the cat develops symptoms that can be easily detected.

The main signs and symptoms

The subcutaneous tick parasitizes mainly on the abdomen, neck, ears, muzzle and tail. He can live on a cat for a long time, and no signs or symptoms of his presence may occur. However, as soon as the pet's immunity decreases, demodicosis will begin to develop, and its symptoms will appear:

• The appearance of the coat is deteriorating.
• Peeling appears around the eyes.
• Pigmentation of the skin is impaired.
• Dandruff is found throughout the coat.
• In some areas, wool begins to fall out in small shreds.
• Acne appears.
• The animal develops itching and discomfort, as a result of which it constantly itches, combing the affected areas to blood.
• The affected area is covered with a hardened growth, the height of which can reach 2-12 mm.
• From a shallow hole of the apex of the outgrowth a oocyte constantly oozes.
• Small abscesses appear on bald areas of the skin, and the skin itself becomes pearly.

Such symptoms arise due to the fact that the tick under the skin makes moves, constantly moves and leaves the products of its vital activity.

The discovered tick and cat should be immediately taken to a veterinary clinic, where a specialist will diagnose and prescribe the correct treatment.

Diagnostics and varieties

To determine the form of the disease, several scrapings are taken from the affected areas of the body, which are examined under a microscope.

There are two forms of demodicosis:

Treatment of a subcutaneous tick in a cat

Treatment for each pet should be prescribed individually. Also, treatment depends on the form of the disease.

Localized form. First of all, at home, the animal is washed with the help of special shampoos that cleanse the skin. To do this, use Elita shampoo with chlorhexidine or Doctor shampoo with benzoyl peroxide.

With an interval of a month 2-4 times on the skin of the animal in the area of ​​the scapula is the drug Advocate or Stronghold. The use of Butox 50 and Amitraz, which are used according to the instructions, is recommended.

Sites suffering from a subcutaneous tick can be treated with a solution of Citeal, the use of which must be approved by a doctor. After using the drug, the animal needs to be thoroughly rinsed and dried. The procedure must be repeated at least 2-3 times a day.

As soon as the affected areas are cleared of crusts, one of the recommended products should be applied to them:

1. Aversectin ointment;
2. Ivermek gel;
3. Amidel gel;
4. liniment Demos;
5. sulfuric ointment.

After cleansing of scales and scabs, it is best to apply oil solutions to wounds and areas with fallen wool, which include Amit, Ectodes, Tsipam, Mykodemotsid.

To treat demodicosis, specialists often prescribe special funds in the form of ointments or sprays:

Depending on the form of release of the drug, the area affected by the subcutaneous tick is lubricated or sprayed according to the attached instructions.

Treatment of demodicosis should be comprehensive. Along with the use of special shampoos, ointments and sprays, the cat must be given medications that increase immunity. These include:

1. Maksidin;
2. Immunol
3. Gala Vet;
4. Gamavit;
5. Immunoparasitan.

To restore the strength of the pet, it is necessary to provide good nutrition and still mineral water.

Generalized form. This form of demodicosis is much more difficult to treat, since lesions are present almost throughout the body, and large areas of the skin are affected. But, even if ulcers have already formed on the animal’s body and the skin is very irritated, it can be cured. In this case, the treatment will depend on the degree of infection, age, sex and weight of the cat.

For a greater effect, it is recommended that the pet be trimmed and washed with medicated shampoos. Then the affected areas are lubricated with special oils, which should be well absorbed. At this time, so that the cat does not lick the drug, it must be held. As soon as the oil is absorbed, the skin is treated with a subcutaneous tick, which the doctor prescribed.

In severe cases, the animal is prescribed injections of Cydectin with a dose of 0.4 ml at a time, or Dextomax, which is calculated depending on the weight of the cat. You can use them only on the recommendation of a veterinarian and under his strict supervision.

In the event that a secondary infection joins demothecosis, and the disease is complicated, the doctor may prescribe a course of one of the following antibiotics:

To restore the immunity of animals, the drug Ligfol has proven itself, which is recommended to be taken in combination with the treatment of a subcutaneous tick. Do not forget that the nutrition of the animal must be full and rich in vitamins and minerals.

Treatment with folk remedies

At home, you can fight with a subcutaneous tick with folk remedies, which should be used only after consulting a specialist. As such means are used:

• Washing the skin of a pet with a gel or soap, which includes birch tar.
• Places with fallen hair are washed with kerosene, after which the animal does not wash for two days, and its skin is not smeared with anything.
• Treatment of affected areas with tincture of calendula.
• Every two to three days, a cat’s bathing or spot treatment with chamomile broth.

When treating demodicosis, it is necessary to ensure that all household items of the pet are disinfected. Particular attention should be paid to the sunbed, and do not forget about bowls for food and drink.

Prevention

Since the disease does not develop immunity, it is necessary to take preventive measures after the recovery of the animal. For this, experts recommend:

There is no doubt that preventing the disease is much easier than treating it. That is why you need to be careful about your pets and maintain their immunity. In this case, the cat will always have excellent health.

The treatment of demodicosis to a cat should be prescribed only by a veterinarian who will take into account the individual characteristics of the pet. Since the treatment will be long, your pet will need increased care and attention.

Subcutaneous tick in cats

Subcutaneous tick (demodex, iron) is a widespread endoparasite that causes a skin disease called demodecosis.

Infection of the animal Demodex cati can go unnoticed even for an attentive host: ticks of this species live in hair follicles, but do not cause discomfort to the cat, since they do not cause itching.

In contrast, Demodex gatoi parasitizes in the upper layers of the skin, moving under it, feeding on its cells and laying eggs, causing significant damage to this cat's body, up to exhaustion and development of nervous disorders.

Symptoms

The vital activity of the subcutaneous tick causes an intolerable itch in the cat, it scratches the affected areas, injuring its delicate and thin skin, which leads to local baldness.

On the places of combing, you can see dense tubercles with a hole in the center, oozing a mother of wood. With careful pressure on them, thick content is released.

You can even see it: the skin needs to be folded and slightly squeezed from different sides - then the tick itself can be pulled out. It is very small, no more than 0.3 mm, but its very presence will confirm suspicions of demodicosis.

If you look closely at the skin of an animal in good light, you can see a special “mother-of-pearl” shine on its surface - a characteristic sign of a subcutaneous tick.

After making sure that the pet is infected with demodex, in no case should you try to get rid of the scourge yourself. For successful treatment, an accurate diagnosis is required, only a veterinarian can deliver it.

To do this, a deep scraping of the affected tissue (biopsy) is taken from the cat's skin with a scalpel. Based on laboratory tests, a diagnosis is made and appropriate treatment is prescribed.

Treatment

There are frequent cases of mild demodicosis, up to self-healing. But do not hope for it.

To get rid of the disease, complex therapy is needed, the success of which depends on the careful implementation of all the requirements, as well as the patience and responsibility of the owner.

Then grease the lesions with oil and be sure to wait until it is completely absorbed. This can take 4-5 hours, during which you need to keep the cat from licking the skin.

Only after this, the animal can be treated with a tool prescribed by a doctor. In severe cases, ivermectin preparations are injected (subcutaneously), which accelerates the healing process.

With a secondary infection with the formation of purulent processes, a 10-day course of antibiotics is prescribed.

Immunostimulants can be a good help, but before using them, it is better to consult a veterinarian. Good reviews has the drug ligfol to restore immunity.

To date, veterinary medicine has a sufficient number of methods for treating demodicosis, which one to choose is determined by a specialist taking into account the individual characteristics of the animal.

The disease does not give immunity, therefore, after complete cure, regular prevention is necessary.

Prevention

To protect your pet from infection with a subcutaneous tick, you need:

• avoid contact with animals whose health is in doubt;
• provide a balanced diet;
• prevent diseases that weaken the immune system;
• carry out preventive treatment of the animal with antiparasitic drugs.

Knowing the main signs of a subcutaneous tick, it is easy to identify. At the first suspicion that the cat is infected with Demodex, an urgent visit to the veterinarian is necessary.

Treatment of demodicosis is a long process, but attention and care, as well as measures taken in the early stages of infection will significantly reduce it.

Subcutaneous tick in cats (demodicosis): what owners need to know

A subcutaneous tick is a common parasite that infects many animals. Interestingly, in cats and dogs, these ticks are different. The subcutaneous tick in cats is Demodex gatoi and Demodex cati.

Infection occurs when a healthy animal comes in contact with a sick person. Interestingly, with a strong immunity in a cat, it can be a carrier, but not suffer from unpleasant symptoms. There are even predisposition factors, including genetic ones.

Symptoms and signs

It is far from always possible to detect the signs of a subcutaneous tick in cats on time, because the symptoms may be mild, or demodicosis manifests itself many months after infection.

For example, if a cat is ill with a viral disease, and her body weakens, the parasite is likely to begin active actions.

With a disease such as a subcutaneous tick in cats, the symptoms are as follows:

• First, tubercles appear on the skin, from which the anemone oozes;
• The skin around the place where the tick settled begins to redden and thicken;
• After some time, the hair in the affected area falls out;
• Peeling of the skin begins, causing itching.

Cats have several forms of the disease. The simplest is scaly, or localized. She is the least dangerous, and often the course of the disease does not cause the cat anxiety. Cases of self-healing are frequent.

Pustular and papular forms turn out to be more unpleasant consequences for the animal, and the most dangerous - mixed.

With complex generalized demodicosis, ticks clog the cat's body so much with its waste products that it begins to intoxication. This leads to a weakening of the immune system, weight loss, and a violation of the protective functions of the skin. Foci of abscesses, folliculitis may appear, lymph nodes increase.

Diagnostics

The most difficult moment is the timely detection and differentiation. Very often, veterinarians confuse symptoms with lichen and prescribe the wrong treatment. Therefore, to make sure that we are talking about demodicosis, a skin sample is taken and sent for a biopsy. If traces of a tick are found in the samples, the doctor will be able to make a final diagnosis and prescribe a course of therapy.

Prevention

Some experts recommend injecting the animal with immunoparasitan every six months. This drug has proven to be highly effective in the prevention of parasitic infections.

It is very important to monitor nutrition. It should contain the necessary vitamins and minerals. You can add funds that stimulate the immune system. Protect your cat from hypothermia. Any infectious disease weakens the body's defense.

How to treat

Modern veterinary medicine has a wealth of tools to combat demodicosis. Wait for a miracle, and hope for self-healing is not worth it. Although the mild form is not dangerous, you do not know whether the disease will develop further.

Treatment should be comprehensive, phased. Only in this way can you not only eliminate the symptoms, but also their source. If ticks appear in cats, treatment at home is possible and quite effective.

The second stage is the use of external agents - ointments, gels on the affected areas of the skin. It can be apacid-alpha, amitrazine, or aversectin ointment. But ectomine and its analogues can cause loss of appetite and other side effects.

If you want to accelerate the effect, or the disease is severe, use ivermectin. This is an injectable drug with an antiparasitic focus. Effective, non-toxic. It is applied since 4 months. This is hardly the most reliable cure for subcutaneous ticks in cats.

If inflammatory and infectious processes join demodecosis, the doctor prescribes a course of antibiotics for 1-1.5 weeks.

Also do not forget that how quickly the animal recovers depends on the care and proper nutrition.

As soon as you notice symptoms resembling demodicosis, immediately go to the veterinary clinic so that the specialist makes an accurate diagnosis.

Demodecosis

There are a number of parasitic diseases caused by certain types of microscopic ticks that feed on the host’s skin epithelium.

Parasites can develop on the skin, inside its layers and under it, respectively, acaridoses or, as they are also called - acariases, are the common name for this class of diseases, can be cutaneous, intradermal and subcutaneous.

A characteristic difference of all causative agents of acaridosis is the small body size, usually not more than 0.5 mm and an elongated, cigar-shaped body shape, or flat round, which allows you to actively move in conditions of parasitism, forming a network of numerous passages.

Often acaridoses are called scabies, without delving into the subtleties of each type of tick and the characteristics of its parasitism. This name is fully justified, since the active life of ticks almost always causes a clinical sign in the form of severe itching in the lesion.

Each acaridosis is caused by several different types of ticks, within their own kind, parasitic in a particular animal species. Most often, the type of tick causing the disease in dogs is unable to infect cats, and the demodecosis of cats is not transmitted to humans.

However, it must be remembered that most scabies are conditionally pathogenic in nature - ticks are always present on the skin of the animal, but do not cause disease.

When conditions favorable for active reproduction and nutrition of ticks are created, and in scabies this is usually a decrease in the general immunity of the animal and worsening of its conditions, parasites from a conditionally pathogenic state turn into a pathogenic ¬– an early disease begins.

The type of ticks that causes demodicosis in cats is not transmitted to humans and other animal species, therefore, it cannot cause disease.

Symptoms

Demodecosis in cats causes the scabies mite Demodex gatoi, which parasitizes in the outer layers of the skin, where the hair follicles, gaps of the sebaceous glands are located. Tick ​​vital products have a significant allergic effect, so the disease is accompanied by severe itching in the lesions and leads to the formation of localized scratches.

Depending on the course of the pathological process and the level of immunity in the animal, a localized form of demodicosis is distinguished when no more than 5 lesions can be counted over the entire area of ​​the coat, and generalized - with the formation of extensive allopecia.

In addition, the symptoms of subcutaneous tick in cats, due to the presence of protective substances in the sebaceous secrets of the animal and the absence of sweat glands, are manifested by separate, small foci, without forming extensive foci of baldness.

In cats, the primary areas of the development of the disease are the area around the nose, mouth, behind the ears.

The early stages of the disease are characterized by the formation of punctured pustular rashes in places most seeded by ticks, covered with a crust consisting of dried pus, blood cells, and epidermal flakes. The animal is anxious for these foci, seeks to regularly scratch the affected area.

With further progression of the disease, foci of allopecia increase, enlarged scabs appear, upon separation of which the lower layers of the skin and protruding drops of capillary blood are visible.

Treatment

If you find that your pet has a tendency to scratch certain areas frequently, it is recommended that you immediately contact your veterinarian.

The diagnosis of demodicosis is established on the basis of anamnesis, clinical signs and laboratory tests, for which scrapings are taken from the surface of the skin in the affected areas with the obligatory inclusion of dry formations.

The number of ticks detected is a determining parameter for the diagnosis of demodicosis. If more than two representatives of demodex are detected, scraping materials are placed on special nutrient media, where the colony of parasites increases to several tens within a few days, which allows to confirm the diagnosis with the greatest accuracy.

Often conduct additional studies of blood and urine of the animal to determine the general state of immunity and physiological health.

Treatment of subcutaneous tick in cats is not particularly difficult, however, it is necessary to consider not only local therapy against tick-borne infestation, but also general symptomatic treatment. Drugs that act directly on parasites are called acaricides.

A sufficient number of drugs that are used externally are presented on the drug market. Treatment is carried out until the tick completely disappears in the control scrapings, which are taken every 2-3 weeks.