Dual demodicosis in a dog: Diagnosis and micrometry analysis

Abstract

A nondescript dog aged six months was presented with a history of alopecia, severe itching, thickening of skin on ears, around eyes, forehead and lateral aspects of abdomen. Clinical examination revealed dermatitis, irregular skin lesions, crust formation, erythema, pruritis and alopecia on the affected area. Upon microscopic analysis of the skin scrapings, it was found that there were abundant short tailed Demodex cornei mites and long tailed Demodex canis mites. Micrometry was carried out for the two different species of Demodex mites and statistically analysed. The dog was treated with oral ivermectin @ dose of 400 μg/kg body weight for 21 days along with topical application of amitraz. A marked improvement was observed as the dog achieved complete clinical recovery, accompanied by the absence of mites in skin scrapings during two consecutive weekly examinations.