Skin mite in a cat treatment. Symptoms, photos and treatment of various forms of subcutaneous ticks in cats

Infection with a subcutaneous mite (red scabies or (by the name of the pathogen) demodicosis) threatens even those pets that never go outside.

By itself, a tick bite does not pose a danger to the pet, but brings him a lot of discomfort.

With untimely treatment, a pet may develop problems:

• aesthetic:
  • skin lesions;
  • loss of a significant part of the coat;
• hormonal;
• allergic.

Demodex subcutaneous mite in a cat is called conditionally pathogenic - malfunctions in the body lead to skin disease

Demodicosis, or scabies, in humans, dogs and cats is caused by different types of microorganisms. In cats, these are Demodex gatoi and Demodex cati. In humans and dogs - Demodex folliculorum. However, cats that suffer from chronic pathologies or have suffered severe stress, as well as young individuals, are susceptible to infection with a "human" tick.

Video: demodicosis in animals

With sarcoptic mange, microscopic mites devour the epidermis, causing discomfort and pain to the animal.

After infection of the host, it lives for about a month and dies. It does not multiply in human skin (unlike animal skin). Eggs that have fallen on household items can become a source of the spread of the disease.

Accompanied by already familiar symptoms:

• itching;
• irritation;
• hair loss.

Cheyletiellosis

• the appearance of dandruff and itching;
• peeling of the skin.

It is transmitted from a sick animal to a healthy one. The lesion has clear boundaries, usually the skin of the back suffers.

thrombiculosis

Thrombiculosis is caused by a mite of the genus Trombiculidae.

Video: diseases caused by subcutaneous mites in cats

How infection occurs

The tick is transmitted through saliva, wool, microtrauma when a sick animal comes into contact with a healthy one.

Infection will occur only if the animal's immunity is weakened, metabolism is disturbed, i.e. it is at risk, and these are:

• pregnant cats;
• old individuals;
• animals with chronic diseases;
• kittens.

Kittens can get infected from their mother. The tick can also be transmitted through common hygiene products with which the cat comes into contact.

In the presence of strong immunity, the cat can become a carrier of the pathogen: it will not get sick, but it can transmit it to other animals.

Symptoms of the disease

Infection with a subcutaneous mite can be detected by the following manifestations:

• oozing nodules or bumps on the skin;
• redness on the body, changes in skin pigmentation;
• thickening of the skin;
• focal hair loss;
• "demodectic glasses" - the cat loses hair around the eyes;
• peeling and itching of the skin;
• bleeding wounds;
• deterioration in well-being.

Photo gallery: signs of subcutaneous tick activation

Red bumps on the skin - the concentration of subcutaneous mites Due to inflammation and strong friction during scabies, skin areas turn red Hair loss is one of the main symptoms of subcutaneous mite damage Hair loss around the eyes is a marker of demodicosis Severe itching is the first sign of a tick infection

With mild local forms of damage, self-healing is possible.

In especially severe forms of the course of the disease, intoxication occurs with the waste products of the tick of the entire body of the cat. In this case, complications are possible in the form of:

• further decrease in immunity;
• decrease in the barrier function of the skin;
• the formation of purulent foci;
• enlargement of the lymph nodes.

Treatment

It should be understood that there are several forms of the disease, and the treatment depends on which one struck your cat. Therefore, in order to build the right rehabilitation program for your pet, you need to contact a veterinarian. This is especially true for advanced cases.

Veterinary methods

The treatment offered by the veterinarian boils down to the following steps:

ethnoscience

If the disease has just begun to manifest itself or flows in a mild form, you can try to help the pet at home:

1. Cleanse the victim's skin with soap or birch tar gel.
2. To soothe the affected areas, apply calendula tincture.
3. Bathe your cat in chamomile tea or apply it topically (may be repeated every 2-3 days).

Remember: cat skin is more sensitive than human skin. Traditional medicine often offers treatment with aggressive agents (sulfur, tar, kerosene), which dry out the pet's skin and do not heal, but rather cripple the pet.

If a fluffy patient is observed to be lethargic, loss of appetite, pallor of mucous membranes, fever, suppuration, consult a doctor immediately.

Treatment of kittens and pregnant cats

Kittens and pregnant cats are groups with an increased risk of subcutaneous mite infestation. There are certain difficulties in their treatment.

When treating a cat, it is important that the drug does not enter the milk or amniotic membranes, i.e. that it is not absorbed. Therefore, topical preparations should be used. These include, for example, Frontline. Before applying it, you should clean the skin of the animal, get rid of scabs, and then lubricate it with oil.

With complicated forms of the disease, such treatment is not enough. This means that a visit to the veterinarian is unavoidable.

Suppose you decide to use Ivermectin. It is prescribed for serious lesions, however, the medicine should not be used for kittens under the age of 3 months.

In both cases, you should not engage in home treatment. It is better to contact the veterinarian at the first symptoms of a pet infection with a subcutaneous tick.

Remember: the sooner you contact a veterinarian, the better the outcome of treatment. Getting rid of a subcutaneous tick in a cat is a difficult and long task. In addition, relapses are possible.

Preventive measures

There is always a risk of demodicosis. Any situation that weakens the immune system will adversely affect the animal: stress, injury, special physiological conditions. Therefore, the main goal of preventing scabies in cats is to strengthen the immune system.

Whether it's a cat that loves to walk or a lazy indoor cat, everyone is at risk of getting infected with a subcutaneous mite. It is easier to prevent the appearance of the enemy than to neutralize it. So be careful with your pet. If the trouble still took you by surprise, contact your veterinarian: treatment according to a professional method for an animal is safer than the sophistications of traditional medicine. Don't start a problem or let your guard down at the first improvement.

Domestic or street cat, purebred or not - it does not matter. Demodicosis is a disease that can affect any animal. This ailment does not threaten a person, but it brings serious discomfort to his pet. Therefore, it is important to know how demodicosis is transmitted in cats, to identify the disease in time and start treatment. What does a subcutaneous tick look like in a cat (photo) and is it possible to get rid of it with your own hands.

The nature of the disease

The tick slowly destroys the epithelium. Most often, the disease manifests itself on the skin of the muzzle: on the ears, forehead, mouth and eyes. If at this time you do not notice the disease and do not begin to treat it, the ticks spread to other parts of the body: sides, paws, neck.

With demodicosis, tubercles are visible on the body (small in size - up to 5 mm). When pressed, an ichor with pus is released from them. Swollen, affected skin takes on a red tint. As the disease progresses, hair falls out and the skin flakes off.

Knowing what a subcutaneous tick looks like in cats and how it is transmitted, you can prevent such a situation with your animal. No cat is immune from demodicosis. The disease does not choose its “victim” either by breed or by age: both young and adults, both purebred and outbred are ill.

The subcutaneous tick is almost always present in the body of the animal. But it manifests itself - only during the period when the immune system weakens.

There are two types of the disease:

1. Localized - when the tick affects only one part of the body.
2. Generalized - the disease spreads throughout the body, appears, including on the paws.

Also, the disease can be asymptomatic, pustular or scaly types.

A cat can become infected from another sick pet. There are cases when the disease was transmitted from mother to children, even during fetal development. A person has nothing to worry about: the disease is not transmitted to him.

Symptoms of the disease

It will only be possible to quickly cure the disease without causing trouble to the animal if the owner detects it in the early stages. Therefore, it is so important to know how demodicosis manifests itself in cats. Symptoms:

• the pet has redness on the skin;
• noticeable pustules, rashes or wounds on the body;
• wool loses its healthy appearance;
• a clear sign - demodectic glasses - a condition where the hair around the eyes falls out, and the skin in this place begins to peel off;
• hair loss on the head and ears or all over the body;
• acne, bleeding wounds appear, the skin itches.

With a generalized subspecies of the disease in a cat, the internal organs are affected. He may refuse food, be passive and weak.

Symptoms of a subcutaneous tick in cats can occur in such pets that:

• Have recently had an infection or surgery.
• Have fleas or are infested with worms.
• Wrong eat (little protein food).
• Have been treated with antibiotics for a long time or suffered severe stress.

Also at risk are those animals that do not have enough vitamins of groups A, B, E and fats in the diet.

Having noticed the symptoms of a subcutaneous tick in cats in your pet (and comparing it with a photo of sick animals), you should immediately contact a veterinarian who will conduct the necessary tests, make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe the correct treatment. You can cure a disease such as demodicosis in a cat with your own hands, but it is advisable to consult a doctor first to make sure of the diagnosis.

A subcutaneous tick is diagnosed in this way: scrapings are taken from the affected areas of the body in cats and examined under a microscope.

Features of treatment

How to treat subcutaneous ticks in cats? This question will be answered by a veterinarian. When choosing a medicine for a subcutaneous tick in cats, the doctor takes into account the stage of development of the disease, the age and breed of the animal. Usually, home treatment consists of bathing the pet with a special shampoo, a course of vitamins to maintain immunity, rubbing, drops and injections. Mite shampoos contain chlorhexidine or benzoyl peroxide.

An effective remedy for subcutaneous ticks in cats is amitrazine ointment, safroderm or Amidel-gel. Among the oils, olive or linseed are distinguished. They should lubricate the affected areas of the skin. Sulfur ointment bought at a pharmacy for people can also be a cure for subcutaneous ticks in cats.

Treatment of demodicosis in cats at home also consists in proper feeding of the animal. The pet's diet should be balanced and contain all the elements necessary for the full development. Mineral water also helps to restore strength faster.

With demodicosis in cats, treatment at home will be lengthy. Usually the course is up to 12 months.

The disease may go into remission. That is, at first glance it may seem that demodicosis in cats has passed, treatment at home has given positive results. But in a month the disease will manifest itself again, but with renewed vigor and in a more serious form. This is especially true if treatment was not carried out at all.

If a generalized form is diagnosed, the doctor conducts additional examinations to determine the main cause of the disease. Sometimes the course of the disease is complicated by additional bacterial infections, for the treatment of which antibiotics are used.

The owner should be careful: give medicine on time, regularly wash and lubricate the affected parts of the body with ointments; avoid recurrence and contact with infected animals.

Important: if an animal has become infected with demodicosis, all its household items must be replaced or disinfected: accessories, toys, bowls, kitty, combs, etc.

Disease prevention

Pets are not immune from subcutaneous ticks in cats (see photo). But it is in the power of the owner to take certain preventive measures that will reduce the risks of this disease. How to treat demodicosis of ukushek - only a doctor will advise. But what the owner can do on his own:

The subcutaneous tick in cats is a serious disease that requires immediate treatment in the early stages. The sooner the owner notices the symptoms of the disease, the greater the chances for a speedy recovery of the pet. Self-medication is not worth it. The disease is serious, there may be a relapse with consequences. In addition, the treatment procedure and drugs depend on many parameters: the stage of development of the disease, the age of the animal, the breed, the individual characteristics of the pet.

Some species are parasitic on cats. It is useful for owners to know the sources and symptoms of infection, diagnostic methods, groups of drugs for treatment. Preventive measures will help keep your pet safe.

Kinds

The following types of ticks are more common in cats:

The photo below shows an ear mite Otodectus.

Sources of infection and pathogenesis

Most types of ticks are spread by contact: after contact with a sick animal, through objects - bedding, combs, bowls. Pathogens that can live in the environment for more than one day enter the house on the soles of shoes and clothes. These include Otodectes cynotis, Notoedrosis cati, Sarcoptes.

Demodicosis develops differently. Its pathogens become constant companions and part of the normal microflora of cats. In small quantities, they do not make themselves felt, but under adverse conditions they become more active and multiply. Demodicosis begins in cats with weak immunity, chronic diseases, after viral infections. Infection by contact is not excluded.

Symptoms

Clinical signs of ticks of different species have both similarities and differences:

With demodicosis, the cat does not feel itching, because there are no nerve endings in the hair follicles. The cat itches if an allergy begins due to an increase in the population. With otodectosis, the cat rubs its ears, their inner surface is covered with a brown coating. If an infection joins, a dark discharge with an unpleasant odor appears that clogs the ear canal.

Diagnostics

Ticks are difficult to identify by external symptoms, because the signs of infection are similar to manifestations of staphylococcal and fungal infections, dermatitis and other pathologies. The size of ticks does not exceed half a millimeter, they cannot be examined without magnification, therefore, the species can only be detected and identified in the laboratory.

In parallel, the state of health of the animal is determined using a clinical and biochemical analysis of blood, feces, urine.

Treatment

From the first day of detection of the disease, the cat is isolated from other animals, not allowed out into the street. The pet is bathed with a therapeutic zoo shampoo, this will help remove scabs, crusts, cleanse, soften the skin. The treatment regimen depends on the type of pathogen and the severity of the disease.

Veterinarians use the following groups of drugs:

1. External acaricides: ointments, gels, liniments, drops. Medicines are prescribed for a focal form of the lesion, not complicated by secondary infections. Before use, the skin is cleaned with a special lotion or disinfectant solution. Medicines are rubbed into the affected areas, after application they are not allowed to lick off the medicine until absorbed, it is better to put a collar on the neck. The frequency and duration of the use of drugs is different, this is indicated in the instructions.

2. Subcutaneous and intramuscular injections are prescribed for a generalized form of the disease, when the lesions grow. The names of the drugs are different, but they are based on the same active ingredient - ivermectin. The substance is toxic, so only a veterinarian can prescribe a medicine and determine the dosage.

3. Immunomodulators are used if the defenses are weak, and the disease has passed into a serious stage.

4.Antibiotics are prescribed when signs of a bacterial infection appear.

The doctor chooses the treatment regimen and specific drugs, independent actions will harm the pet. During illness, it is recommended to wash the floor daily and wipe the furniture with antimicrobial agents. A balanced diet will help strengthen your pet's immunity and cope with the disease.

Prevention

You can protect your cat from ticks if you follow the rules of safety and hygiene:

• protect from contact with sick animals;
• do not let go for a walk unattended;
• support immunity with a balanced diet and vitamins;
• once a month, treat the withers with acaricidal drops;
• regularly inspect the head and ears;
• lead to preventive veterinary examinations;
• early detection and treatment of diseases;
• keep the cat and care items clean.

At an early stage, it is not difficult to remove ticks; in a neglected form, they lead to serious internal disorders. At the first sign of infection, it is important to seek veterinary care and follow the doctor's recommendations.

The most common type of ticks is the so-called ixodid - a forest tick, very familiar to us from spring-summer aggressions, which are also dangerous for humans.

This type of tick is now distributed almost everywhere, up to city parks and courtyards, they are very hardy and prolific. Their sizes can vary from 0.5 cm (in a hungry state) to 1.5 cm in a state of saturation.

The color changes from black - dark brown (in a hungry state) to red, with a pinkish or grayish tinge - in a state of saturation. Ticks are most active in spring, early summer and autumn.

These ticks are the most dangerous variety, as they can be carriers of many deadly diseases in cats, such as hemobartonellosis (in other words, infectious anemia), piroplasmosis, theileriosis - all these diseases are difficult to diagnose, and, in a neglected state, lead to death .

The risk group is, first of all, of course, cats that have free range on the street, but you can also bring this danger on your clothes after a walk in the forest or park.

How to detect a tick on a cat at home?

To do this, you need to carefully examine the animal - the muzzle, neck, behind the ears, and stroke it, gently running your palms all over the body against the wool. If the tick has not yet attached, you will see a dark brown insect moving quickly along the fur.

Tick ​​in a cat symptoms:

What to do about a tick in a cat? Of course, you need to immediately get rid of the tick and destroy it. After all, over time, in the process of saturation, more and more enzymes are injected into the cat's blood, increasing the risk of infection of the animal, so you can not wait until the tick is saturated and falls off by itself. The incubation period for diseases carried by ticks is about two to three weeks. Throughout this period, you must carefully monitor the condition of your pet, and, with any symptoms of malaise, immediately consult a veterinarian.

How to get a tick out of a cat?

Treating ticks in cats at home. First of all, you need to evaluate how long he sits on the cat and how deep he has penetrated under the skin. If the tick has stuck for a long time, has corroded to a large size and a swelling has already formed around it, then it is better to consult a doctor, because carelessly pulling the bloodsucker can damage it, and the fragments of the tick remaining under the skin will increase the risk of infection of the cat with one of the diseases .

The wound on the cat's body will need to be treated with brilliant green and observe the condition of the skin around it - if inflammation, redness, itching occur - all these are alarming symptoms that will indicate to you that you definitely need to contact a veterinarian.

How to protect a cat from ticks?

It is almost impossible to completely protect a cat from a tick bite, especially if she walks on the street. However, now there are several modern tools that can significantly reduce the risk. These funds include:

A cat that “walks by itself” is most likely to bring an unwanted lodger on its coat - a tick. Moreover, he can cling to the fur not only in the park or in the forest, but even in the grass near the house. Therefore, immediately after a walk, while the arachnid animal has not managed to find a habitat for itself on the skin, you should definitely examine the animal's fur coat.

Adult sated tick

If an arthropod is found, measures should be taken to extract it as soon as possible. It is best to do this in a veterinary clinic. In the absence of such an opportunity, it is imperative to know how to pull out a tick from a cat on your own, doing it right.

The owner of the cat should always have at hand special tools for removing ticks.

The tick causes severe suffering to the animal

Damage symptoms

• Combed places, peeling of the skin.
• Local baldness.
• Possible fever, discoloration of urine.
• Loss of skin shine.
• Increased thirst against the background of decreased appetite.
• Change in the color of the shell of the eyes (pallor).
• Sucreous tuberous formations on the skin, from which thick contents are released with light pressure.

What is the treatment for subcutaneous mites?

The therapy is long. It must be comprehensive. It is prescribed only after an accurate diagnosis has been established. To do this, laboratory studies of scrapings from an infected site are carried out to identify the type of tick. The affected areas are treated with oil. It should be completely absorbed by the skin, which will take about 3-4 hours. The situation should be controlled so that the animal does not lick the lesions. Then, as prescribed by the veterinarian, medicine is applied to the wounds. This may be one of the ointments: Safroderm, Amitrazin, etc. In advanced disease, ivermectin is injected subcutaneously. At the same time, immunity is strengthened by entering vitamin preparations (ligfol) into the menu.

Carefully monitor the condition of the skin of a fluffy pet

Scabies in cats (pathogen)

Scabies is caused by a mite that cannot be detected with the naked eye (photo of adults below). Yes, and his bite is not noticeable. The redness of the skin, the restless behavior of the animal testifies to the existence on the body. The most accurate analysis is diagnostics. It affects the scabies mite Notoedres cati and ears. The cat, as if trying to shake off the bloodsucker, constantly shakes its head, combs its ear and presses it.

Scabies mites are treated in cats in the early stages with insectoacaricidal drops, following the order:

• the auricle is cleaned with an ear stick soaked in camphor alcohol;
• the drug ("Oktovedin", "Demos", "Okotan") is instilled 3 drops in each ear;
• Konkov's (Wilkinson's) ointment on an acaricidal basis is used to treat the edge of the skin around the entire lesion.

In such a situation, serious therapy will be required, otherwise the animal will die.

General rules of treatment

A reasonable question that arises if a tick is found in a cat: what to do? The algorithm boils down to the following:

After the treatment, a second scraping is done. In case of a negative result, treatment should be continued for another 21 days. If other “smaller brothers” live in the house, they should also be treated together with the sick animal for preventive purposes. Use a special collar as an effective prophylactic.

Therapy for a cat, as well as the selection of a treatment regimen, drugs for ticks, depends on the degree of neglect of the disease, the form. But in time to detect the source of infection, eliminate and diagnose it, reduce the suffering of a beloved pet is available to everyone. You just need to follow all the useful recommendations.