Cheyletiellosis in domestic animals: manifestation, diagnosis and treatment of “wandering dandruff”

Cheyletiellosis is a parasitic disease that affects dogs, cats, rabbits and other rodents; It is also found in guinea pigs.

The disease is usually transmitted by contact and can even occur in a person who has close contact with their pet or animals in the nursery. However, this is observed only in 30% of cases, and it does not manifest itself in the same form as in animals, but in the form of an itchy papular rash on the skin.

What to do in such a situation? To get started, we recommend reading this article. This article describes in detail methods of controlling parasites. We also recommend that you consult a specialist. Read the article >>>

What is cheyletiellosis?

The name cheyletiellosis (cheyletiosis) of carnivores refers to the disease of dogs and cats caused by cheyletiella mites. In addition to these pets, skin mites attack rabbits, rats and chinchillas. However, the herbivorous fur-bearing animal is inhabited by individuals of a different species.

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Cheyletiellosis is a contagious disease that quickly spreads between relatives, as well as animals of different species, as parasites actively move along the coat and skin.

The disease is typical for all seasons of the year. But the parasite is unstable in the external environment: if a tick misses and falls while moving from one victim in winter, it will not be able to remain viable for more than a day. In summer, the parasite has more time to attack a new victim - as much as 5 days.

Arthropod parasites in appearance resemble scales of exfoliated epidermis, which is why the disease has received a second name - wandering dandruff.

In humans, when affected by cheyletella, prurigo (prurigo) develops, characterized by nodular papular rashes. When scratching, bloody crusts appear on the back, lower back, and extensor surfaces of the arms and legs.

Notoedrosis

The disease is similar to sarcoptic mange and is caused by mites of the genus Notoedres.

Peculiarities

Notohedrosis mites parasitize the skin of dogs and form clusters (“nests”) inside the skin.

The causative agent of notohedrosis under a microscope. Photo: Babiy A.N. (Vetmedical)

Symptoms of notohedrosis

Characteristic nodules and blisters appear on the skin of a sick animal in affected areas (head, forehead, bridge of the nose, brow ridges and ears). The skin in these places becomes folded, and the hair may fall out. Then the ticks can spread to other parts of the body – the dog’s front (less often, back) paws. It is possible to develop purulent conjunctivitis and swelling of the eyelids and nasal passages. With notoedrosis, moderate itching is noted.

Pathogens of cheyletiellosis

The causative agents of the disease are ticks Cheyletiella blakei and Cheyletiella yasguri. These are parasites up to 0.5 mm in size: females are larger than males. Cheyletiella hair mites undergo a developmental cycle that includes protonymph and deutonymph stages. Heyletella lays a fertilized egg on a hair, attaching it with a sticky secretion. The time after which the larva hatches depends on external factors and ranges from 3 to 15 days.

The first stage lasts from 3 to 5 days: the larva molts and turns into a protonymph. The duration of the second stage is from 5 to 10 days, after which another metamorphosis occurs: the deutonymph hatches. The development cycle ends after one or two weeks. Only then does the arthropod acquire sex and become male or female. The lifespan of a tick from egg to mature individual is on average 21 days.

How to find the reason

It is very important to quickly determine the cause of your cat's frequent scratching. The sooner this can be done, the sooner appropriate treatment can begin. A veterinarian must figure out the cause, and it is good if the animal owner can provide assistance to the specialist. For example, it will answer the questions:

• when did the first signs of a problem appear;
• whether the sudden habit of scratching is accompanied by other symptoms;
• how the animal’s behavior has changed;
• what does a cat eat?
• whether there was any seasonality in symptoms;
• how often does the pet go outside?
• Does he have contact with other animals, etc.

Routes of infection

Cheyletiellosis is contagious: the spread of tick-borne infestation is facilitated by overcrowding and unsanitary conditions. The disease spreads easily among the inhabitants of nurseries and shelters, because there are many animals in a small area. Yard cats are also not free from parasites. Moreover, a compassionate cat lover is able to bring guests to his pet simply by petting the yard cat.

The cheyletella mite in cats is similar to an inhabitant of a residential area on the outskirts of the city: it lives on the hair and descends onto the skin to feed. If several pets live in a room, infection can occur without close contact. An arthropod that falls from one cat ends up on the litter, and from there it moves to a new victim.

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After interacting with an infested pet, a person develops pruritus. When the contact stops, the itching disappears. The owner relaxes and begins to caress the pet again - the scratchiness returns. A person uninitiated in the intricacies of parasitology may think that he is allergic to a cat.

But nothing is known about the facts of tick transmission from one person to another.

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Symptoms of cheyletiellosis

Not all infected pets show symptoms of the disease. Cheyletella causes skin itching and flaking in a cat prone to allergic manifestations. The scales peel off and fall off in pieces resembling human dandruff. Parasites are also similar in shape and color to grains of frozen secretion from the sebaceous glands. They move through the hair - it seems that dandruff is walking on the cat's skin. However, such wandering is more common in dogs.

In addition, pets lick themselves and remove most of the ticks. Due to the active work of the rough tongue, hairs are torn out of the skin - foci of alopecia (baldness) are formed.

Most of the particles occur in the center of the back. Each animal reacts to the movement of parasites in its own way. For some, mites do not cause severe itching, but dandruff looks like an annoying cosmetic defect. Other pets develop severe pruritis (itching) - scratching occurs. Then secondary microflora joins in, papules are formed, which mature and open. The leaking exudate dries out, crusts form, under which ideal conditions arise for the proliferation of putrefactive microflora.

Description

Cheyletiellosis is one of the diseases that are easily transmitted from sick animals to healthy ones.
In addition to cats, the disease affects representatives of dog breeds, guinea pigs, hamsters, and rabbits. Moreover, each type of pathogen lives on the skin of a specific animal species. Cheyletiellosis poses a danger to humans. The causative agent of the disease can temporarily live on his body, causing the appearance of an itchy rash, small erythematous papules on the arms and torso. According to doctors, owners of sick cats become infected in 30% of cases.

Basically, cheyletiellosis is accompanied by moderately severe symptoms and may have common features with manifestations of allergies. Adult animals often tolerate it without obvious signs or severe deterioration in health. It is quite difficult for young and elderly pets.

Being asymptomatic, the disease does not become less dangerous and is instantly transmitted from the carrier to others. Its spread is activated under poor conditions for keeping pets and overcrowding of animals.

Independent attempts to cure a cat often end in vain. If signs of pathology appear, it is mandatory to contact a veterinarian

Diagnostics

Diagnosis consists of detecting cheyletiella in cats by scraping the affected skin. However, parasites are not always detectable. Sometimes the study is carried out after the application of an insectoacaricidal agent. The ticks died; they could not be found. The cat's owner calms down. But no drugs can destroy arthropod eggs. The larvae hatch from them and the disease resumes. Therefore, the method involves taking up to five samples for microscopy.

The study is labor-intensive, but it is necessary when it is necessary to exclude fungal infections. This is relevant if children who experience itchy skin come into contact with a sick pet.

In addition to microscopy of scrapings, the following methods for detecting cheyletiella are used:

• microscopy of a print from wool taken when applying tape;
• searching for parasites using a magnifying glass;
• combing dandruff onto dark paper allows you to detect moving mites;
• method of diagnosing cheyletiellosis by treatment: in this case, the use of insectoacaricidal agents gives a positive result - and the symptoms disappear.

When diagnosing cheyletiellosis, it is necessary to exclude the following diseases.

1. Fungal infections. Their treatment is long, the drugs used are characterized by side effects.
2. Demodicosis and notoedrosis. It is more difficult to destroy subcutaneous mites than to deal with skin mites.
3. Allergies: Taking a history is important. When a cat owner constantly uses insectoacaricidal drugs and still experiences dandruff and itching, then cheyletiellosis is ruled out.

It is advisable not to treat the animal on your own, but to immediately contact a veterinarian. This will help make a correct diagnosis and avoid poisoning the animal with unnecessary chemicals if ticks are not detected.

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Main clinical manifestations

As in other cases of tick-borne diseases, symptoms begin to appear fairly quickly and almost always indicate the presence of a pathogen. Here is their main list:

• Baldness.

• The cat is constantly licking itself.

• Because of the itching, the animal also constantly itches, and often tears its skin until it bleeds, scratching it heavily.

• The same “dandruff” is noticeable on the surface of the fur, and there are a lot of skin flakes, and they are quite large.

How to treat cheyletiellosis in cats?

The following external and systemic medications are used to treat cheyletiellosis in cats.

1. Bars Spot-on drops are used to treat cheyletiellosis, lice, fleas, subcutaneous ticks and helminths. The drug is poured into 0.3 ml pipettes - for kittens weighing up to 1 kg. For animals from 1 to 5 kg, one 1 ml pipette is squeezed onto the skin of the withers; for larger cats - two pipettes.
2. Stronghold drops are used against cheyletiellosis, ectoparasites, helminths, and subcutaneous mites. For cats weighing less than 2.5 kg, apply the contents of pipettes with a purple cap to clean skin. They contain 0.25 ml with 6% selamectin. For animals weighing more than 2.5 kg, use a blue-colored ampoule with a volume of 0.75 ml.
3. Bravecto drops are used to protect your pet from fleas, ticks and cheyletiellosis pathogens. The drug is not recommended for animals weighing less than 1.2 kg. For cats up to 2.8 kg, apply 0.4 ml of the drug to intact, clean skin. For animals weighing 2.8-6.2 kg, pipettes of 0.89 ml are produced.

To avoid re-infection, all animals in the house are treated, even if parasites are found in only one. After applying the drug, while the liquid dries (about half an hour), animals should be isolated in different rooms so that they do not lick the drug from each other’s fur. Or you can wear neck collars.

If the medicine gets on the mucous membranes, poisoning is possible. Therefore, you need to apply the drug strictly to the withers, where the cat cannot reach with its tongue.

Demodicosis

Most often, demodicosis in dogs is caused by mites of the genus Demodex canis, which live deep in the thickness of the skin - in the hair follicles and sebaceous glands.

Peculiarities

The mechanism of development and course of demodicosis is more complex than with other tick-borne diseases, in no small part due to the significant role of immune factors.

Demodex-infested skin (left) compared to clean dog skin (right). Illustration: Phizer atlas of veterinary clinical parazitology

A common view is that demodex is normally present on the skin without causing disease, but the results of a number of studies cast doubt on this. There is no doubt that the disease develops with a sharp increase in the number of ticks (this occurs with a general decrease in the dog’s immunity).

Due to the deep location of the ticks, demodicosis is almost not transmitted, with the exception of prolonged contact with a sick animal. Almost 100% of this occurs when the offspring are fed by a mother with demodicosis.

At-risk groups

As mentioned above, the disease can develop as a result of long-term direct contact with a sick animal (especially dairy puppies with a carrier mother).

In addition, a dog can get demodicosis under conditions accompanied by a general decrease in immunity, such as:

• pregnancy;
• stress;
• age (young and old animals);
• pathological immunodeficiency (congenital or acquired).

Veterinary experts also note that this disease is more common in purebred dogs, especially in short-haired breeds - some dogs have been proven to be predisposed to the disease due to a genetically determined decrease in specific immunity.

In general, the role of immunodeficiency is leading in the development of demodicosis - the disease often manifests itself after the use of drugs that suppress the immune system (for example, glucocorticoids, which are widely used because of their anti-inflammatory and antiallergic effects).

Symptoms of demodicosis

The course of the disease can occur in two forms: localized and generalized.

Localized form of demodicosis.

Localized form of demodicosis. Photo: Zharkikh E.V. (Vetmedical) There is a slight loss of hair on the dog's face and front legs, and later itching and redness of the skin may appear. In most cases, at this stage, demodicosis can be easily treated, even self-recovery, if the animal’s immunity returns to normal. If the animal does not receive proper timely treatment or the immune response is insufficient, the disease can develop into a generalized form, which is much more severe. Incorrect treatment (use of glucocorticoids in the event of an erroneous diagnosis) also leads to this.

Generalized demodicosis.

The areas of baldness increase, gradually merging into one. The dog's skin turns red, swells and thickens; acne, pustules (including bleeding ones), scales and drying out crusts can form on it. Secondary microflora (bacterial and fungal) develops on the affected skin, which causes constant itching and an unpleasant, pungent odor.

Doberman with generalized demodicosis. Photo: Simironin E.E. (Vetmedical)

The generalized form of demodicosis requires competent long-term complex treatment under the supervision of a veterinary specialist.

Prevention

To prevent infection with cheyletiellosis and other types of parasites, products that are used for treatment are used, as well as drops “Advocate”, “IN-AP complex”, “Inspector”, “Fiprist” and others. The duration of protection is indicated in the instructions attached to the drug.

Finally, it is worth noting that a strong immune system of a healthy cat will not allow skin mites to actively reproduce. Therefore, animals that are in comfortable conditions and eat nutritious food, as a rule, do not get sick, even if they are infected with ticks. That is, an important aspect of prevention is a healthy lifestyle for your pet.

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Treatment Options

The disease must be treated with antiparasitic drugs, which are administered subcutaneously or superficially. In the first case, the infected pet is given injections, and in the second, its skin is treated with drops, aerosols or aqueous emulsions.

Drugs

Cheyletiellosis in dogs treatment:

1. Ivermectin is a broad-spectrum drug that is prescribed against scabies mites and various types of worms. The medicine is a sterile solution, which is produced in ampoules or large bottles. The drug is administered subcutaneously every 2 weeks. The course consists of three injections.
2. Fironil is an insecticidal acaricidal spray that needs to be sprayed onto the fur and the procedure repeated after a month.
3. Lime sulfide is used in medicinal baths. The dog needs to be dipped in it for 6 weeks. The procedure is performed once a week.
4. Aqueous emulsions of pyrethroids are used for spraying or wiping pets. These include stomozan, neostomozan, ectomin, butox, etc.

Only a veterinarian knows how to treat cheyletiosis in dogs. He prescribes the dosage and frequency of the selected drug, determines the stage of the disease and monitors the condition of the animal. Not only the infected dog should be treated for ticks, but also all pets with whom it has come into contact.