One thing that gives pet owners a headache is skin diseases. Today I will talk to you about mite disease in dogs, and introduce you to a simple, affordable, and effective mite control method.

1 Canine mite disease

Common mites in dogs include Demodex mites, scabies mites, ear itch mites, and jie mites. Puppies are susceptible to infection and have a certain relationship with dog breeds, such as Golden Retrievers, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Barley Dogs (Dalmatians), Miniature Pinscher Pinschers, Curley Shepherds, etc. Let's first briefly understand the characteristics of mite disease. Scabies mites live in the body epidermis of dogs, and the typical symptoms are severe itching, erythema and bean rash; Demodex mites are parasitic in the hair follicles and sebaceous glands of dogs, and their symptoms are different from those of scabies mites, usually without obvious itching symptoms, manifested as local hair loss, erythema, and desquamation; Ear itch mites usually parasitize the dog's bilateral ear canals, but can also parasitize the skin surface of other parts, usually manifested as ear scratching, shaking head, and gray-white deposits in the ear canal; Agaricus mites live in the stratum corneum of the skin and can manifest as excessive scaling and itching of the skin after infection. Clinical diagnosis of mites can be made using skin scraping microscopy combined with skin cytology. Fungal testing can be done using a Wood's lamp in combination with fungal culture and identification.

Mites can absorb the nutrients of dogs, causing itching, hair loss, skin damage, secondary bacterial infections, etc., and can also be used as vectors to spread other diseases, which are usually not life-threatening, but not to be underestimated. Especially for families with allergic diseases and infants, it should be paid more attention, mites can occasionally infect people. Skin diseases in dogs, whether fungal, mite-like or other bacterial skin diseases, have long treatment cycles and are prone to recurrence. Today I will introduce to you how to use Amitraz solution to prevent and control mite disease.

2 Use of Amitraz

Amitraz is a broad-spectrum insecticide, the characteristics are white or light yellow crystalline powder, and the Amitraz solution is made of Amitraz plus suitable emulsifiers and solvents. It is effective against all kinds of mites, ticks, flies, lice, etc., and has an excellent killing effect on insects at all stages. The insecticide has a slow effect (generally 24 hours after the drug can disintegrate lice, ticks, etc., and 48 hours can make mites fall off from the skin of the affected area), and the residual effect period is long (a single drug can maintain the effect of the drug for 6 to 8 weeks, which can protect the dog from the invasion of external parasites).

Amitraz is a low-toxicity and highly effective insecticide, which is inexpensive, safe and effective. You can buy a 12.5% Amitraz solution in veterinary pharmacies, which can be prepared into a solution of 0.025% to 0.05% (12.5% Amitraz solution250 times to 500 times diluted) to the dog suffering from mites for a medicated bath, once every two weeks, serious can be once a week, each medicated bath is now ready for use, the medicated bath time is recommended to be more than 10 minutes, dogs with a longer coat can push the hair after the medicated bath, natural air drying after the medicated bath, do not wash and dry with a towel. Significant results can be seen after 3 to 5 consecutive uses, and pet owners need to be patient due to the long treatment cycle. Low concentrations (0.05%) of Amitraz can also be used for the prevention of canine mites, which can be regularly (once a quarter or once every two months) medicated baths, spraying, etc.

Amitraz  solution can also be used for cattle, sheep, pigs, bees and other animals, but it is highly toxic to fish (do not pollute water sources, fish ponds, rivers, etc.), horses and rabbits are also more sensitive. Cats are more sensitive than dogs, so use with caution. For other animals, pay attention to the withdrawal period. Note that the drug has an irritating effect on the skin, avoid contact with the skin and eyes.