Ectoparasite Flashcards
What species do fleas affect
Many species
Dog/cat/human/rabbit
Specific species can affect all other species
How long is the flea cycle and what different stages
Eggs Larva Pups Adult 2 weeks
What are flea living conditions
75-80F
70% humidity
How do females lay eggs?
Need blood meal to reproduce
20 eggs at a time up to 40 on pet fur
How do eggs contaminate the environment
Falls off fur as pet moves
What % of flea population is eggs
50%
When do flea eggs hatch
2 days to 2 weeks
Describe flea larvae
When larvae emerge, they survive off flea dirt
What is flea dirt
Pre digested blood
What do larvae turn into and how long does it take
Caccoons
5 days to several weeks
What % of flea population is the larvae
35%
What does the cocoon do
Protects pupae until environmental conditions are right for adult
Can take days to months
What % of flea population do cocoons make up
10% of flea population
Why is it hard to vacuum cocoons
Sticky coating
Resistant to disinfectant
How does adult flea emerge
When potential host sensed (body heat, vibrations)
When do adult fleas need to eat after being in a caccoon
After a few hours
Percentage of flea pop that adults make
5%
How long do adult fleas live
Weeks to months
All other stages are in the environment
Flea diagnoses
May see fleas themselves
Flea comb
Wipe with white towel for flea dirt (digested blood)
Why can fleas cause anemia
Need to ingest 15x body weight daily
How fast can a dog have a reaction to fleas
After one bite for an allergic dog p
Treatment for fleas
Flea collars (careful with doses) Kill adults: advantage multi (imidacloprid /moxidentin) dogs/cats Revolution (dogs/cats) selamectin :kills adults/inhibits eggs Advantix : imidacloprid /permethrin: dogs only
Who do you treat if your dogs all have fleas
All in contact animals
How long do you keep pets on drugs?
May need to keep on for several months
Fleas and environment
Disinfect environment to prevent reinfection
How do you disinfect flea environment
Vacuum, steam
Clean/wash bedding
Disinfect bowls
Put flea collar in vacuum , remove /replace bag often
Wash all bedding, clothes , covers weekly
Apply insecticide to home (products you buy or exterminator)
What kind of arthropod ate lice
6 legged
Insects
Sucking lice
Most common
Linognathus setosus
Dogs, suck blood
Cause more irritation to skin than chewing
Chewing lice
Trichodectes canis
Chew skin
Single and pleural lice
Single - louse
Pleural - lice
Are lice species specific
Other species can only have for short period
Accidental host
How long is the cycle of lice
21 day cycle entirely on pet
Where do adult lice lay eggs
Adults lay eggs attached to hair
What do lice eggs hatch into
Eggs hatch into nymphs (smaller than adults, look similar)
What do lice nymph turn into
Nymph molt and become adults
How are lice transferred
Transferred by direct contact
Lice diagnoses
Can see adult lice with naked eye
Can look under microscope to identify
Can see nits (eggs) stuck to hair
Pet usually itchy
Lice prevention
Revolution/advantage multi if going other places with dogs
Maintain good hygiene , check pets regularity
Every two weeks x 3
Treatment of lice
Can wash bedding / clean combs
Won’t last in environment
Treat tapeworms if needed
Treat all in contact species (others are fine)
What diseases do fleas carry
Tapeworms
Catch scratch fever
-flea dirt gets on cat nails-can infect humans if scratched - flu like symptoms ,
Tularemia - rabbit fever ,
Feed on infected animal and pass to other animals
Humans get from eating uncooked meet
What does mange mean
Used to describe animals with mite infestations
General signs of mange mites
Shabby hair coat, patchy/rough/poor condition
What are mites
Arachnids
8 legs
Typically just live on host (don’t survive well in environment)
Demodex mites
What do they infect
Hair follicles/sebaceous glands (deeper in skin)
What areas of animals do mites infect
Hair, limbs, may be on neck (localized)
All over body (generalized)
Signs of demodex
Generalized - Usually not itchy
Localized- mild, not itchy alopecia on small area of body
When is demodex common
Usually in puppies under a year
Generalized demodex
Moderate to severe all over body
Alopecia , redness, usually secondary pyoderma/itchy
Is demodex host specific
Yes
Usually transferred from mom to baby
What to do if you see alopecia
Deep skin scraping (to reach into hair follicles) , hair plucking
Why do you do a skin scraping with demodex
To see mites under a microscope
What happens if skin scraping positive
Positive confirms diagnoses
But if negative it doesn’t rule out demodex
When to use skin scraping
Not needed if localized, only generalized
Treatment of demodex
None of local
Generalized demodex treatment
Ivermectin (oral/injectible)
Daily, every few days
Advantage multi (moxidentin) topically every 1-2 weeks
All need to be given long term
Sarcopties (scabies) location
Mites tunnel through epidermis
Signs of sarcopties (scabies)
Very itchy
Alopecia
Thickening skin
Where is sarcopties most common in
Dogs
Rare in cats
How does sarcopties transfer
Direct contact,
Recent fomite
Can transfer to other hosts , but short lived infection
What other species can get sarcopties
Foxes
Coyotes
Diagnoses of sarcopties
Superficial skin scrapings ; harder to find than demodex (less mites involved)
Still need to reach all of epidermis (best to see blood)
Treatment of sarcopties
Revolution/selamectin (topical)
Advantage multi /moxidentin topical
Ivermectin
Use 1-2 months after signs resolve
Is sarcopties zoonotic
People can get short lasting infection (no treatment needed, very itchy)
Otodectes (ear mites) diagnoses
Can see on otoscope exam
Signs of otodectes (ear mites)
Usually itchy but not always
Dark debris like coffee grounds
Ear inflammation
Otodectes species
Most common in cats
Life cycle of otodectes
18-28 days
Transferring of otodectes (ear mites)
Direct contact
Diagnoses of otodectes (ear mites)
Ear swabs, see mites under microscope
Treatment of otodectes
Treat all in contact pets
If limited contact (dogs/cats) may not need to treat dog
Revolution/selamectin
Advantage multi/moxidentin
Cheyletiella (walking dandruff) location
Non burrowing, live on skin
Tail, rump, head (can be all over body)
Cheyletiella (walking dandruff) signs
Look like moving dandruff
May have redness, crusts, dull coat with “flakes”
Cheyletiella transfer
Canine/feline species, can see in rabbits
May transfer with transport hosts ( fleas, lice, ect)
Can see with naked eye
Is cheyletiella (walking dandruff) species specific
Yes, contagious
Cheyletiella diagnoses
See on PE , may see in feces
Samples if unsure (microscope)
Treatment of cheyletiella
Revolution/selamectin
Advantage multi/moxidentin
2 treatments two weeks apart
Is cheytiella zoonotic
Can be passed but cant complete life cycle
Nasal mites
Uncommon in cats When cheyletiella gets into nose Nasal passage/nasal sinuses Violent sneezing, nose bleeds Reverse sneezing Very contagious See on rhino scope exam or cytology of nasal secretions (tricky to find) Selamectin (revolution) or ivermectin Not zoonotic
