Small Animal Ectoparasites Flashcards
Ectoparasites
Live on or in the skin, but not within the body
* one of the most common presenting complaints
Scientific Name
Fleas
Dog and Cat Flea
* Ctenocephalides canis or felis
Oriental Rat Flea
* Xenopsylla cheopis
* known for plaque (Yersinia pestis)
Fleas
* wingless jumping insects with tube-like mouth parts
* feed on blood - important cause of anemia
* common in humid, warm regions
Fleas as Vectors
Transmit Tapeworms
* Dipylidium caninum
Female Fleas
- Require blood meal to reproduce
- Can lay 50 eggs / day
- Eggs fall off into environment where they hatch
Flea Treatment
- Lufenuron
- Fipronil
- Imidacloprid
- Selamectin
Deer Tick
* Ixodes
* Transmits Lyme (Borrelia burgdorferi)
American Dog Tick
* Dermacentor
* Trasmits Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (Rickettsia rickettsii)
Brown Dog Tick
* Rhipicephalus
* Transmits Ehrlichia spp.
Ticks
- 8 legs
- Feed on blood
- Mouthparts called the capitulum
Scientific Name
Rabbit Fever
Tularemia
* caused by Francisella tularensis (bacteria)
* ticks are most common ectoparasite that transmits
Ear Tick
* Otobius megnini
* most common in livestock
* can infest other small warm-blooded animals
* body is covered in spines
Mites
Arachnids - have 8 legs
* demodex
* scabies
* cheyletiella
* ear mites
Demodex Mite
* canine: Demodex canis
* not puritic unless secondary pyoderma present
* not contagious
* located in hair follicle - deep scrape needed
* cigar - shaped
* see in animals who are immunocompromised
Demodex Treatment
Treat with
* oral Ivermectin
* Lyme Sulfur Dip
Scabies Mite
* canine: Sarcoptes scabiei
* feline: Notoedres cati
* very pruritic
* zoonotic, but transient infection
* find in superficial layer of skin - may be hard to find
Cheyletiella Mite
* very pruritic
* commonly called “walking dandruff”
* find in superficial layer of skin
Ear Mite
* cats and dogs: Otodectes cynotis
* very pruritic
* observe via microscope with mineral oil
* ear debris often looks like dark coffee grounds
