What is the danger of subcutaneous mites for a cat and how to quickly cure demodicosis

Will a cat's tick fall off on its own?

Many people think that the most painless option, if a tick is already sitting on a cat, is to wait until it falls off on its own. In fact, it is in this situation that the risk of infection is maximum. As a rule, the parasite does not release infected saliva into the victim during the first 24 hours. In the next 24 hours, and especially before it falls off, it does this. This is why it is so important to remove the tick as early as possible.

How long a tick stays (sits) on a cat depends on its age and gender. Young nymphs and males only need a few hours (usually up to 6 hours) to drink blood. Adult females can sit for several days until they get so drunk that they increase in size several times. This is where the common misconception comes from: that males do not bite at all. They bite, but most often they are not even noticed. In this case, both males and even young nymphs can be infected and transmit the infection to the victim.

Methods of infection with subcutaneous mites

There are several ways of infection with an arthropod parasite:

• transmission of the parasite through direct contact with a carrier;
• indirect contact with the belongings of an infected individual, subcutaneous ticks can get onto a cat from the bedding of an animal that has these diseases, or from a hair brush. A person can carry these microorganisms on clothing if he has had contact with an infected animal.
• intrauterine infection.

Owners of several cats and breeders need to simultaneously treat all pets when the disease is detected.

Where to look for ticks on a cat?

Ticks are cunning creatures. They try to dig into a place where the cat itself cannot reach and where the bloodsucker most likely will not be noticed. The places where ticks bite cats are very diverse:

• on the neck;
• on the paw;
• on the body (body);
• on the tail;
• behind the ear;
• on the head;
• on the chin;
• between the paw pads;
• on the gums;
• on the mucous membrane of the eye.

Most often, the places where ticks dig into cats are invisible and hard to reach: neck, back, head, ear, armpits, stomach. Therefore, first of all, after a walk, to check your cat for ticks, look there.

If the parasite has just crawled under the cat's skin, it will look like a small black (brown) dot. Most often you can feel it with your fingers if you stroke the skin against the grain.

Features of the subcutaneous mite

In cats, demodicosis is often diagnosed. The causative agent of this dermatological disease is the demodex subcutaneous mite. The insect belongs to the arthropod family; there are two types of parasites: gatoi and cati.

Mites reproduce in the glands that produce saliva, sweat and in the roots of hairs. The female lays oocytes, from which larvae appear after 4-6 days. In order to turn into adults capable of reproduction, they need from 7 to 10 days. Microorganisms form colonies, which can be identified by small bumps on the animal's skin. Large accumulations of mites lead to dysfunction of the skin and atrophy of the sebaceous glands.

Demodicosis can be localized or generalized. In the localized form, individual areas are affected: the neck and chin, eyes, ears. Generalized demodicosis spreads throughout the body. The risk group for this type of disease includes representatives of the Burmese and Siamese breeds.

The cat was bitten by a tick - what to do?

So, we found out how to detect a tick on a cat. Now let's talk about what to do if you find out that a parasite has attached itself to a cat. Your job is to safely remove the tick from your cat. There are two basic rules.

What a tick looks like on a cat depends on whether it has drunk blood or not.

Rule one. You cannot use pseudo-folk methods such as smearing with oil or alcohol, igniting with a hot match, etc. While the tick is suffocating and dying, it will release a lot of saliva under the skin: the risk of infection will increase. You should also not try to remove the bloodsucker using a syringe and vacuum. This method most often does not work, even if you retract the piston very hard. You can watch the video of a man trying to pull out a parasite with a syringe and not succeeding, after which he uses tweezers, but incorrectly, and therefore the body comes off, but the head remains inside.

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Rule two. When you pull out a tick, grab it as close to the skin as possible, that is, do not grab it by the butt or the middle of the body. You need to grab it quite firmly, but gently. Compressing the head on both sides will block the salivary flow. At the same time, you should not grab so hard as to provoke the bloodsucker to release a portion of saliva into the blood, as well as to tear his body and leave his head in the skin.

4 Effective Extraction Methods

1. Using thread. The tick must be wrapped in thread and tied as close to the base as possible. Next, twist the thread as shown in the video.
2. Using a special tool. Such a tool has a slot into which the tick should fall, after which it is pulled up, twisting it around its axis.
3. Using regular tweezers. This method is more difficult for beginners, but as a rule, the most ordinary tweezers are at hand. Its edges should not be sharp so as not to cut the tick. And they shouldn't be too thick, because... The tick must be squeezed, it must not slip out and cannot be crushed. Hold the tick with tweezers as close to the skin as possible, then begin to pull it out with even force perpendicular to the skin, while twisting the tweezers clockwise or counterclockwise.
4. Using an acaricide or insectoacaricide (drops or spray against ticks). Spray the tick and wait about 1-2 hours for the poison to take effect. At this time, make sure that your pet does not lick the bite site. A dead tick may or may not fall off on its own. Then, already dead, you will still have to pull it out with tweezers or thread.

After the tick is removed, it must either be burned, flushed down the toilet, or placed in a hermetically sealed container on cotton wool moistened with water if you want to take the tick for analysis. You can also take it for analysis, but most veterinarians consider this a pointless exercise, because by the time the test results arrive, the animal will already show symptoms if the tick has infected it. In addition, the fact that a tick is infected does not guarantee that it has infected the pet.

Having hidden or killed the tick, the bite site must be treated with either a soap solution or a disinfectant (chlorhexidine, betadine, alcohol, etc.). Keep an eye on this area for several days and contact your veterinarian if there are any changes.

If you are very afraid of pulling out a tick yourself, it is better to also take the animal to the veterinarian.

You can purchase a special tick removal hook in advance so that you have one at home just in case.

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At-risk groups

Theoretically, all cats that have been in contact with sick animals can become infected with subcutaneous mites. But the following groups are most often susceptible to demodicosis:

— offspring of cats with demodicosis; — animals with weakened immunity and autoimmune diseases; — cats in the postoperative period; - animals in the recovery period after infectious diseases; — kittens and adult cats with rickets; - animals exhausted after starvation; - pets who have suffered severe stress; - some breeds: Siamese, Burmese, Devon Rex.

What to do if the tick's head remains in the cat?

Sometimes it happens that the tick was pulled unsuccessfully, or the animal chewed out the parasite itself - and the head of the tick remained in the skin. This is a bad situation, but not fatal. Maybe, at the moment of pulling, he managed to release infected saliva into the victim, or maybe he didn’t have time. You won't know this for the time being. Now the task is different: to remove the head of the tick so that it does not cause an inflammatory and purulent process.

The head is a dead foreign element that the cat’s immune system will definitely reject. This will cause an inflammatory reaction, then the area will fester. After some time, the head along with the pus will come out from under the skin on its own. But it’s better not to let it come to that.

To remove the tick's head, use tweezers with pointed tips that are convenient for picking up small objects. But do not cut or pick at the bite site: if you cannot pull out the head, it is better to consult a doctor.

Complex treatment of complex forms

If generalized demodicosis or a localized form with complications is diagnosed, then complex therapy is required, including:

• applying Amitraz oil solution;
• oral administration of Doramectin;
• distribution of Ivermec spray on the affected areas;
• parenteral administration of antiparasitic drugs;
• use of antibacterial agents.

At the same time, it is necessary to strengthen the cat’s immunity, for which the biogenic preparations Baksin and Gamavit are used.

A cat ate a tick - is it dangerous?

You should not allow your cat to bite ticks on his own, because... this increases the risk of infection and the risk of the head remaining in the skin.

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The very fact of eating a tick, if the cat suddenly swallows it, poses little threat if the animal does not have wounds in the mouth and esophagus. But if they are present, an infection can enter the blood through these wounds from the tick along with saliva. Of course, this is only if the tick itself is infected and has also produced drool. The situation is unlikely, but it is better not to check.

Causes of the disease

Subcutaneous mites can live in a cat’s body for many years. The natural defense system restrains its reproduction, the disease does not manifest itself in any way. The tick feeds on dead cells of the epithelial layer. When a cat’s body is weakened, immunity is reduced, microorganisms begin to multiply quickly, and demodicosis appears. The reasons for this phenomenon may be:

• chronic diseases;
• worms;
• non-compliance with care rules;
• poor quality nutrition that does not provide the supply of necessary minerals and vitamins;
• lack of preventive antiparasitic measures.

Stress can also weaken an animal’s natural defense system.

Symptoms of a tick bite in cats

If you do not find a tick on a cat, but it falls off on its own, then the symptoms of the bite itself may not be noticed. The bite doesn't hurt, because... The tick releases an anesthetic substance under the skin. While eating, it may also not cause any discomfort. However, towards the end of the meal, discomfort and itching may occur. They can persist even after the tick falls off. That is, the consequences of a tick bite even without infection can manifest themselves in the form of redness, mild pain and suppuration if bacteria are introduced into the wound or the head of the parasite remains in it.

Some cats are allergic to mite saliva, ranging from mild redness and itching to severe pain, dizziness, fainting, and even anaphylactic shock. Such conditions must be corrected by a veterinarian.

But more often than not, the tick falls off unnoticed, and then lies in the apartment waiting for a new victim. This is the most dangerous situation, because... he can bite several family members at once. Bloodsuckers are able to wait a very long time for someone to turn up.

Symptoms of the disease

The rapid growth of subcutaneous mite colonies causes itching in the animal. Active hair loss is observed, and bald patches with an oval outline are formed. In these areas, the skin becomes reddish and ulcers appear. Infectious abnormalities appear as secondary signs. In most cases, subcutaneous mites are localized on the front legs, near the eyes, on the neck, and chin.

The main signs of demodicosis are:

• hair loss;
• swelling, redness of the skin;
• ulcers and pustules;
• decreased appetite;
• weight loss;
• severe itching;
• unpleasant odor;
• unkempt look.

The generalized form, developing, can lead to blood poisoning.

Consequences of a bite and treatment

If a cat is bitten by an infected (encephalitis, etc.) tick, then the following symptoms are possible when infected:

• the cat is lethargic after a tick bite;
• suffers from poor appetite;
• the bite site turns red and a ring forms around it (a sign of Lyme disease);
• urine turns red or brown;
• the temperature has increased;
• and other.

These are all symptoms of infection. Even if you haven’t removed ticks from your cat in the near future, this does not mean that everything is in order. Be sure to show the animal to the veterinarian.

Treatment with folk remedies

In addition to medications prescribed by a doctor, you can use folk remedies to increase the effectiveness of treatment. Treatment of affected areas and wounds can be carried out:

• Ready-made tincture of calendula flowers, purchased at a pharmacy.
• A tincture prepared from the dry herb of tanning mackerel. A spoon of the product is filled with 500 ml of boiling water. After cooling, strain, dilute with 500 ml of cat bathing water.
• Concentrated decoction of chamomile.

Kerosene cannot be used for processing. It causes severe intoxication.

The cat was bitten by a tick - how to treat it?

If a cat, cat or small kitten is bitten by a tick, it does not mean that everything is lost. No treatment is required unless the bloodsucker is infected. According to statistics, only 25% of ticks are infected. But a bite from an infected tick does not always lead to infection. The earlier the owner noticed the parasite and removed it, the greater the chance of not getting an infection.

After the cat has caught a tick and it has been removed, it is necessary to monitor its condition and, in case of the slightest suspicion, contact a veterinarian. Be sure to warn the veterinarian about what happened the day before.

Many owners are interested in what to give their cat after a tick for prevention, that is, in case he does become infected. If there are no symptoms of illness, there is no need to give anything: the treatment itself is quite toxic, so there is no point in feeding the animal with medications every time the parasite is removed from it. You shouldn’t give interferons, which veterinarians sometimes recommend “just in case.”

Organizing independent treatment in case of symptoms is strictly prohibited. Only a veterinarian can make a correct diagnosis: many symptoms are the same for different diseases, so tests are needed. And self-treatment will only cause harm.

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Causative agent of demodicosis

Demodex is a very small mite, only 0.5 mm long. It has an elongated transparent body with unclear boundaries between the cephalothorax and abdomen. Ticks have small legs with hooks at the ends. The oral apparatus is equipped with a proboscis.

The mite lives near the hair roots and in the sebaceous glands. There it eats dead cells and sebum and actively reproduces. Outside the animal's body, the tick dies in about 2 hours.

From egg to adult, the parasite goes through the following stages:

• larva;
• protonymph;
• deutonymph.

The tick can live in active and passive forms. In the first case, it feeds and increases in size, and in the second, it becomes motionless. The duration of the entire biological cycle is 23 days (on average). During 3 months of illness, a cat grows 3 generations of mites.

Some sources claim that Siamese and Burmese cats experience demodicosis more often than other members of the family.

How to keep your pet safe?

Check the coat after every walk. The simplest thing is to prevent the bite itself, because the tick crawls on the victim for quite a long time before biting. Along with the inspection, it is also better to comb the fur with a fine-toothed comb so that the tick remains on it if it is still crawling.

And don’t forget that you can only walk outside with protection: a collar, drops or spray against ticks and fleas. If your cat brings ticks home despite the presence of protection, change the product to a more effective one.

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Preventive measures

The main prevention of this disease is to maintain a strong immune system in a cat with a complete, balanced diet and proper care. It is also necessary:

• treat the tray, bedding, and bowls with disinfectants every week;
• regularly use sprays and tablets with antiparasitic properties;
• Put your pet on a collar treated with anti-parasite agents.

If a cat has suffered from generalized demodicosis, it must be sterilized.

How is diagnosis carried out?

There are two ways to determine allergies - by blood test and by skin testing. Skin tests can be either superficial: applying the allergen to scratched skin, or injection: injecting it under the patient’s skin. All procedures are carried out under the supervision of an allergist to monitor the patient’s condition.

The skin reaction usually appears approximately 30 minutes after the start of the test. A blood test is used when the age or health of the patient does not allow skin testing. This allows you to minimize risks. The blood test is done over several days.

What then is possible?

To begin with, we should say what is needed - a dietary regimen during and after treatment. What about cosmetic procedures? Some of them are a real salvation in the fight against demodicosis. They help restore infected areas of the skin:

• cryotherapy - cold exposure, causing a sharp spasm of blood vessels followed by persistent dilation; result - peripheral blood supply is enhanced, skin nutrition is improved, metabolic processes are accelerated, the immune system is activated, and the skin's resistance to stress increases;
• mesotherapy - carried out during the period of remission, this is an injection procedure, the essence of which is the delivery of restorative substances contained in the preparations / cocktails to the tissues;
• plasma therapy - carried out during the period of remission, this is the introduction of purified and platelet-rich blood plasma of the patient into the affected areas of the skin; As a result, skin immunity is stimulated, and regeneration processes are launched at the cellular level.

Each of the procedures described above is prescribed in a course; to achieve a sustainable effect, on average, 5–6 procedures are required, which are carried out every 7 days.

ANESTHESIOLOGIST WITHOUT A DIPLOMA

With the words “If I was bitten, I would feel it!” We do not conduct self-examinations. Of course, when we are bitten (or about to be bitten) by a mosquito or wasp, we run indignantly either with a newspaper rolled up into a tight tube after them, or, throwing away the newspaper in panic, away from them. And of course, we will not only hear their approach through an annoying and terrifying (especially for girls) buzzing, but we will also feel their tender attitude towards us through the characteristic pain in the bite area.

In this regard, the tick is dangerous not only because it prefers to remain silent, that is, it approaches absolutely silently, but also because at the moment of the bite it injects an anesthetic into the wound, and the person does not feel the bite. The tick behaves very humanely - environmentalists will say, but we will say that the tick is insidious, and in order to protect yourself from it, you need to be vaccinated against tick-borne encephalitis on time and take precautions in the forest or in nature!

How to protect yourself from ticks:

• When in nature, conduct self- and mutual examinations every hour to detect ticks on the surface of clothing, as well as on open parts of the body.
• Clothing should be light-colored so that ticks can be easily seen on it, with long sleeves that fit tightly to the wrist.
• You must wear a headdress, preferably a hood.
• Shoes must cover the back of the foot and ankle.
• Trousers must be tucked into high boots.
• Treat clothing and exposed skin with repellents that repel ticks;
• Put specialized collars on dogs and cats and comb their hair after a walk.

Signs of a tick bite

At first, the pet may look healthy, so it is so important to examine the animal after each walk to rule out a parasite bite.

The most common symptoms of infection include:

• general lethargy;
• lack of appetite;
• darkening of urine (this is one of the surest signs);
• inactivity;
• vomiting and diarrhea;
• strong thirst;
• high body temperature;
• pallor of the mucous membrane.

If you notice any of the above, seek help as soon as possible and take all necessary tests. Remember that even after treatment, the disease can relapse, so monitor your pet’s health.