Disease Description: A kind of skin disease (mange) caused by microscopic Demodex canis mites living within the skin layers and producing an immunodeficiency syndrome.

Inherit Mode: unknown

Disease Symptom: It is important to note that demodicosis is notinfectious, to otherpets or to people. The mite is present in small numbers in the skin ofhealthy dogs, butthe condition of demodicosis only develops in some animals, who arebelieved to have adefect in their immune system. Demodicosis may be localized - amild disorderconfined to 1 or more small scaly reddened areas of hair loss, mostcommonly on the faceor front legs. This is usually seen in pups of 3 to 6 months of age,and most casesresolve spontaneously. Generalized demodicosis on theother hand can beone of the most severe skin diseases in dogs. It starts out with locallesions thatinstead of disappearing, get worse and spread, generally on the head,legs and body.Secondary infections of the hair follicles occur, and large scalycrusted patches formwhich may eventually cover most of the dog. The deep skin infectionscan be complicated byresistant bacteria. Some dogs only develop demodicosis on the feet(demodecticpododermatitis). These lesions commonly become infected, are painful,and can be quitedifficult to treat successfully.

Disease Cause: -

Disease Diagnose: Your veterinarian will do a simple procedure called askin scrapingto find the mites on your dog's skin. In the shar pei, because of thethick skin, a skinbiopsy is often needed to make the diagnosis. This is a simpleprocedure done with localanesthetic, in which your veterinarian removes a small sample of yourdog's skin forexamination by a veterinary pathologist.

Treat Method: Localized demodicosis: This is a milddisease that usuallyheals on its on within a few weeks, with or without treatment. Yourveterinarian maysuggest a mild parasitidal ointment or lotion to rub on the affectedarea. Whether or notyour veterinarian recommends treatment, s/he will want to recheck yourdog in about 4weeks to make sure that the condition is not spreading. Generalized demodicosis: In most casesthis serious diseasecan be treated successfully. Treatment can be lengthy and expensivebut the majority ofdogs recover completely. In most of the rest, the disorder can bewell-controlled withmonthly treatment. Most dogs recover after 4 to 8 treatments atbi-weekly intervals.Treatment for generalized demodicosis consists of clipping the dog'sentire hair coat toallow better contact of the medication with the skin, removal of allcrusts (which mayrequire sedation or anesthesia depending on the extent), bathing withmedicated shampoo tokill bacteria and remove debris, and application of a solution calledAmitraz (Mitaban) tokill the mites. This regimen works in the majority of dogs. Another option is a course of oral medication,given daily forseveral months. Underlying skin infections and seborrhea(scaliness) must also betreated. For the veterinarian: Incomparison to the initialscraping, a recheck skin scraping should reveal fewer mites, andfewer immature forms. Ifthe lesions are spreading, there are more mites, and the ratio ofimmature forms to adultsis high, than the dog should be treated for generalized demodicosis.Regional orgeneralized lymphadenopathy is another indicator of generalizeddemodicosis. See references below for detailed discussionof treatment, includingof refractory cases.

Breeder Advice: Dogs that have required treatment for generalizeddemodicosis shouldnot be used for breeding, and neither should their parents. Anothergood reason to spayfemales with generalized demodicosis is that during estrous, thecondition worsens.

Disease Description Source: Link