Important to Know: What Makes My Pet Itch?

Scratching and licking of the fur are normal behaviours of dogs and cats, but when it occurs excessively, the itching can be a symptom of a more severe skin condition leading to some serious harm. The most common cause for itching is parasites, notably fleas. This article looks at many causes for itching but in-particular the parasites involved.

Quick Read

• Itching, scratching, and licking are common signs of a skin problem

• Fleas, and other parasites are the most common cause of itching

• Other conditions include allergies, dry skin and fungal or bacterial conditions

• When treating parasites, it is important to know the lifecycle so we can treat and prevent the disease at every level

• If you are worried, then book a consultation and we can discuss your needs

Introduction

Excessive scratching is one of the most common health problems that cause many pets to be brought to the vet, especially when it becomes completely unbearable for both the animal and the owner.

Pruritus is the medical term for this condition. There are many causes for pruritus, both internal and external causes, with some less common than others. The first differentiator is how long the itching has been going on for, is it a long-term problem, a sudden issue, or does it come and go through the year?

To complicate things further, licking one spot repeatedly can lead to a ‘hot spot’. This becomes a site of an infection that further perpetuates the licking, and a vicious spiral occurs, sometimes masking the original cause for the licking or itching.

The severity of pruritus will increase if a dog has more than one pruritic skin condition at the same time, a concept known as summation.

We have an article you can read here to explain how we work out the causes.

Common Causes of Excessive Scratching and Licking?

In most cases, pruritus in dogs is caused by ectoparasites, infectious agents or allergies.

Allergies – Excessive scratching and licking is often caused by food allergies or caused by external factors. More and more dogs develop allergies to pollen, mould, grass, or simple things such as soap.  Often in severe cases we have an infection complicating the assessment that will need to be treated before any investigations are undertaken.

Dry skin – It is a common factor that causes scratching in dogs. If you live in an environment with low humidity, most likely your dog’s skin is dry, which is very easy to recognise. Simple interventions like an improved diet, skin supplements and moisturising shampoos may be all that is needed.

Fungal & Bacterial Infections – These types of infections can severely affect the animal’s health condition. They can be contagious to other animals and sometimes to humans and need to be treated urgently.

Parasites – These are perhaps the most common cause. Fleas, ticks, or mites, cause intense sessions of scratching or licking, being extremely annoying for the dog. Although ticks and fleas can be seen with the naked eye, most of the times, they can be omitted.

Parasites – What can they be?

Fleas – Ctenocephalides canis thrive when the weather is warm and humid. Their mouthparts are adapted for piercing the skin and sucking blood. Depending on where you live, fleas can be a seasonal or permanent problem. Flea infestations are not only annoying for our pets, they can become dangerous for owners as well.

Besides causing irritation and pruritus, fleas can also transmit tapeworms and other diseases to pets. Dogs and cats can get infested with fleas from the environment or from contact with other infested animals. Many of our treatments focus on killing the adult flea, but as more of the lifecycle is held in our carpet fibres, or outside environment that means reinfection is very common.

Ticks – They are most found in wooded areas and any animal or human that enters such area is at risk of becoming infested with ticks. Tick exposure can sometimes be seasonal, depending on the area where you live. Ticks can carry other diseases, such as Lymes disease, or Babesia, so should be removed as soon as you notice them.

What are the most common types of ticks found in the UK?

·        Castor bean tick (Ixodes Ricinus)

·        Hedgehog tick (Ixodes hexagonus)

·        Dog tick (Ixodes canisuga)

·        Red sheep tick (Haemaphysalis puncta)

·        Ornate dog tick (Dermacentor reticulatus)

·        Brown dog tick (Rhipicephalus sanguineus)

Ear mites – Otodectes mites are very common in young animals and most of the time they live in the ears and surrounding areas. They are very small and may only be seen with the help of a microscope but in some cases, they can be spotted with the naked eye or with the aid of a magnifying glass. Unlike flea’s their lifecycle is completely on the pet so any treatment that kills them will likely prevent a recurrence.

Demodectic mange mites – Demodectic mange is caused by Demodex mites and it’s a common problem found in dogs. These mites are not very contagious, and they cannot be seen with the naked eye. Dogs become infected from the mites passing from mother to puppy, any often they already have the mite before heading to their new homes. Generally, D. canis won’t cause any issues in a dog, but in unusual situations they multiply excessively and cause a nasty itching rash.

What are Effective Parasite Treatments?

Much of preventative parasite treatment focuses on fleas as they are the most tenacious of the parasites. When considering the most efficient parasite treatment, we need to consider treating the animal as well as the environment, because focusing only on the animal will not resolve the parasite problem. In cases of fleas, only a third of their life cycle happens on the animal and the rest happens in the environment. Having regular monthly flea treatments for the dog or the cat will get rid of the fleas that are on them but will not affect the ones that are hiding in the carpets. For that, an insecticide household spray is required to complete the flea treatment and to target fleas in all stages of their lifecycle.

Summary

Itching can be caused by many things. The most common are fleas and parasites. Once parasites are ruled out, further investigations can be initiated to understand the underlying causes. For more information visit our cat or dog advice pages and explore specific conditions by animal. If you have any further concerns you can book an appointment with us.