Pet of the Month: Bruce!

Meet Bruce! He is the cutest 19 month old French Bull dog. We have had the fun of playing with Bruce and watching him grow since he was a tiny puppy!

Unfortunately, Bruce did develop generalized hair loss and redness of skin as well as marked itching last April. A skin scraping, where skin cells are examined under the microscope, allowed us to find the cause of his problem. He was diagnosed with generalized demodicosis, a condition of the skin caused by overpopulation of the mite Demodex canis. This mite lives in the hair follicles and is present in small numbers in most healthy dogs. In some dogs, the immune system/skin environment allows for the overgrowth and reproduction of the mites in large numbers causing changes in the skin. Some cases of Demodicosis are localized and need minimal treatment but occasionally the mite starts to affect large portions of the skin and extensive treatment is necessary as was the case with Bruce. Relapse is common requiring medication to be given long after live mites are seen. Bruce was treated for several months with specialized shampoo, antibiotics, antihistamines and an anti-parasiticidal medication to kill the mites.

Bruce is doing well now thanks to the medication and the hard work of Bruce’s owner! No more itching and all of his hair has grown back!! He is a handsome boy once more!