Abstract
One cause of pruritus in dogs is pediculosis, a disease transmitted by the high infestation of lice. We report two cases of pediculosis by Trichodectes canis in different stages of life: in a puppy dog and in an adult dog. In the first case, a female Chow Chow puppy dog, 2 months old, was presented showing clinical signs such as incoordination, poor body status, tangled hair in the ventral thoracic and abdominal area, pruritus, intense skin flaking, and seborrhea and sebaceous secretion besides fleas and lice. In the other case, an adult female Cocker Spaniel dog was attended, 8 years old, with severe itching, weight loss, listlessness, erythema in the abdominal area, neck, and ears, and presence of lice. The treatment for pediculosis caused by T. canis is simple, based on the application of fipronil spot-on. Thus, the veterinary practitioner should be aware of diseases that demonstrate seborrhea and pruritus, and include the infestation by T. canis in the differential diagnosis.
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Martins, D.B., de Oliveira, E.Z., Valandro, M.A. et al. Trichodectes canis in puppy and adult dogs. Comp Clin Pathol 23, 1485–1489 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00580-013-1810-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00580-013-1810-9