Skin irritation due to mites can be a terribly uncomfortable thing for a dog. Sometimes, mite-induced skin irritation can become so bad it requires daily doses or burst doses of prednisone. This is sometimes unavoidable, but there are things you can do to lessen the likelihood of having to use pred.
This post is inspired by a question on one of our favorite forums. A fellow dog parent with a pooch named Callie writes:
“We’ve had an allergy test done, and it turns out its dust mites. I’ve been managing her allergies symptoms so far with quercetin but as of late she has had a massive flare up on her chest (the issues on her chest only cropped up this season). The thing is, I’m not sure on how to help her other than vacuuming a bunch. Anyone have any advice?”
Related: Chronic Skin Irritation – What Causes It. What to do About It
Mite-y Irritating
Dust mites and storage mites can be highly irritating to a dog’s skin. While dust and storage mites don’t bite the way fleas do, their feces can cause an allergic response when coming into contact with the skin. This can lead to the classic signs of environmental allergies such as red skin, hair loss, localized swelling of the tissue, and intense itching and discomfort.
How to Prevent Skin Irritation
The best way to prevent skin irritation due to mites is to reduce the instances of mites in the home. Because dust mites and storage mites prefer different environments, we’re going to approach each topic separately.
Dust Mites
Dust mites love textiles such as carpets, blankets, and bed linens. Because of that, you can find them almost anywhere in your home. It’s not a reflection of your cleanliness. You simply cannot keep all dust mites out of your home. However, you can do things to limit the hoard of those tiny buggers that reside in your nice warm carpets and fabrics.
- Vacuum and steam clean carpets and upholstery weekly
- Change bed linens weekly
- Change heating and cooling unit filters monthly and use a filter designed to trap allergens
Storage Mites
While a very rare occurrence, storage mites can make it into your home. They are found in your dog’s food because storage mites live in the large storage bins used for grains on farms. Unlike dust mites, storage mites tend to cause fewer problems, because dogs ingest these mites rather than having them crawl all over their skin. Although they cause fewer problems than dust mites, storage mites can still lead to skin irritation.
- Change heating and cooling unit filters monthly and use a filter designed to trap allergens
- Store dog food in an air tight, plastic bin to prevent the presence of moisture and oxygen
Skin Irritation Hurts
Skin irritation is a painful proposition, especially for a dog. Often, a dog’s reaction to skin irritation will be to rub, lick, and chew, which makes everything even worse, so it’s important to limit the amount of exposure to dust and storage mites a dog with sensitive skin has.
You’ll never be able to eliminate dust and storage mites from your home, but if you follow the tips above, you’ll be able to limit their numbers and cut down on your dog’s skin irritation.
