Sparky the Pup

Sparky visited us at the Veterinary Centre Oamaru because he was scratching and losing hair. Sarah, our Blue Cross Veterinarian, arranged for skin samples which revealed lots of demodex mites and bacteria. Most dogs have a few and they cause no problem but in some animals, such as Sparky, the immune system fails to control the mite and numbers explode causing discomfort, hair-loss and skin infections. Sparky started on medication to treat the mites and antibiotics to clear up the infection. After several months his fur has grown back and he is much happier. Left untreated, itchy skin disease can cause prolonged discomfort and misery in pets so bring them in to see our Veterinary Centre team to find out why they are itching and how our vets can help!