Fleas, ticks and mites are among the most common reasons dogs are brought to a veterinarian. They cause itch and skin damage directly, trigger allergy, and carry pathogens that matter to dogs and people. On the NAVLE, the skill being tested is pattern recognition: the distribution of the lesions, how itchy the dog is and which test finds the parasite usually point straight to the answer.
Key facts
Parasites (external) at a glance- Species and system: dogs (most also affect cats); integument, with systemic vector-borne disease.
- Main parasites: the cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis); ixodid ticks; mites (Sarcoptes, Demodex, Otodectes, Cheyletiella); lice.
- Classic pictures: flea allergy on the caudal back and tailhead; scabies on ear margins, elbows and hocks with severe itch; demodicosis with patchy alopecia and little itch in a young dog.
- Zoonotic: Sarcoptes and Cheyletiella infest people; fleas carry Bartonella henselae, Rickettsia typhi and R. felis; ticks carry agents of Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and ehrlichiosis (people are infected by tick bites, not by dogs directly).
- Not contagious: Demodex, which is passed from dam to puppies in the first days of life.
What's inside
12 sections in the full guide- Key facts
- How the NAVLE tests this
- Cause and pathophysiology
- Clinical signs
- Diagnosis
- Differential diagnoses
- Treatment and management
- Prevention, control and public health
- Prognosis
- Quick review
- Test yourself
- References
The full guide also has 6 tables, 3 figures, 3 self-test questions and 23 references, available to NAVLE members.
Read the full study guide
The full guide is part of every NAVLE plan, with diagnosis and treatment tables, figures, a quick review and self-test questions. Start a free trial to try the question bank, or log in if you are already a member.