A Skin Parasite, Not Normally Found Here, May Be Making It's Way To Your Neck of the Woods

Excessive itching, scratching and biting at the skin is certainly one red flag that your dog is being eaten' by a pesky bug.  Commonly, fleas are the #1 culprit, but when you can't find a trace of those visual little scavengers anywhere in sight, you then begin to scratch your head wondering what is going on yourself.

There is no question that chronic itching is not just a sign of a parasite, but maybe an issue of just dry skin or an onset of an allergy of some sort. However, when you find that your dog was fine one day and then wanting to crawl out of it's skin the next, it's more than just dry skin and an allergy.  .

The other day, one of my customer's called me after walking their dog through Allaire State Park and a local bike trail near the jersey shore a few days prior.. Apparently, the dog began itching excessively after going to these two places.  Within the next few days, it was determined by their vet that the dog was diagnosed and infested with a not so common parasite usually not found here.... Chiggers.  Even the vet was astounded since he has never seen a case in this area.

Chiggers, also known as Trombicula mites or harvest mites, are a very small parasite (the size of a pin head) that are reddish/orange in color and prominent during the Spring and Fall months; mainly in the central/midwest areas of the United States. Thriving in high grassy, harvest areas with chalky soil, they attach themselves on the "host" and feed on the tissue; injecting their saliva into the skin which causes severe itching.  In turn, it ultimately cause small red circular irriated spots on the skin. Within a few days, they'll simply fall off their host; unlike a flea and tick. 

On dogs, chiggers are mainly found around the front and rear legs, backend, head, and abdomen after walking through an infested area.  Easily missed by the naked eye, it is said chiggers resemble sprinkles of paprika on the skin when they are still feeding on their host, but again, can be hard to detect without proper lighting or if you have a dog with a thick or dark coat.

If you suspect your dog may have chiggers, a vet can determine it by a skin scrapping under a microscope.  Natural based pyrethrin-based dips or a topical anti-parasite treatment can be given (after a bath) are what usually does the trick. It is then highly suggested to just vacuum your home thoroughly, wash your dog's bedding and to avoid the area where you think your dog may have picked up these pesky bugs.

After hearing this, I wanted to pass along this information to our readers.  Guess we now have to add another possible cause to the list of why our dogs are getting the "itches" as these buggy pests are making their way to our neck of the woods.

Proper Grooming For Long Haired Dogs

If you have a breed with long hair and love those long locks, you know first hand the high maintenance grooming requirements needed. Whether you pamper your pooch at a local dog grooming salon every few weeks, it is still necessary to keep your pet's hair clean and matte free until the next grooming visit. Here are some after care grooming tips for dogs with long hair that you can do yourself:

• COMB DAILY using a fine-tooth comb.


• Concentrate on the back, sides, under the arms and chest area near the skin's surface. This is usually where matting occurs more frequently.


• If you are experiencing any tangles, do not bath your dog and try using a conditioner at this time - this may cause the matting to get worse. Rather, try to the best of your ability (softly and gently) getting the tangles out with the comb first.


• Do not tug or pull hard while trying to detangle a matte. You will be pulling at your dog's skin and thus causing it to be very painful to the dog. For assistance, you may "lightly" mist the matted area with a detangling spray.


• Once you finally get the tangles out, you can then use a pin brush just to smooth the coat down. Finally, you may bathe your dog at this time. After bathing, do not "towel rub" your pet's hair. Either let air dry or blow dry on a "warm or cool" setting while brushing the hair smooth.


• Brush your pet's coat every day to avoid any future problems.

Now, if your dog is severely matted and/or you have been unable to get any minor mattes out yourself, the best solution is to bring your pet to a dog grooming professional immediately for a coat and skin evaluation. Even small mattes can become worse over time so it is essential to take care of this issue immediately to avoid a dog groomer having to "shave" your pet should you wish to keep the hair long.

Unfortunately, if your pet's hair is severely matted, the best solution is to have your dog shaved so that a new and healthy coat can grow in. Furthermore, it will also avoid any pain and discomfort your pet would experience trying to get the matting out manually.

Lastly, we also suggest any dog with long, silky or "cotton-like" hair to refrain from wearing tight fitting clothing, especially with sleeves, as this can cause matting issues more frequently. Loose fitting or apparel without sleeves will help, however, the key is to always brush your dog EVERYDAY, especially after taking the dog's clothes off with the appropriate grooming tools to avoid any issues.

A Sprinke A Day Can Take The Stains Away!

For any of you pet owners who own a light colored or white "face" dog, you know first hand how difficult it can be to keep those awful, unsightly tear stains away! Whether the stains are reddish to brownish in color, a beautiful white or light colored dog can simply look "dirty", even after a professional grooming visit. Fortunately for darker color coated dogs, you will never have the opportunity to see them.

For decades, pet owners resorted to stain eliminating liquids and gels only to find them not effective. At times, these solutions also caused irritation to the dog's eyes which in turn, caused the eyes to tear even more. It was not until a few years ago that Angels' Eyes, a product made by the I'm a Little Teacup Company, proved that "a sprinkle a day, can take those tear stains away" - and literally! Now, it's one of the world's best known little secrets to keeping a light colored dog stain free!

Angels’ Eyes works to prevent tear staining by tying up circulating porphyrins. A porphyrin is a compound that reacts with light to produce a reddish brown stain to the medial canthus. The ingredients, 100%Pure beef liver and tylosin (as tartrate), will rid and prevent your dog from contracting Ptyrosporin (Red Yeast) and bacterial infections which causes excess tearing and staining. What makes Angels' Eyes different than other anti-tear staining products on the market is that other brands mask or have artificial food coloring, artificial food additives/preservatives, and cereals such as wheat causing the stains to reappear worse than before. Because Angels' Eyes is given orally in the pet's food, it does not require rubbing or any other difficult maintenance. With this product, you will not need to use any bleach, peroxide or any other product that may cause allergies and irritations.

Now, many factors contribute to tear staining. Pets could inherit very small tear ducts or overly watery eyes, particularly as a response to various products you may be giving to the dog (allergies or reactions) or even household chemicals you may be using. Definitely inherited are large eyes and short muzzles, which tend to allow more eye irritation and less drainage. There can be inherited or developmental structural defects that result in eye stains as well. Hygiene is another obvious factor. Matter in the eye tends to collect at the inner corner. If the pet’s eyes are exposed to dust, wind, grooming products, stray or ingrown hairs and other irritants, there will be more matter at the corners. This matter becomes an irritant and causes more tearing and therefore more staining. Therefore, it is essential to keep on top of a proper hygienic routine with your pet as well.

Angels' Eyes is 100% safe for pets and can be given as early as 8 weeks of age. Depending on the pet's size, a small sprinkle in the pet's food once a day does the trick. Treatment is given until results are achieved which usually is between 3-6 weeks; depending on how bad the pet has staining. Because there has been reports of pets not freely eating their regular food with the treatment of Angels' Eyes, the perfect remedy is peanut butter! Simply dip your finger in a jar of peanut butter (which all dogs love) and then dip your finger again in the Angels Eyes to allow the powder mixture to stick to your finger. With the aroma of creamy peanut butter, I never have seen a dog refuse this tasty treat!

Here are some other suggestions to keeping your pet's face stain free:

• Feed your pet a white meat diet. This includes chicken, turkey or fish. Dark meats can contribute to your dog getting darker staining around the eyes and mouth.


• Stay away from treats that contain food coloring, sugars or wheat as an additive.


• Wipe your pet's face daily with a clean, warm cloth.

PLEASE NOTE: Should your pet have noticeable reddish staining on it's paws, legs, etc.. this is caused by your pet's excessive self-grooming practices (i.e. licking it's feet constantly). Because a pet's saliva is also a bodily fluid, saliva also contains this active red yeast enzyme and as such, is just being transferred to the pet's coat when it's cleaning itself. Therefore, the use of Angels' Eyes may help eliminate stains from getting darker as it will rid and control the body of an excessive red yeast overgrowth.

To purchase Angels' Eyes, please Click Here. One month and four month supply treatments are available.