How To Tell If Your Dog Has Fleas Or Mites

Scaly or crusty skin.

How to tell if your dog has fleas or mites. They can go from 0 05 to 0 1 inches in size. Dusting of skin flakes dandruff on the surface of the hair. As for mites which can cause mange in dogs or cats they are distinguishable by the fact that it usually affects large portions of the body. Regardless of what type of mite is hitching a ride on your dog the symptoms can be bothersome uncomfortable and even painful.

Use your fingers to part your dog s fur so that you can see its skin looking for signs of adult fleas. You may notice large clumps of hair missing and a red rash underneath that would be exemplary of mites. Fleas can jump very fast and very high and even at their adult size they are very small 1 16 1 8 in. Another way to tell them apart from dry skin is their color as they are usually dark brown or even blac.

They are flat bodied and dark brown almost black in color. The more blood they ingest the lighter in color they may appear. Fleas are alive so when you try to check your dog s fur they will hide. The body hairs on mites cause extreme itching as they move about and these behaviors.

In order to see actual fleas on your dog you may have to look fast. If they re scratching biting or chewing themselves excessively you might suspect they have mites and take a closer look. Check your dog s fur to spot adult fleas. Adult fleas are about the size of a pencil lead.

The best areas to check for fleas are the dog s armpits and their groins. Fleas tend to prefer the base of the tail the abdomen and behind the ears but they can be found anywhere on the dog. Your vet however is the best person to diagnose mites in your dog. You can tell fleas apart from dry skin easily.

Here are some signs that will help you identify the presence of mites. You might be able to tell if your dog has mites by carefully studying their skin. Some of the most common symptoms of ear mites in dogs are vigorous head shaking ear twitching and scratching. Underlying skin irritation may be minimal small yellow skin mite may be visible on close inspection.

Intense itchiness expressed in scratching biting licking rubbing on furniture. Lesions on the back. Like all biting or stinging insects mites and fleas can occasionally cause serious allergic reactions including problems breathing or a swollen limb or throat.