How do I prevent my dog from getting mites?

If you give your dog regular flea treatments, it’s unlikely that they will catch harvest mites. However, it’s also sensible to avoid areas which are known for harvest mites. Harvest mites are common in woodland and grassy areas, and are most active between July-November. It’s likely your dog will need to be kept away from grassy or wooded areas to prevent them catching the mites again. Harvest mites will attach to, and feed from any animal that they come into contact with, including dogs.

The best way to prevent dog mites is to ensure they don’t come into contact with a dog who has them. This can be tricky, as you won’t always know, but keep an eye out if they come into contact with an unfamiliar dog. If your dog has been treated for mites, wash their bedding and check that their surrounding environment has been cleaned, as this can help prevent re-infestation. And, of course, if your dog has mites make sure they don’t pass them on – usually by keeping them away from other dogs until they’ve been treated. Dogs can pick up mites from a number of places. They are usually passed from dog to dog, but they can come from their environment too. Your dog may catch mites if they come into contact with another dog who has them, such as in an animal shelter or grooming establishment. Dog mites may also continue to live in the environment, such as in their bed or in the carpet, after they or another dog have been contaminated. Your dog can then pick them up again, which is why you should make sure everything is clean and mite-free after a known infestation.

The first and foremost way to prevent mites from infecting and infesting your dog is keeping your dog healthy overall. Maintaining your dog’s personal hygiene and grooming is imperative to keeping an environment on your dog in which mites do not want to live. Grooming is essential, not only for a healthy dog, but for also healthy skin and for ridding your dog of any parasites which might be living in your dog's fur or on your dog's skin. Keeping your dog bathed, cleaned, and groomed will keep mites away from your dog much easier than if your dog were not well-maintained. A healthy diet of well-balanced proteins, fats, and carbohydrates will prevent issues from occurring on your dog's skin and in their coat. Offering your dog a healthy environment with clean housing and clean outdoor spaces, as well as clean bedding is also a great way to prevent mites from infesting their spaces. Avoid dirty areas and dogs who appear to be filthy with patches of dry skin and missing fur. Keeping your dog's ears cleaned and wiped out, possibly even flushed on a regular basis, will help prevent ear mites from living in your dog's ears. Avoid having your dog with other animals, cats, or dogs who are showing signs of ear mites as they are highly contagious. Because mites thrive in dirty environments, obviously keeping your dog clean and well-groomed tops the list of home remedies. You can also talk to your veterinarian about medicinal repellents your vet can prescribe. Preventing mites from getting on your dog is a matter of keeping your dog well groomed and cleaned, along with ensuring all his private and personal spaces including your yard as well as his sleeping areas are clean and sanitized.

Thankfully, although you can’t stop your dog being exposed to mites, you can prevent an infestation developing by: Regular anti-parasite treatments. These treatments usually come in the form of spot-ons, and may manage a range of parasites including mites. Considering all pets, as mites can often be transmitted between species, it is important to consider parasite protection for all the pets in the household. Monitoring, if you see any changes in your dog’s hair coat, skin or behaviour, always get them checked over by a vet who will be able to help control any mite infestation. Grooming, regular grooming can help identify any changes in your dog’s skin early, which will help with effective and rapid treatment. The best parasite protocol for your dog will depend on you, your dog, your lifestyle and even the season, and your vet can help you decide which regime works best for you. However you choose to manage parasites in your dog, make sure to speak to a vet about the best anti-parasitics on offer, as many over the counter treatments have poor efficacy.