After being out at in the woods this past weekend, our dog has a dozen little bites in his armpit? I'm assuming these are chiggers. What do you put on them? He licks them and keeps them red? Thoughts and suggestions.
-
-
If it is chiggers this is caused by a cell mediated reaction to the dead bugs in the body.......read as.....nothing you can do to stop it from happening at this point.
You can try benadryl (1mg/lb), some will get some relief from this. Aspirin sometimes helps (make sure it is coated) 1 reg aspirin/60#.
Other than that......just time. -
Please explain dead bugs in body not sure I understand.Comment
-
Chiggers burrow into the body. We are not the normal host, so they then die. Our immune system then tries to fight them.Comment
-
-
That is what they taught us in Entomology at Texas A&M.Originally posted by Matt_C View PostComment
-
Chiggers infest human skin via areas of contact with vegetation, such as pant cuffs or shirt sleeves and collars. They migrate on the skin in search of an optimal feeding area. A common myth about chiggers is that they burrow into and remain inside the skin. This is not true. Chiggers insert their feeding structures into the skin and inject enzymes that cause destruction of host tissue. Chigger larvae then feed upon the destroyed tissue.Comment
-
You got some bad info at that fancy school of yours.Originally posted by Outbreaker View Post
Comment
-
I bet dogs hate chiggers as much as people do.Comment
-
I don't like 'em but was happy to find out the Cool Mint Listerine treatment works for me.Comment
-
Best thing is anti-itch cream with steroid.
Chiggers do not burrow under your skin, as many people believe, nor do they feed on animal blood. They actually feed on the fluids in skin cells. To get the fluids, they attach themselves to a skin pore or hair follicle and inject a digestive enzyme that ruptures the cells. The enzyme also hardens the surrounding skin tissue, forming a sort of straw for sucking the skin cell fluids. The whole process irritates the skin, causing an itchy red bump that continues to cause discomfort for several days. Chiggers are only about 1/50th of an inch (0.5 mm) in diameter and so are too small to be seen with the naked eye. This invisibility is the reason so many people believe chiggers burrow under the skin.
One commonly known remedy for chigger bites is to apply nail polish to reduce itchiness. This does not kill the chigger or treat the bite in any way. It simply seals the area off from the air, which keeps the sore from itching so badly. If you want to apply something to relieve itching, it's much better to use a salve or cream that contains antihistamines (Caladryl or hydrocortisone salves are the most common). Like nail polish, these treatments will seal the bite from the surrounding air, but they will also help to prevent infection. If the welts continue to irritate you for more than a couple of weeks, they might be infected and you should see a doctor.Last edited by DuramaxDude; 09-09-2016, 03:40 PM.Comment
-
Not what I was taught at TAMU. They don't remain in the body.Originally posted by Outbreaker View Post
OP, just keep it clean and try to keep him from licking it.Comment
-
BTW.......as I recall, humans are the only species that have a negative reaction to chiggers. They don't affect other animals the same way.
Can you imagine how all the cows, deer, pigs, coyotes, raccoons, squirrels and so on would be reacting? They would be constantly scratching.
Someone provide a link that confirms that LOL....but I swear I read that somewhere.Comment
-
-
I was kind of wondering that. My guess would be ants not chiggers.Originally posted by txsteele View PostComment
Comment