Boston Terriers Hub

No matter how clean and happy our Boston terrier may seem, there is a chance that he could get mites, resulting in a condition known as mange.

Whilst all animals have mites, the problems can arise when they become overactive, and this can result in symptoms such as severe itching and loss of hair. There will not necessarily be any smell, scabbing, or additional symptoms, but there is a risk of infection of the dog keeps scratching at the hairless, itchy areas.

You may have more than one dog, or perhaps your Boston terrier has had puppies.

If you find that they are all developing “bald spots” and “itchiness” then there is a good chance that they have mites. However, you would not be able to confirm this with the naked eye because they are microscopic and therefore cannot be seen without specialist equipment and testing.

Therefore, rather than leaving your dog to lose more and more hair, risking him ending up looking like Kojak, the best thing to do is get him down to the vet’s and get the condition checked out.

If your dog has had puppies who are also losing their hair, then there is no need to cart them all off to the vets - just take one or two of them along, and if it is confirmed that the problem is being caused by mites then you will be able to treat them all in the same way.

When you take your Boston terrier and/or puppies to the vets the vet will take a scraping of skin and examine it under a microscope in order to determine whether the problem is being caused by mites.

If it is confirmed that the problem is caused by mites a topical ointment that can be applied to the skin can be prescribed, and this will help to soothe the itching and minimize the risk of infection.

You should remember that the condition caused by mites can take some weeks to clear up completely, so don’t be alarmed if it doesn’t disappear within a few days.

However, if the problem persists past a few weeks or the skin appears to have become infected you should take the dog or pup back to the vets to get it check over again to be on the safe side.