How ear mites and external parasites affect dog welfare and effective prevention approaches.
External parasites represent a welfare burden that is easy to underestimate because the signs — scratching, head shaking, restlessness — are common and often attributed to normal behavior rather than parasitic disease. Ear mite infestations cause intense itching that prevents rest and comfort; flea allergic dermatitis creates chronic skin inflammation that affects entire body condition and behavior; sarcoptic mange causes such intense pruritis that affected animals self-traumatize in attempts to relieve itching. Regular preventive treatment using veterinarian-recommended products eliminates most of this welfare burden at low cost. Dogs on effective year-round preventive care rarely experience the acute welfare impact of established infestations.