280 © 2006 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2006 European Society of Veterinary Dermatology. 17; 280–283 Blackwell Publishing Ltd Demodicosis in nine prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) Vladimir Jekl*, Karel Hauptman*, Edita Jeklova† and Zdenek Knotek* *Avian and Exotic Animal Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic †Veterinary Research Institute, Brno, Czech Republic Correspondence: Vladimir Jekl, MVDr, PhD, Avian and Exotic Animal Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Brno, 1-3 Palackeho St., 612 42 Brno, Czech Republic. Tel.: +420541562368, +420732615647; E-mail: jeklv@vfu.cz Abstract This case report describes the clinical signs and treatment of demodicosis in nine pet prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus). Clinical records including history, clinical examination, microscopic evaluation and fungal culture of the skin lesions were available for all nine animals. In seven animals, blood was obtained for haematological and biochemical analyses. Clinical signs comprised bilaterally symmetrical alopecia extend- ing from the middle part of the back down to the skin of the thighs and the dorsal and ventral parts of the tail. Demodex mites were found in skin scrapings from all cases. Treatment with amitraz at 250 p.p.m. resulted in resolution of lesions and hair regrowth. This is the first report of demodicosis in this species. Accepted 16 May 2006 Case report Nine prairie dogs (6 males, 9–24 months old and 3 females, 6 –12 months old) were presented by different owners in the Czech Republic. Animals were kept separately and could move freely around the house. They were fed on hay, rabbit pellets, mixed rodent cereal and fruits (mostly apples). The prairie dogs had never been in contact with any other animals since they were bought from a pet shop by their current owners. No treatment had been given for the skin condition prior to presentation. All owners reported progressive hair loss over the dorsum, lasting for periods of 1–3 months. General health was not affected and pruritus was only reported in one male. Conscious physical examination included activity level and behaviour, nutritional status, chest auscultation and rectal temperature. Further examination under general anaesthesia (isoflurane/oxygen, isoflurane, Rhodia, Tor- rexpharma, GmbH, Vienna, Austria) included abdominal palpation, inspection of oral cavity, evaluation of the skin lesions and blood sampling. Bilateral symmetrical alopecia was seen in all nine animals. The alopecia extended from the middle part of the dorsum down to the skin of the thighs and the dorsal and ventral parts of the tail (Fig. 1). In eight patients, the alopecia was nonpruritic and without visible signs of erythema or scaling. When lesions had been present for longer than 6 weeks, the alopecic areas became mildly hyperpigmented. One animal showed a pruritic, pustular dermatitis on the outside of the thighs. Seven deep scrapings were taken using a scalpel blade from each animal. One sample was taken from the dorsal side of the tail base, one from the each lateral thigh, one from each flank, and two from the margin of the lesions. Part of the samples was examined microscopically in paraffin oil and potassium hydroxide. The other part was cultured for dermatophytes (DTM, Delasco, IA, USA). Microscopic examination of all the skin scrapings revealed an occurrence of one to 10 adult demodex mites (Fig. 2) as well as the presence of few mite eggs (0–3). Larval developmental stages were not found. The mites were all of the short form morphology and ranged from 190 to 250 μm in size. Slim oval eggs ranged in size from 55 to 70 μm. Fungal culture results were negative in all cases. Blood samples for haematological and biochemical analyses were taken from the cranial vena cava in seven patients. 1 Blood smears were stained with May–Grünwald/ What is known about the topic of your paper • Demodicosis has been diagnosed in other species. What your paper adds to the field of veterinary dermatology • This is the first documented case of demodicosis in prairie dogs. Figure 1. Photo: Alopecic skin changes in prairie dog.