Demodex canis mite commonly lives in the follicles of the skin. The mite is probably transmitted from mother to young during nursing but this has not been proven. The entire skin may be affected and due to the high blood flow to the skin, there will be a reddish cast. Secondary bacterial infections may cause the skin to be pustular. Ticks are not very host specific.
Control is by examining newly acquired animals and treating if infested.
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Lyme Disease, Typhus, and Erlichia. A fungal infection which is endemic in the semi-arid regions of the southwest. Infections occurs by inhalation of airborne spores of the fungus, Coccidioides immitis . These fungal spores become airborne when soil is disturbed by digging, or construction projects. If the organism is not walled off in the lung, but disseminates throughout the body, almost all organs can be affected and without treatment, these animals will die.