Pyrethrin Based Dog Shampoos for Mites

A mite infestation can cause your dog to develop itchy, scaly skin. Shampoos that treat some kinds of mites on dogs contain pyrethrin, which is a natural insecticide derived from flowers. Use these shampoos to bathe your dog and get rid of the mites on its coat. This treatment, along with a thorough cleaning of your dog's bedding and environment, kills the mites and prevents a re-infestation.

  1. Identification

    • Derived from the flowers of chrysanthemum plants, called the chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium, pyrethrins kill fleas, ticks, mites and certain other insects. Pyrethrins affect the nervous systems of insects, changing the flow of sodium out of the insect's nerve cells to kill them, according to the Pet Education website, an information website about pets and other animals. Manufacturers of insecticide products for dogs have used these natural chemicals for more than 100 years to control external parasites in dogs, including the cheyletiella mite and chiggers, also called harvest mites. There are six different types of pyrethrins, but usually the shampoo label will only list "pyrethrins" as the active ingredient.

    Mange Mites

    • Cheyletiella mites cause an itchy skin disease that results in the formation of scales on the skin on dogs. The mites cause a type of "walking dandruff" because the small, white mites crawl around the scaly skin, looking like moving dandruff flakes. The mites primarily infect the dog's back area and are usually caused by poor sanitation, nutrition or overcrowding of animals, according to the Pet Place website. These parasites affect puppies and cocker spaniels more than other dogs. Chiggers, also called trombicula mites, look like specs of paprika, usually infecting a dog's legs, head and abdomen, according to Pet Education. The small, reddish-orange mites cause itchy welts on the dog's skin.

    Pyrethrin Shampoos and Warnings

    • Pyrethrin-based shampoos with regular bathing help eliminate both cheyletiella and trombicula mites from a dog's coat, according to Pet Education. You can find medicated shampoos containing pyrethrin as the active ingredient in pet supply stores. The pyrethrin shampoo may list that it treats fleas, ticks and lice, but pyrethrins also treat cheyletiella and trombicula mites. Use the shampoo on dogs older than 12 weeks and do not use it on pregnant, nursing or debilitated animals, because it can cause toxicity, according to the Vetinfo website. Avoid getting the shampoo in the dog's eyes when bathing it. If your dog has a rash-like allergic skin reaction to the oil-based pyrethrin, wash it off using dish soap and thoroughly rinse the coat.

    Considerations and Treatment

    • Before treating your dog with a pyrethrin-based shampoo, take it to a veterinarian for a definitive diagnosis of the type of external parasite from which your dog suffers. Once diagnosed, you can bathe your dog with pyrethrin shampoo to rid it of mites every 10 to 14 days until the infestation subsides. Lather the dog's coat with the shampoo, massaging it into its skin and allowing it to sit on the skin for five minutes before rinsing it. Use latex gloves when handling and bathing a dog with a cheyletiella mite infestation, as these mites can infest humans as well.