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Should I separate my dogs if one has demodex mites? Is it contagious?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Yorkshire Terrier | Female | spayed | 1 year and 5 months old | 5.6 lbs

Got a new dog, A rescue. Had a dry patch with no hair. Vet said she scraped off 2 demodite mites from the site. One dead and one alive. No others found. Site not bothering the dog, never seen her scratch at it. She has been around my yorkie playing together for about a month. Vet says now to keep them separate but I couldn’t get a full understanding. Wouldn’t my yorkie had gotten it by now? How likely is she to get them at this time? How long does it take to get infested? Should I be concerned?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Dr. Heidi DVM, CVA, CCRT, CVTP, CVSMT, CVCH

Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist, Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner

Published on February 2nd, 2018

Congratulations on your new addition! Gia is certainly lucky to have been rescued.
I am attaching a link to a handout on demodex below that I think will help answer a lot of questions for you.
https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=630
Demodex is not generally considered contagious to other dogs, so I would ask your veterinarian why they are recommending to keep them separated. If the dogs have been together for a month, then your yorkie has certainly been exposed to anything contagious that Gia may have, so I would try to clarify with your vet the reason for the recommended separation.
Good luck! I hope that was helpful and answers your questions. Thanks for using PetCoach.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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