Animals, Fleas, Ticks And Worms

Fleas and other parasites have always to be given the highest priority by dog owners. The all too common incidences of flea bite allergy in the case of dogs causes concern to many dog owners every year. This is because flea bites can induce allergic reactions in the area bitten by the fleas. In these cases, the affected skin becomes hairless due to the dog scratching itself vigorously.

Heavy flea infestations can cause severe dermatitis in dogs. If the flea bites cause allergic reactions or dermatitis in the dog, it really ought to be taken to the vet, because on many occasions, the dog will be experiencing severe discomfort.

The vet will provide you a cream to soothe the itching and reduce the inflammation and some powder or a spray to kill the fleas. Prevention, however, is better than cure and medicated collars are available to treat and prevent an infestation of external blood-suckers like ticks and fleas.

Apart from fleas, other parasites like ticks and lice plus the internal parasites like hookworms, round worms, whip worms etc. can have an adverse effect on the the well-being of your dog. For instance, if hookworms have infected a dog, that dog will almost surely become anaemic soon. The signs of anaemia become more obvious according to the advancement of the hookworm infection.

Hookworm larvae can pass directly through the skin into the internal body and cause severe problems inside the infected dog. These dogs may have lesions on their paws and on their skin because of dermatitis. Often, skin rashes result too in these cases and the affected animal may also have diarrhoea, which is flecked with blood.

Nearly all dogs and definitely all puppies will have round worms at some time, which is why dogs can sometimes be seen rubbing their bottoms along the ground. However, if round worms are present in very large numbers, infected puppies show a pot belly, which is easily noticeable by the dog’s owners themselves. This can result in malnutrition and even death. A dose of piperazine salts is given orally for the treatment of this condition. However, broad-spectrum anthelmintics like pyrantel pamoate, fenbendazole etc. will also cure this very common condition.

Many drugs have arrived on the market to treat fleas and other parasites, although nowadays, the medical agent called ivermectin seems to be preferred by many dog owners to clear up fleas and other parasites in dogs. This drug is available for injection or oral use and is now even available for external application too.

If you are having problems getting rid of fleas on your dog, please follow the ‘fleas’ link or if you want to read more about dogs or training dogs, please go here: Man’ Best Friend – the Dog