Fleas And Other Parasites

Fleas and other parasites need always to be given the highest priority by dog owners. The all too common occurrences 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 area 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 a cream to ease the itching and powder or a spray to kill the fleas. Therefore, prevention is better and medicated collars are available to treat and prevent an infestation of external parasites 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 health of your dog. For instance, if hookworms have infected a dog, that dog will almost surely suffer from anaemia soon. The signs of anaemia become more obvious according to the advancement of the hookworm infection.

Hookworm larvae will enter directly through the skin and cause severe problems inside the infected dog. Such dogs may reveal lesions on the paws and on the skin due to dermatitis. Frequently, skin rashes result in such cases and the infected animal may also pass runny stools, which are tinged red with blood.

Most dogs and all puppies get round worms, which is why dogs can often be seen rubbing their bottoms along the floor. However, if round worms are present in large numbers, affected puppies show a pot belly, which is easily recognized by dog owners themselves. Piperazine salts are given orally for the treatment of this condition. However, broad-spectrum anthelmintics like pyrantel pamoate, fenbendazole etc. are also used to treat this condition.

Lately, many drugs have come onto the market to treat fleas and other parasites. Nowadays, the medical agent called ivermectin is highly preferred by many dog owners to treat fleas and other parasites in dogs. This drug is available in injection form and oral form. The drug is available for external application also.

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

categories: fleas,parasites,dogs,pets,home,family,animals,insects,blood,skin care,medicine,outdoors,other