Animals, Fleas, Ticks and Worms

Fleas and other parasites have always to be given the top priority by dog owners. The all too common incidences of flea bite allergy in dogs causes worry to many dog owners every year, especially in the summer. This is because flea bites often induce allergic reactions in the area bitten by the fleas, which is often on the back above the tail. In these cases, the affected area becomes hairless due to the dog scratching itself very vigorously.

Heavy flea infestations can cause severe dermatitis in dogs. If the flea bites cause an allergic reaction or even dermatitis in your dog, he/she really ought to be taken to the veterinary doctor, because mostly, the dog will be experiencing extreme discomfort by now.

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

Besides fleas, other parasites like ticks and lice plus internal parasites like hookworm, round worm, whip worms etc. can affect the well-being of your dog. For instance, if hookworms infect a dog, that dog will usually suffer from anaemia. The signs of anaemia become more evident according to the degree of infection by the hookworm.

Hookworm larvae can pass directly through the skin into the internal body and cause severe problems inside the infected dog. These dogs may show 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.

Most dogs and all puppies get round worms, which is why dogs can sometimes be seen rubbing their bottoms along the floor. 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. A dose of piperazine salts can be given orally for the cure of this condition. However, broad-spectrum anthelmintics like pyrantel pamoate, fenbendazole etc. are also used to treat 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 experiencingproblems getting rid of fleas on your dog, please follow the previous link, however if you just want to read more about dogs, please go here: Man’ Best Friend – the Dog Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service