Animals, Fleas, Ticks And Worms

Fleas and other parasites have always to be given the top priority by dog owners. The all too common occurrences of flea bite allergy in dogs causes concern to many dog owners every year, especially in the summer. This is because flea bites can 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 produce 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 suffering extreme discomfort by now.

The vet will sell you a cream 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 health of your dog. For example, if hookworms infect a dog, that dog will usually be anaemic. The signs of anaemia become more evident depending on the degree of infection by the hookworm.

Hookworm larvae will enter directly through the skin and cause severe problems inside the affected dog. Such dogs may have cuts 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 given to treat this 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 treat 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 dogs, please follow the ‘fleas’ link, however if you want to read more about dogs or training dogs, please go here: Man’ Best Friend – the Dog Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service