Fleas And Other Parasites
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 the case of dogs causes worry to many dog owners every year. This is because flea bites can cause 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 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 experiencing severe discomfort by now.
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 become anaemic soon. The signs of anaemia become more obvious depending on the advancement of the hookworm infection.
Hookworm larvae can pass directly through the skin and cause problems inside the affected dogs. Such dogs may reveal cuts due to dermatitis on the paws and on the skin. Frequently, skin rashes are the result in such cases and the affected animal passes loose stools, which are tinged red with blood.
Most dogs and all puppies get round worms, 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. A dose of piperazine salts is given orally for the treatment of this condition. However, broad-spectrum anthelmintics like pyrantel pamoate, fenbendazole etc. are also given to 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 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 having problems getting rid of fleas on your dog, please follow the previous link or if you just 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
