Fleas and Other Parasites
Fleas and other parasites ought to always be awarded the highest priority by dog owners. Flea bite allergy in dogs is very common and causes worry to many dog owners every year, especially in the summer, although all year round if your dog lives indoors with central heating. This is because flea bites often produce allergic reactions in the area bitten by the fleas, which is very often on the back just above the tail. In these cases, the affected skin becomes red and bald due to the dog's continuous scratching of itself.
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 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 enter directly through the skin and cause severe problems inside the infected 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 previous link or if you just want to read more about dogs or training dogs, please go here: Man' Best Friend - the Dog Don't reprint this exact article. Instead, reprint a free unique content version of this same article.
No related posts.