Fleas, Ticks and Worms

Fleas & other parasites have always to be awarded the top 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 skin becomes hairless due to the dog scratching itself vigorously.

Heavy flea infestations can cause severe dermatitis in dogs because the dog will scratch & scratch the area until he bleeds & can also introduce infection. 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 as soon as possible because usually the dog will be suffering severe discomfort by this time.

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

Besides fleas other parasites like ticks & 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 normally be anaemic. The signs of anaemia become more prominent depending on the degree of infection by the hookworm.

Hookworm larvae can pass directly through the skin & cause problems inside the affected dogs. Such dogs may show cuts due to dermatitis on the paws & on the skin. Frequently skin rashes are the result in such cases & the affected animal passes loose stools which are tinged red with blood.

Nearly all dogs & definitely all puppies will have round worms at some time 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. This can result in malnutrition & even death. A dose of piperazine salts is given orally for the cure of this problem. However broad-spectrum anthelmintics like pyrantel pamoate fenbendazole etc. will also cure this very common condition.

There are many drugs on the market to treat fleas & other parasites these days although medications including the drug ‘ivermectin’ seem to be preferred by many dog owners to treat fleas & other parasites in dogs. This drug is available for injection or oral use but is now even available for external application too.

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