Fleas and Other Parasites

Fleas and other parasites need always to be given the highest priority by dog owners. The very common incidences of flea bite allergy in dogs causes concern 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, because the dog will scratch and scratch the area until he bleeds and can also introduce infection. 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 as soon as possible, because usually, the dog will be suffering extreme discomfort by this time.

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, however, is better than cure and medicated collars are available to treat and prevent an infestation of external blood-suckers like ticks and fleas.

Besides fleas, other parasites like ticks and lice in addition to the internal parasites like hook worms, round worms, whip worms etc. can affect the health of your dog. For instance, if hookworm infects a dog, that dog will usually suffer from anaemia. The signs of anaemia become more prominent depending on the degree of infection by the hookworm.

Hookworm larvae can pass directly through the skin and cause problems inside the affected dogs. Such dogs may show 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 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 used to treat this condition.

Lately, many drugs have come onto the market to treat fleas and other parasites. Nowadays, the medical agent called ivermectin is highly preferred by many dog owners to treat fleas and other parasites in dogs. This drug is available in injection form and oral form. The drug is available for external application also.

If you are having problems getting rid of fleas on your dogs, please follow the ‘fleas’ link, however if you just want to read more about dogs, please go here: Man’ Best Friend - the Dog