Animals, Fleas, Ticks and Worms
Fleas and other parasites need always to be given the highest 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 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 suffering severe discomfort by now.
The vet will sell you a cream to ease 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.
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 suffer from anaemia soon. The signs of anaemia become more obvious depending on the advancement of the hookworm infection.
Hookworm larvae can pass directly through the skin into the internal body and cause severe problems inside the affected dog. These dogs may have lesions on their paws and on their skin because of dermatitis. Often, skin rashes result too in these cases and the infected animal may also have diarrhoea, which is flecked 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 problem. However, broad-spectrum anthelmintics like pyrantel pamoate, fenbendazole etc. are also given to treat this condition.
There are many drugs on the market to treat fleas and other parasites these days, although medications including the drug ‘ivermectin’ seem to be preferred by many dog owners to treat fleas and other parasites in dogs. This drug is available for injection or oral use but is now even available for external application too.
If you are having problems getting rid of fleas on your dog, please follow the ‘fleas’ link, however if you just want to read more about dogs or training dogs, please go here: Man’ Best Friend – the Dog Grab a totally unique version of this article from the Uber Article Directory
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