Fleas and 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 worry 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. 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 sell you a salve to soothe the itching and reduce the inflammation and some powder or a spray to kill the fleas. Prevention is better than cure 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 example, 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 pass directly through the skin and cause problems inside the affected dogs. Such dogs may have lesions 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.
Nearly all dogs and 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, affected puppies show a pot belly, which is easily noticeable by the dog’s owners themselves. This can result in malnutrition and 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.
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 dog, please follow the ‘fleas’ link, however if you want to read more about dogs, please go here: Man’ Best Friend – the Dog You are welcome to reprint this article – but get your own unique content version here.
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