Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Parasites On Dogs

By Owen Jones

You have to get rid of heart worm, fleas and other parasites in dogs whenever they raise their ugly heads by using the appropriate treatment on them. Many medications have come onto the market to defend dogs from heart worms, fleas and other parasites like hook worms, whip worms, round worms, lice, ticks etc.

Of the heart worms, fleas and other parasites, fleas can produce a hyper-sensitive reaction in the infected animal. Animals infected with fleas scratch their skin very vigorously. Frequently the scratching is so severe that the skin becomes super-sensitive and dermatitis occurs in the scratched patches of skin.

The result is often that your dog can not lie down for long or sleep comfortably due to the constant bites by the fleas. So, the animal looks as if has some severe skin issues. If the your dog is not properly attended to for these flea bites, there will often be secondary bacterial invasions in these sites and there may even be a rotten smell emanating from the animal's affected skin.

You need to observe your dog closely in order prevent a serious outbreak. It is essential to prevent such an outbreak as they are extremely distressing to dogs. Similarly, the skin of the animal needs to be checked regularly for the presence of ticks and lice. In order to do this properly, you need to look at the dog's skin by separating the dog's hairs. The easiest way to do this is by slowly back-combing or ruffling the dog's hair.

Often, if your animal is anaemic, and he is not infested with fleas, you have to rule out hookworm. Symptoms of hookworm are anaemia, loose stools and a pot belly. The dog's owner may notice these symptoms themselves, however, to be honest, the dog ought to undergo a routine health examination at the vet's involving faecal and hematological tests.

There are many products available commercially, some of which are helpful for solving all these conditions in a single dose. Drugs like ivermectin are highly effective and are available in injection, oral and solution forms. The latter should be put directly on the dog's skin. These drugs can induce the prevention of these conditions too.

Therefore, the best strategy to follow is to keep a sharp eye on your dog. This can most easily be carried out at bath time and when you are brushing him. You can use an anti-flea and anti-tick shampoo, which will keep these nuisances under control, if used regularly. Couple this with frequent grooming with a lice comb and the use of a flea collar should keep your pet tick, lice, and flea free.

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