Friday, December 16, 2011

How Fleas and Ticks Can Have An Effect On Your Dog

By Yvonne Ralph


Fleas are tiny brown insects that live on your dog's skin and feed by sucking your dog's blood. If you part your dog's fur you can see them moving. Fleas can't fly, but they can jump quite a long distance and travel easily from one pet to another. They aggravate the skin and make your dog scratch - although not all scratching dogs have fleas.

The bite of the flea is a powerful allergen that can set up a serious allergenic response in a susceptible dog. In such a case the dog will lose a good deal of fur, particularly above the tail, and develop scaly skin on his back. He'll doubtless scratch himself so steadfastly the skin bleeds. This condition is often known as fleabite rash. Apart froms irritating the skin, the flea is the unlikely host of the tapeworm - an internal bug.

Ticks are about size of a pinhead, and tend to inhabit the parts of the pet where the hair is thin. They may burrow into the pet's skin and feed on the animal's blood. When they are distended with blood, ticks expand to about the scale of a pea. After the tick is ended its meal, it'll lay its eggs into a crack or cleft, and drop off the animal. In most situations with pets, you'll only find one or two ticks, which you can simply remove with tweezers or suffocate with petroleum jelly. Another good secret is to spray an insect repellant onto the head of the tweasers before you try to take away the tick - this will often cause the tick to release it's hold on your dog's skin allowing for straightforward removal.

Some ticks are dangerous and so it is essential that you shield you dog particularly in the sumer months when ticks are most prelevant. Many spot on flea treatments will supply the best flea treatment for dogs and will also defend against the most common ticks.

Fleas and ticks can cause chaos in your pet's life, causing anything from mild scratching and discomfort through to grim sickness and sometimes death. Once fleas enter your environment, they spread and multiply at an intense rate. The best flea treatments for dogs change on your preferences with several different products that you can use to remove fleas and ticks from your pet as well as your place. But it's a smart move to consult your vet or a professional before really using any of these products as they can be lethal to your pet, other pets or you.






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