Animals, Fleas, Ticks and Worms
Fleas and other parasites should always be given the top priority by dog owners. Flea bite allergy in dogs is all too common and causes worry to many dog owners every year, especially in the summer, although all year round if your dog lives indoors with central heating. This is because flea bites often produce allergic reactions in the area bitten by the fleas, which is very often on the back just above the tail. In these cases, the affected area becomes red and bald due to the dog’s continuous scratching of itself.
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 experiencing extreme discomfort by now.
The vet will provide you a cream 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 example, if hookworm infects a dog, that dog will usually suffer from anaemia. The signs of anaemia become more evident depending on the degree of infection by the hookworm.
Hookworm larvae will pass directly through the skin into the internal body and cause severe problems inside the infected dog. These dogs may show lesions on their paws and on their skin because of dermatitis. Often, skin rashes occur too in these cases and the affected 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 condition. However, broad-spectrum anthelmintics like pyrantel pamoate, fenbendazole etc. are also used to treat this 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 clear up fleas and other parasites in dogs. This drug is available for injection or oral use and is now even available for external application too.
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