Fleas and other parasites need always to be given the highest priority by dog owners. The all too common incidences 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, because the dog will scratch and scratch the area until he bleeds and can also introduce infection. If the flea bites cause an allergic reaction or even dermatitis in your dog, he/she really ought to be taken to the veterinary doctor as soon as possible, because usually, the dog will be suffering severe discomfort by this time.

The vet will sell you a salve 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.

Besides fleas, other parasites like ticks and lice plus internal parasites like hookworm, round worm, whip worms etc. can affect the health of your dog. For example, if hookworms infect a dog, that dog will normally be anaemic. The signs of anaemia become more evident according to the severity of infection by the hookworm.

Hookworm larvae can 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 infected animal may also have diarrhoea, which is flecked 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 can be given orally for the treatment of this condition. 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 just want to read more about dogs or training dogs, please go here: Man’ Best Friend – the Dog Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service


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