Worms, Fleas and Ticks on Dogs

You have to destroy heart worm, fleas and other parasites in dogs whenever they raise their ugly heads by using the appropriate treatment against them. Loads of medications have come onto the market to defend dogs from heart worms, fleas and other parasites such as hook worms, whip worms, round worms, lice, ticks etc.

Of the heart worms, fleas and other parasites, fleas can produce a super-sensitive reaction in the affected animal. Animals infested with fleas scratch their bodies very vigorously. Often the scratching becomes so severe that the skin becomes hyper-sensitive and dermatitis occurs in the affected areas of skin.

The consequences of a serious flea infestation is often that the animal can not lie down for long or sleep properly due to the continuous flea bites. Therefore, the animal appears to have some serious skin disease. If the the animal is not properly treated for these flea bites, there could be a secondary bacterial attack in these areas and there may even be a rotten smell emanating from the affected area of your dog's skin.

You need to inspect 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.

Usually, if your dog is anaemic, and it is not he result of being plagued by too many fleas, you have to rule out hookworm. Symptoms of hookworm are usually anaemia, loose stools and a pot belly. The dog's owner may notice these symptoms by themselves, however, speaking honestly, the dog ought to have a routine health examination at the vet's, which involves both faecal and hematological examinations.

There are many commercial products available on the market, some of which are effective for dealing with all these conditions by a single dose. Drugs like ivermectin are highly efficacious and are obtainable in injection, oral and solution forms. The latter should be put directly on the dog's skin. These drugs can lead to the prevention of the above conditions too.

So, the best strategy to follow is to keep a keen eye on your dog. This could most easily be done at bath time and when you are grooming him. You can use an anti-flea and anti-tick shampoo, which will keep these nuisances under control, if used as stated on the bottle. Couple this with regular grooming with a lice comb and the use of a flea collar should keep your pet tick, lice, and flea free.