Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Dogs' Heart Worm, Fleas and other Parasites

By Owen Jones

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. Many medications are available 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 hyper sensitive reaction in the affected dog. Animals infested with fleas scratch their skin very vigorously. Frequently the scratching is so severe that the skin becomes super-sensitive and dermatitis is the result in the scratched areas.

The result of a serious flea infestation is often that your dog can not lie down for long or sleep properly because of the constant flea bites. Therefore, your dog looks as if has some serious skin issues. If the the animal is not properly attended to for these flea bites, there could be a secondary bacterial attack in these areas and there may even be a bad smell emanating from the affected area of your dog's skin.

You have to observe your dog closely in order prevent a serious infestation of fleas. However, it is essential to prevent such a serious infestation as they are extremely upsetting to your dog. Similarly, the skin of the animal has to be inspected often for the presence of ticks and lice. In order to do this properly, you must inspect the dog's skin by separating the dog's hairs. The easiest way to do this is by slowly back-combing or ruffling the animal'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 check at the vet's, which involves both faecal and hematological examinations.

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

Therefore, the best policy to adopt is to keep a keen watch on your dog. This could very 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 at bay, if used regularly. Couple this with regular grooming with a lice comb and the use of a flea collar should keep your pet flea, lice, and tick free.

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