Fleas and other parasites have always to be given the top priority by dog owners. The very common occurrences of flea bite allergy in dogs causes worry to many dog owners every year, especially in the summer. This is because flea bites can induce allergic reactions in the area bitten by the fleas, which is often on the back above the tail. In these cases, the affected area becomes hairless due to the dog scratching itself very 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 produce 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 extreme discomfort by this time.
The vet will provide a salve to ease the itching and powder or a spray to kill the fleas. Therefore, prevention is better and medicated collars are available to treat and prevent an infestation of external parasites 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 suffer from anaemia. The signs of anaemia become more evident depending on the severity of infection by the hookworm.
Hookworm larvae will pass directly through the skin and cause severe problems inside the affected dog. Such dogs may reveal lesions on the paws and on the skin due to dermatitis. Frequently, skin rashes result in such cases and the affected animal may also pass runny stools, which are tinged red 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 ground. However, if round worms are present in very large numbers, infected 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 cure of this problem. However, broad-spectrum anthelmintics like pyrantel pamoate, fenbendazole etc. will also cure this very common condition.
There are many drugs on the market to treat fleas and other parasites these days, although medications including the drug ‘ivermectin’ seem 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 but is now even available for external application too.
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