The most famous of all canine pests are fleas. Fleas are small insects that feed on the blood of a mammalian host. Dog fleas and cat fleas are the two most common types on dogs, of which cat fleas are much more common.
Fleas harm dogs in a number of ways:
- Their bites often cause a strong reaction on the dog’s skin that leads to unpleasant itching.
- Fleas can spread diseases like tapeworms, typhus, and even plague. Transmission occurs by their bite or by ingestion.
- Fleas can cause anemia, in severe cases, especially in very young, old or unhealthy dogs.
Fleas prefer warm and humid weather, so they are most abundant in climates where they can breed year-round, such as parts of the southern United States. Even so, the harsh winter does not kill them. Their reproduction slows down in cold weather, but when temperatures warm up in spring, they begin to breed vigorously.
Dr Heidi Watkins, of Wagly Animal Hospital in California, said: “All stages of fleas can survive for long periods of time without food and some adult flea species are even able to survive for long periods of time without food. can survive freezing temperatures. “These capabilities allow any stage of the flea to survive indoors in deep carpets or crevices, and outdoors in deep leaf litter or other organic material. Adult fleas can live on pets, wildlife and wildlife all winter.”
How to get rid of fleas on dogs
The most effective way to control fleas is to prevent them from living and breeding on your dog. There are two different types: topical and oral. Consult your veterinarian to determine the best precautions for your dog.
Topical flea repellents are medications you regularly apply to your pet’s coat (such as sprays, shampoos, or collars) to prevent fleas from landing and settling on your pet’s fur. You have the option of applying the medication once a month to allow the dog’s skin to absorb and kill the fleas on contact. These are available by veterinarian prescription or over-the-counter at pet supply retailers.
Or, your veterinarian may recommend an oral medication once a month to kill fleas on your dog and prevent them from reproducing. They come in chewable or pill form.
Since fleas use a dog’s habitat for part of their life cycle, treat these areas as well. According to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)The following actions can help control fleas in your home:
- Vacuum carpets, cushioned furniture, and cracks and crevices in the floor daily.
- Clean carpets with steam.
- Wash all bed linen in hot soapy water every two to three weeks.
- Use a flea comb to remove adult fleas from your dog. Put fleas in hot soapy water to kill them.
- Keep your dog indoors as much as possible to reduce the risk of flea bites.
mark 101
No one likes to find a tick on a dog. Blood-sucking insects attach to a dog’s skin with their mouthparts and can be difficult to remove.
Ticks can be found in a number of species, but the ones most likely to latch onto your dog are brown dog ticks and American dog ticks. (For more information on common ticks, visit The Companion Animal Parasitology Council tick list is here.) According to Centers for Disease Control (CDC), ticks can spread a number of diseases, including Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Lyme disease, and ehrlichiosis. Tick bites are most common in the Northeastern United States during the midsummer months.
Ticks find their way to a dog’s body by clinging to trees and grass, where they wait for a potential host to touch them. When they come into contact with a dog, they get into the dog’s fur and cling to the skin. They feed on dog blood until they molt or lay eggs, depending on where the tick is in its life cycle. Ticks enjoy warm, humid weather and are most common in the summer, although they are found everywhere in the United States year-round.
How to control ticks on dogs
Tick prevention means stopping ticks before they attach to your dog. Topical dog mite repellents are the first line of defense. It can be applied in spray or shampoo form. These products may be made with chemicals that repel ticks or natural ingredients that repel them. Monthly topical treatments and oral medications are also effective. These can be prescribed by your veterinarian. Again, consult your veterinarian to know what precautions are best for your dog.
“Next generation synthetic flea and tick repellents have had the best success in killing adult fleas and ticks, preventing reproduction and ensuring environmental decontamination,” said Dr. Watkins. the best.
According to Dr. Watkins, for dog owners who prefer natural products, topical options are available.
“Most topical products applied to a dog’s coat use a combination of essential oils,” she says. “Tickets in the environment can be eliminated with diatomaceous earth or borax.”
She adds that natural products may not be as effective as some of the synthetic medications available directly from veterinarians and that some of these natural products should be used with caution in cats. , as their label indicates.
Even if your dog is on regular flea prevention, have them checked for ticks periodically. You can find burrowing ticks:
- in and around the ear
- around the tail
- near eyelids
- between the toes
- between the front legs
- between the hind legs
- under the collar
If you find a bookmark, use tweezers to remove it by grasping as close to where it is attached to the dog’s skin as possible. Pull straight back, do not twist. After you remove it, drop it in a cup of rubbing alcohol to destroy it.
Mosquito 101
One pest that bothers humans, dogs, cats, and other animals is the mosquito. Mosquitoes are flying insects and female mosquitoes feed on the blood of mammals, amphibians, reptiles and others. They are notorious for carrying diseases that can affect both humans and animals. Their biggest threat to dogs is their ability to spread heartworm, a potentially fatal disease that can damage a dog’s major organs as the heartworm goes through its life cycle in a dog’s body. .
“Once the heartworm larvae reach the L4 stage, they migrate from the subcutaneous tissue through deeper tissue, including the muscle en route to the chest,” said Dr. Watkins. “At the L5 stage, they enter the venous circulation and can enter the heart. Small threadworms can also sometimes reach unintended sites in the body including the eyes and nerve tissue. Their main targets are the blood vessels of the lungs and heart.”
If left untreated, heartworms can eventually kill a dog. Sometimes even treatment won’t help if the damage is too great. This is why it is important to protect your dog from this mosquito-borne parasite.
Mosquitoes live and breed in vegetated fixed water bodies, riparian forests, swampy lowland forests, ponds, ditches, tree hollows, and man-made containers where water collects, such as tires, bathtubs, etc. birds, rain barrels and gutters. In the United States, the Southeast has the highest prevalence of mosquitoes, although they are found everywhere, even in the driest deserts. In areas where climate change has caused more rainfall over the past few decades, mosquitoes have become an even more serious problem.
According to Companion Animal Parasitology Council (CAPC)The leading source of information on parasitic diseases that threaten the health of pets and humans, the risk of heartworm infection in dogs is highest in:
- Texas
- Oklahoma State
- Arkansas
- Louisiana
- Mississippi
- Alabama
- Georgia
- North Carolina
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
Although heartworms are found in every state of the United States, these states have the highest rates of the disease.
To protect your dog from getting heartworm through the bite of an infected mosquito, give your dog a monthly heartworm preventative. Your vet will prescribe this medication, which can also be effective against fleas and ticks, depending on the product.
You can also do a lot to prevent mosquitoes from breeding near your home. Take these precautions against your property, according to the EPA:
- Remove standing water in storm drains, old tires, buckets, plastic caps, toys, or any other containers where mosquitoes can breed.
- Empty and change the water in birdbaths, fountains, swimming pools, rain barrels and planter trays at least once a week to destroy potential mosquito habitat.
- Drain or fill temporary puddles with dirt.
- Keep pool water treated and recirculated.
Parasites like fleas, ticks, and mosquitoes have evolved over the centuries to eat our dogs, and diseases like typhus and heartworm have adapted to use these parasites as vectors. transmission. By providing consistent precautions, you’ll take a big step forward in keeping your dog safe from these bloodsuckers. Talk to your vet to work out the best prevention plan for your dog.
