Most Common Dog Parasites
The Itchy Fleas
A flea problem is quite common in dogs. And even if you bathe your dog regularly and are very careful about infestations, there are still strong chances of your dog getting a flea infestation at least once in his life. Even if you don’t take him out often he can still get them. Fleas breed at a lightening fast pace. So before you know the two invisible fleas on your dogs body can turn your dogs coat into a flea country.
Fleas are certainly not harmless as they can cause a condition called dermatitis which is caused due to flea bite. This condition is painful and can be difficult to cure. Since fleas are everywhere you will just have to find an effective way to keep them away from your dog.
Many times tape worm and anemia can also be attributed to a flea infestation in your dog. They can also be harmful for human beings since they are sometimes the carriers of bubonic plague. For fleas one place is as good as the other when it comes to breeding so nothing will be spared your sofa, carpet and couch will all be invaded by fleas if you don’t control them in time.
The Dirty Ticks
Ticks are another parasite that live on your dog’s body and survive by sucking your pet’s blood. They are more harmful than fleas because they can be potentially life threatening disorders like Lyme disease in dogs. They can also be the carriers of many other dangerous diseases. Generally to cause an infection a tick will have to stay on your pet’s body for at least 72 hours. You should be careful with ticks and try to avoid them instead of treating an infestation and distressing disease later. View these petmate sky kennel dog crate and dog crate covers for your doggie.
The Disgusting Worms
Worms are the commonest types of parasites that use your dog as a host and survive off his blood. They are endo parasites and live inside your pet’s body, sometimes in vital organs such as the heart and lungs. Worms are usually transmitted when your dog eats infected flees, ingests or sniffs the feces of an infected dog, through a mosquito bite. He can also get them just by walking since some worms can enter the body through the skin.
Worms are of different kinds and live in different parts of a dog’s body. Some very common ones are tape worms, round worms, hook worms and heart worms. When there is a massive tape worm or round worm infestation in the body, they are expelled through the feces of your dog and so they can be easily spotted. Round worms are flat and white and look like tiny pieces of spaghetti noodles. They are spread when a dog sniffs the feces of an infected dog.
Tape worms are spread through the ingestion of infected fleas; they look like grains of white rice. Hook worms are also caused due to the feces of round worms and they usually live in the intestinal tract. Heart worms are common in places that have a warm and humid climate. They are usually caused due to mosquito bites. You may want to view these cheap dog clothes to help keep infestation low.
Heart worms are very dangerous and can cause your pet’s death. Fortunately there is a preventative medicine available against heart worms. Ask your vet to check your dog for worm infestations during his annual check ups.
