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FLEAS
Fleas are
well known about by almost everyone, in fact it is
sometimes difficult to believe that a dog is complete
without a handful too scratch at. They can however
cause real problems to a dog especially one that is
allergic to the flea's saliva. A couple of years ago
I saw a dog which was, all but for a faint covering
of hair, completely bald. I was informed by the owner
that the dog had been diagnosed as suffering from
fleas. The dog was treated with a weekly bath and
the problem soon cleared up, in fact within six weeks
the dog was completely recovered. Scales/scabs are
sometimes connected to the flea and often clear up
once the parasite has been eradicated. As with any
external parasite the risk of secondary infection
is always present from either the bite itself or the
scratching by the dog at the site of irritation.
They are far
from the dirty parasites that only infest dogs that
go scavenging in rubbish tips. Even a dog which is
regularly bathed and groomed can pick up a flea from
it's surroundings. The flea itself is very small and
quick to move so is very difficult to detect in the
dogs coat. Usually a dark brown colour it is approximately
the size of a pin head, its speed and power come from
its very strong back legs. The flea lays in wait in
the environment and once the vibrations of the host
are detected it leaps onto it. Like the tick the flea
tends to inhabit the warm areas with blood vessels
close to the skin, loins, base of the ears and the
base of the tail.
The most common
symptom of fleas is of course scratching and gnawing
at the affected areas, although some dogs do appear
to be oblivious to the presence of the parasites.
As previously stated hair loss may occur due to the
scratching and scaly, scabby coats may be seen. Given
a choice a dog flea will rather bite a dog than bite
a human however, I have had bites on myself at the
same time as my dog has been affected and dog fleas
can survive on human blood. The best way to detect
the presence of fleas is to inspect your dog regularly,
looking for small specks of flea dirt which are similar
in appearance to a tea leaf. Flea dirt ( blood that
has passed through the flea ) will dissolve in water
with a reddish brown tinge. Dark specks in the coat
that do not dissolve are not flea dirt.
Treatment
is relatively simple with drops, sprays, powders and
dips all being readily available from a veterinary
surgeon. It is very important that if your dog does
have fleas that you not only treat the dog but also
the surrounds, such as his bed, kennel, run etc. This
is because the flea spends most of it's life off the
host. Again sprays and solutions are readily available
for this purpose and treatment should be affected
at the same time as treating the dog. Preventative
measures are available, the most effective being flea
drops such as Ex-spot and if your dog is being regularly
infested then this is an obvious aid in extinguishing
the problem.
If your dog
has fleas then preventative treatment for tapeworms
is also recommended. This is because the life-cycle
of the tapeworm and the flea are linked. Tapeworm
eggs are passed in an infected dogs feaces and may
then be eaten by an immature flea. The tapeworm egg
hatches inside the flea and develops and if the flea
is eaten by a dog during self grooming tapeworm will
develop in the dogs intestine.
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This article
was written by Paul C Bunker, a professional dog trainer.
You can visit the website at www.Southwestk9services.com for more articles and
dog training resources. You may freely distribute
this article or save to any electronic media as long
as it is left intact, including this copyright box.
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