Intestinal Parasites and Airborne Pests in Dogs and Cats

Fleas & ticks are just one of the many nuisances not only for pets, but for their owners too. There are also intestinal parasites such as heartworms, which pose a health threat to pets. Mosquitoes also carry a life threatening disease for our pets. There are many ways to prevent intestinal parasites and other pests on the inside and outside of your pet. The best products to purchase for the overall well- being of your pets, is through your local veterinarian. There are less expensive products available at the supermarkets but many of them do not have the same affect as prescription products do. Here is a description of some of the intestinal and air borne pests and simple ways to prevent them. for you

Fleas & Airborne Allergies:

Flea allergies cause severe trauma to the skin and some areas of the skin will be dry and flaky and sometimes redness. The redness is caused from all of the chewing and constant scratching. Patchy hair loss can also be seen in several spots on your pet's body in a specific area that has the most traumas. If your pet does have an allergy to fleas, then it will only take one tiny flea to make life miserable for your pet.

Even though fleas cause no fatal health risk for your pets they do cause much distress and misery for the animal. If your pet does suffer from either flea or airborne allergies your local veterinarian can prescribe oral antihistamines in a tablet or liquid form. Steroids such as prednisone may also be necessary to give orally if the allergies have become severe and any inflammation or redness to the skin is noticed. An injection of cortisone or prednisone may be necessary also.

Another reason why pets scratch could be from allergies. Dust, pollen, fungus and even dust can cause allergy symptoms in animals and scratching is one of them.

Give your pet a soothing therapeutic bath using special shampoos and conditioners which contain oatmeal or an antihistamine is a great way to give your pet some relief. There are some conditioners that can be left on for several minutes and there are also some that do not need to be rinsed off the animal at all.

There is a great flea product for pets that does work. It is called Frontline Plus. The solution is applied topically to your pet's fur and coats each follicle of their hair. Frontline plus is great to use to get rid of flea infestations because it kills fleas, ticks and the eggs and larvae.

Tapeworms

If you do notice your dog or cat chewing and scratching, look them over real good and check them for any fleas. If there are fleas present, and if they eat flea then tapeworms will occur. Animals can also get tapeworms from eating crickets and June bugs too.

Tapeworms are no health threat to animals at all. They just look icky and gross. If you ever notice something white and flat that resembles a grain of rice hanging out around your pet's anus or in their poop, this is a segment of a tapeworm. That is how small tapeworms are. Your local vet can give you a tablet to give to your pet for tapeworms called Droncit. It is dosed out according to the animal's weight. If you do not rid your pet and your home and backyard of any fleas, then your pet will chew on himself and eat another flea and more tapeworms will show up in your pet's poop. Unlike fleas that can repopulate on your dog and in the environment at the drop of a hat, tapeworms do not. Once an animal eliminates and tapeworms are in the poop, the tapeworms eventually just dry up.

Mosquitoes:

Summertime is here and with it comes those pesky mosquitoes zooming around everywhere searching for that perfect spot to land and eat. We swat at them we squash and whatever else we can do keep those little buzzers away. Mosquitoes are what transmit heartworms to dogs and cats but it is most commonly seen in dogs.

A mosquito bites a dog that is infected with heartworms and then he bites another dog and if this dog is not protected against heartworms then he will contact heartworms also.

Symptoms of possible heartworms in a dog is difficulty in breathing, a deep dry hacking cough which sounds as if there is something caught in the dog's throat that he cannot get out. Heartworms left untreated in dogs can be fatal.

Heartworms

Mosquitoes cause heartworm disease. A mosquito bites a dog that is already carrying the heartworms, which stay in the bloodstream in the larvae stage, which are baby heartworms. Now that the mosquito has ingested the larvae, then this mosquito will go bite another dog and this bite from a mosquito injects the larvae under the skin. The baby heartworms, or larvae, live in the bloodstream for around four months then they migrate their way up into the dog's heart and develop into adult heartworms, and once they are there, they stay all around the heart. If the heartworms are left untreated they will eventually suffocate the heart which could cause difficulty breathing and will eventually lead to death.

A once a month pill is all it takes to keep the family pet heartworm free. There is a pill called Sentinel which is a combo of heartworm and flea control and Interceptor which is a pill and Heartgard that looks just like a piece of hearty beef jerky.

Ticks:

These nasty critters thrive on blood. They attach themselves head first down into the skin and stay there and dine on your dog's blood. Ticks carry and transmit Lymes disease both to dogs and humans. Symptoms of Lymes disease are dogs may be respiratory problems, lethargy and loss of appetite.

There is a brand of tick collar that is called Advantix and they seem to work. The tick collar does need to be changed out every 3 months. The Advantix collar does have an odor to it because of the tick killing solution on it.

If you do notice any ticks on your pet here is what you can do. Just spray some flea spray directly on the tick and let it drop off the dog/cat on its own. If the tick does not drop off the animal after it dies, you can pull it off yourself. If you do not have flea spray you can soak a cotton ball in alcohol and squeeze the alcohol on to the tick and then take a pair of tweezers or use you fingers and make certain that you are right next to the skin by the head of the tick and then pull the tick off. Check the area where the tick was removed and watch for any redness or swelling and if any is noticed this will tell you that the head of the tick was not removed. If you only grab on to the body of the tick the head will not be removed. If you think that the head of a tick was not removed properly you can call your local vet and ask them for instructions on what to do.

Give your pet a bath once a month with a good flea and tick shampoo and this will help cut down on fleas and ticks. The shampoo needs to contain pyrethrins, which are what kills the fleas and/or ticks. Just be careful not to use any harsh shampoos and dips on any animal that is under the age of eight weeks. Ask your local vet what is best for your pet's needs. Johnson and Johnson Baby Shampoo and Conditioner are great to use on babies and the mommies too. I love using this because this shampoo is so gentle and leaves the fur soft and shiny.

Sources:

I am not a licensed vet but I did work for one many years and I learned a lot of useful and very valuable information.

DISCLAIMER:

I am not a licensed vet but I did learn many useful tips and information during my years working for one. The above information is intended for educational purposes only and shall not take the place of seeking professional medical advice from a licensed veterinarian.