Parasites and Your Pet

Fleas are one parasite common to both dogs and cats that pretty much everyone has heard of. And anyone who has ever had a pet that contracted fleas knows that they are a literal pain to both animal and owner. Fleas, though tiny, are clearly visible to the naked eye. They are brown or black wingless insects with a rather flat body shape. They bite their hosts, drawing blood for food. The bites tend to leave small red bumps on victims. A severe flea infestation could cause your pet to develop anemia due to blood loss. Not only that, fleas also act as hosts to other parasites than can then infect your animal, passing from the flea to your pet through the flea's saliva. One notable example of this being the tapeworms. Fleas also spread viruses and bacteria.

Chances are, if you have a pet you already provide him with protection against fleas. Most stores that carry pet medications carry several different brands of pet flea medications. You should do research into the effectiveness of the various medications, as there are differences between them. Fleas go through several developmental stages, including egg, larva, pupa, and adult insect. Some medications may only kill the adult forms of the bugs, while others affect both adults and eggs. Frontline Plus is one popular brand of flea medicine. Frontline kills only adult fleas, but every time a new flea jumps onto your pet, the product kills it before it has a chance to lay eggs. Thus, the product will not kill eggs, larvae, and pupae that are already on your pet--they will have to mature to adults before they will die. But eventually, it will take care of your flea infestation problem. Frontline is just one example of many products on the market.

Ticks are another dermal parasite that affects both cats and dogs, plus humans and many other animals. Like fleas, they bite and nourish themselves on the blood of their hosts. There are many species of tick at large, only some of which are likely to feed on your dog. These latter include wood, brown dog, and deer ticks. The deer tick is probably the most familiar to people, as it plagues the human population and spreads Lyme disease. Ticks also spread Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, encephalitis, tularemia, and many more diseases.

Thankfully, some of the very same medications that prevent fleas also prevent ticks on your animal. In addition, ticks are fairly easy to spot and remove. The only catch is that if you remove them incorrectly, the tick's head could be left embedded in your dog's skin, which is not something you want. Use tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible. Pull it straight out, firmly but slowly. Make sure that the tick is completely intact once you have it out and that it's not missing its head or mouth parts.

Heartworms are parasitic roundworms spread from animal to animal by mosquitoes. Heartworms infect many different mammals including cats, wolves, and foxes, but their favorite host is your dog. Once an animal is infected by heartworms, they travel into its bloodstream and eventually into its arterial system, lungs and heart. Despite their name, heartworms actualy do the most damage to an animal's respiratory system. For six months, dogs will show no sign of infection. Signs of heartworm disease include lethargy, coughing, weight loss, fainting, coughing up blood and eventually heart failure.

Heartworm disease can be prevented by administering preventative drugs regularly. There are both oral and topical treatments. Two of the most popular brands are Heartgard Plus for dogs and Sentinel for dogs. Heartworm disease can also be treated after infection. The dog is given doses of an arsenic compound. He must then be kept from all but very light exercise as treatment continues.

As noted above, many domestic animal parasites can be prevented or killed with regular doses of widely available medications. You may have noticed that your veterinarian sells some of these at his office. You can also buy some medications in stores or online. Online retailers are a good choice since you can often get discount pet meds by shopping around. Two of the major online discounters include this site and this one. Of course, you should always consult your vet before starting your pet on any new medication or changing his dosage. Always follow the instructions of your vet, or those on the packaging, exactly. If your dog has chronic pain from a condition such as osteoarthritis, Deramaxx is a popular pain killer for dogs and can be found at these same locations. As a final bonus, you can often pick up your favorite brand of dog food at the same time.