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back to Library Index...Parasites such as roundworms, hookworms, tapeworms, whipworms, and heartworms, can make a home inside your pet and rob your animal of vital nutrients, leading to poor appetite, loss of energy, serious anemia, and even death. Puppies and kittens are especially susceptible. Parasite infestation can be controlled and prevented. Your veterinarian can tell you about the extent of the parasite problem in your area. Simple diagnostic procedures can be performed. Toxoplasmosis is a related disease.
From time to time most pets have parasites such as fleas or ticks or lice or mites. It's simply in the nature of things, parasites being parasites. The pests abound everywhere; therefore, their presence is not a disgraceful reflection on one's living habits. It is, of course, not necessary simply to accept such a state of affairs. Because external parasites can be extremely irritating to a pet and cause serious skin disorders or even disease, you have an obligation to rid your pet of these unwelcome guests if they are infested with them.
Yet external parasites, like squatters, are tenacious and difficult to "evict." They are not always discernible to the unpracticed eye and are therefore sometimes present in great numbers before you become aware of them. If you find your pet scratching frequently, or if you discover bald spots or inflammation of his skin, chances are your pet is playing host to an army of non-paying boarders. And it's high time for you to take him to the veterinarian.
The flea is an acrobatic pest that is adept at finding a warm place to live, jumping readily from dogs to cats or even human beings. The life cycle of the flea is about 30 days. The eggs are dormant in cool weather, but, with the advent of milder days, they hatch into
worm-like larvae which eventually become fleas. The best way to rid your pet of fleas is to see a veterinarian for advice. They may recommend powders, sprays, dips, specially treated collars, or even tablets to be taken internally ---whatever the veterinarian's prescription, you should take care to follow their instructions exactly.
It will do little good to rid the pet's body of fleas if you don't simultaneously cleanse their sleeping quarters and other equipment. Aerosol sprays can be used for this purpose with excellent results. Regular and thorough vacuum cleaning of the pet's living area also helps to remove eggs, larvae, and pupae. Getting rid of fleas not only makes your pet more comfortable, it also reduces their chances of acquiring tapeworms since many fleas harbor tapeworm eggs.
Lice are not just aesthetically unpleasant and can become a source of danger for your pet--especially to puppies. Often dogs with just a few lice are very "itchy," while those harboring thousands of lice may not scratch themselves at all. So small they escape notice, some lice penetrate the pet's skin and suck the blood. The females will lay eggs which in just three weeks will hatch and develop into adult lice.
The constant blood-sucking, if extensive, can cause severe anemia in puppies and greatly weaken mature dogs, particularly females with nursing puppies. The pest can also be a source of irritation to cats and kittens.
Your veterinarian is your best resource to detect and eventually eliminate this dangerous parasite.
Mange is caused by another type of external parasite--the mite. Fortunately, mange is rare in the well-fed, well-kept cat.
In dogs, two types of mange are the most common: DEMODECTIC mange or "red mange," and SARCOPTIC mange or "scabies." They may be present at any time of the year.
Dogs suffering from demodectic mange usually do not scratch. This mange is most common in young short-haired animals and is marked in the early stages by small areas of hairlessness, accompanied by a red, irritated appearance. In sarcoptic mange, a severe itching is usually observed, with consequent skin irritation and loss of hair. This type of mange is contagious to people as well as to other dogs and therefore should be checked as soon as possible.
It should be remembered that mange is more serious than a simple skin irritation or abrasion or a source of discomfort to your dog--though it certainly is that. Both of these manges are serious skin diseases that can lead to complications such as severe skin infections. Veterinarians usually treat mange by clipping, medicated baths, or sprays, as well as oral medication or injections.
The hardiest and perhaps the most "pesky" of the external parasites is the tick which has the innocent appearance of a small wart or seed. Hosting the tick is the price the dog or the cat must pay for investigating the mysteries of the shrubbery or wild undergrowth, for that is where your pet most likely acquires these pests.
Be sure and look for ticks during the daily grooming of your pet and pick off any you see--a trick that can be mastered with a little practice. Ticks are most apt to bed down in the neck area, between the toes, in the ears, and in the folds between the legs and the body.
Enlist the aid of your veterinarian in your tick eradication campaign. Dipping your pet at frequent intervals in a medicated compound is the most common method of getting rid of ticks.
Spraying the grass and bushes with a chemical solution recommended by your veterinarian is often very effective in eliminating ticks, as is a frequent cleaning of your pet's belongings and sleeping quarters. Ticks as well as fleas may infest the home and become a major nuisance.
Allowed to thrive unchecked, ticks may cause serious skin infections or paralysis. Some ticks serve as carriers of serious diseases to pets and humans.
Ear mites can be a source of severe annoyance and disease. They are common in dogs and cats. These mites spend most of their life in the ears. Often an animal can be severely infested with the pests before there is any outward sign of their presence. It is a good idea to have your veterinarian regularly examine your pet's ears.
If an ear mite infestation is ignored it will almost always be followed by a bacterial infection because the bacteria find easy access to living tissue through the holes left by the mites. Such an infection can spread deep into the ear and eventually penetrate the brain causing convulsions and death.
Ear mites are very irritating. They often cause the animal to scratch to the point where it tears out all of the hair and creates bleeding sores around the ears. Scratching can result in reinfestation with mites from the paw or tail. Consult your veterinarian about methods for treating infested animals.