The most widely accepted external parasite treatments currently
available for pets are Frontline, Advantage, Revolution and Bio-Spot. These on-the-spot type treatments for dog and cat flea problems all provide one month of complete protection. Bad news to the flea, Advantage flea works due its active ingredient
imidacloprid, which works on the nervous system of the flea causing
paralysis and subsequent death.
Within 12 hours of application, 98-100 percent of fleas are dead. Brands such as Frontline flea and Advantage flea killers have nearly immediate results and long lasting protection. If you have this treatment available, your animal shouldn’t suffer from flea discomfort. All you need to do is choose the best dog or cat flea medication for your situation. External parasites that live off of the blood of mammals, reptiles, and birds are often referred to as mites and ticks.
While there are 5 species of ticks in North America, the America dog tick is the most widely known. The scary part is that ticks are only one step behind mosquitoes in transmitting diseases to people. Everyone knows that Lyme disease is a tick-borne illness, but ticks
also spread Rocky Mountain spotted fever, equine encephalitis, and
ehrlichiosis. They also transmit diseases found in pets and livestock.
Another type of mite living in the Rocky Mountains is the wood tick. Some common weapons to combat them are tick collars and anti-flea/tick shampoos. For effective tick control, dogs should be checked in tick season (warm
weather = more ticks) and if a tick is found, it should be removed
entirely. If you are not careful, part of the tick may be left in the wound, increasing the likelihood of infection.
Unlike diseases passed by ticks, heartworm is transmitted by
mosquitoes, and the larva then live in the bloodstream of the animal
bitten by the mosquito. Before becoming adults, the parasites must go through several stages. They enter the blood stream as larvae. When heart worms mature into adults, they make their way to feed off the blood in the heart. This can cause symptoms including coughing, difficulty breathing, and ultimately heart failure.
If the disease is caught early enough, there are treatments available
that may prevent the death of a pet from this parasitic disease. Interceptor for dogs is one such treatment, which also tackles hookworms and ascarid infections.
Kennel cough is yet another a common ailment for dogs. This is a very contagious strain of bronchitis that often spreads in places like kennels, where dogs are near many other dogs. However, the infection can be treated with proper use of antibiotics,
and it can even be prevented with vaccinating for canine adenovirus,
distemper, parainfluenza, and bordetella.
