It’s very easy for your dog to catch fleas or ticks, an uncomfortable guest, and you need to know how to get rid of the problem at the root.
All of us who have dogs have had this problem at some point. It is very easy for our dogs to get fleas or ticks at some point since they can find them in any park, garden or lot, and even when they get close to other animals. In this article, we will explain everything about the prevention and elimination of fleas or ticks in our pets.
What are fleas and ticks?
Fleas are brown external parasites that feed on the blood of mammals and birds. They are small in size (about the size of a mosquito), but do not have wings and are characterized by their great jumps.
Fleas and ticks can spread some diseases
Both insects pose a significant problem. In addition to being a major nuisance for both pets and their owners, they can also transmit certain diseases.
Flea and tick prevention.
As they always say, prevention is better than cure. To prevent fleas and ticks in your dogs, there are certain steps you should follow:
– Observation: First of all, you should examine your animals regularly, because these parasites are not easy to detect by chance. If your dog scratches himself excessively, it may be a sign that he has them, although this is not necessarily the case. A more certain symptom is that he tries to bite the part of the body where he scratches himself.
– Brush their fur whenever you can and make sure there are no bugs or feces in their fur. To do this, you can use a white towel just under their fur before proceeding to brush it.
– Hygiene: You also have to maintain proper hygiene for your dogs to prevent these parasites. When you bathe them, instead of using any type of shampoo, use a specific one to prevent this problem in dogs. Also, if your dog sleeps in the garden or somewhere else outside, you have to keep the place where he sleeps clean, with specific products for this purpose.
– Antiparasitic collar: There are many flea and tick-repellent collars on the market that can be used on your pet as a normal practice. However, you must choose the collar that is appropriate for the breed and age of your dog (check with your vet or a specialist shop).
How they affect dogs
First of all, we must say that most of the bites that our pets receive do not have any serious consequences. However, we cannot forget the effects that our animals may have if they are infested with fleas or ticks.
Ticks can cause paralysis, anemia and other diseases.
Flea bites can also transmit some diseases to our pets, due to having previously bitten other animals that have them, such as typhus, plague or tapeworm, if the dog ingests the flea.
Ticks can cause paralysis in dogs due to the toxic effects of their saliva; they can cause anemia or weakness as a result of the large amount of blood ingested by the parasite; they can also cause piroplasmosis, which can lead to death or Lyme disease.
How to remove them: home remedies.
If prevention has not been effective or if your pets already have some of these parasites, there are some methods to eliminate fleas that we can all do at home, although like most of these remedies, they do not guarantee the greatest effectiveness. The first of these methods is to take brewer’s or nutritional yeast and rub it on our dog’s skin since it is said that fleas do not like its taste. You can also put a little in their food and mix it in.
Another remedy you can use is to make your own flea collar by adding a few drops of eucalyptus, lavender or geranium oil to your dog’s normal collar every week.
Finally, and always on a hot day, you can make a rinse with fresh rosemary leaves and water. Let them boil for half an hour, strain the liquid and when the water is lukewarm, rub it on your dog’s fur, letting it air dry.
Regarding ticks, the only home method that can be used once they are attached to the dog is to remove them manually. But this also requires a certain technique. You can never pull them off by the roots, as this would cause you to only remove part of the body while the head would still be in your animal, which could cause infections. Therefore, we advise you to put a few drops of Vaseline around the tick with latex gloves; rub the skin to soften it, and then gently remove it with a twisting motion, placing your fingers as close to the dog’s skin as possible. Afterward, we must disinfect it with iodine and get rid of the tick by putting it in alcohol to kill it. Never use alcohol directly on your dog to kill the tick, because this can cause it to empty the infected contents of its stomach into your pet’s blood.
Trade remedies.
There are several methods of removing fleas or ticks on the market:
– Flea or tick shampoos: used when bathing the dog. They may cause some type of adverse reaction.
– Flea comb: This is used when the dog is already dry, and is specifically designed to remove these parasites from the dog’s fur.
– Flea collars: in this case, they are insecticidal collars and not preventive ones, that is, they serve to kill fleas. The disadvantage of these collars is that they do not completely eliminate them and may be incompatible with the use of other methods of eliminating parasites.
– Flea powders: This is a product containing talc and insecticidal and repellent substances. They must be applied carefully and not too frequently, as they leave an insecticidal residue on the dog.
– Liquid products: they come in spray, foam, bath or rinse form and their effectiveness depends on the formulation of the product and the method of application.
– Tick tweezers: there are products specially designed for easy removal of ticks from our pets. However, the instructions we have given above must be followed for this to be done correctly.
Tips and suggestions.
You should examine your dogs and pets regularly, it is the best way to prevent and care for them. Even if you follow all the steps to prevent parasites correctly, they can still get them, so it is best to do everything possible to keep them away from our pets. Pay special attention in summer, which is when these parasites proliferate the most.
If in doubt about fleas and ticks, consult your veterinarian.
Never use a product intended for any other species of animal other than dogs, since if they are recommended for these animals it is because of their composition and the different effect it can have on different species.
Remember to also disinfect the environment in which your pets move, both to prevent parasites and once they have already appeared.
Finally, and as a general recommendation, do not use any product on your animals if you have any doubts about its reliability. And if you have any doubts about the treatment that best suits them, consult your veterinarian, who will advise you better than you.