FLEAS
Fleas, ticks, and mites are external parasites that feed on your dog. In addition to taking a drop of blood each time they feed, they can also transmit diseases—some quite serious—and can cause significant discomfort. A dog infested with fleas will scratch and chew until her skin is raw, and secondary infections will follow. Controlling these pests is essential for your dog’s good health.
Fleas are tiny, crescent-shaped insects. They have flat sides so they can move through animal hair easily. They have a small head and a large abdomen. Fleas are the intermediate host for tapeworms and can cause anemia from blood loss, especially in small puppies or older dogs. Fleas feed on your dog and then move away. They actually spend most of their time in the dog’s environment—in the house or yard, hiding in the dog’s bed, or in your carpet.
New products introduced in the past decade have made flea control considerably easier. Some of these products kill adult fleas (which are the only ones that bite), while others are insect growth regulators that stop immature fleas from maturing. Some of the newer products do both. If your dog is infested with fleas, you will want to approach flea control with a three-pronged attack:
- On your dog: Talk to your veterinarian about a prescription for a systemic product such as Program or Sentinel. As the flea bites your dog, it will take a drop of blood that will be carrying the flea-control product.
- In the house: Spray carpets, dog beds, baseboards, cracks, and crevices with an insect growth regulator and a quick-kill ingredient designed for indoor use. Make sure you read and follow the directions.
- In the yard: Use a spray designed for outdoor use that contains an insect growth regulator.
Don’t mix flea control products. Using a systemic product and then spraying your dog or putting
a flea collar on her could potentially be deadly. Instead, talk to your veterinarian or groomer
about which products are working best in your area, and then use them as instructed.
TICKS
Ticks are eight-legged insects that bury their heads in a dog’s skin to feed. They will stay on the dog until gorged, when they will drop off to breed and lay eggs. Like fleas, ticks can pass along diseases to dogs and people. The most deadly right now is Lyme disease, so ask your veterinarian if Lyme disease (or any other tick-carried disease) is prevalent in your area.
Some systemic flea control products are advertised as being effective at killing ticks as well, but nothing is as effective as a daily examination. If you massage your dog each day, you can feel with your fingers for bumps on your dog’s skin. Or visually check the favorite hiding spots, which include the “armpit” areas of the legs, in and around the ears, the neck, and under and around the base of the tail. When you find a tick, use tweezers or forceps to grab the tick and slowly pull it straight out of the skin. Twisting can break the head off, leaving it in the skin. Check the tick to make sure that the head is still attached; if the head has broken off in the skin, try to pull it out. If retained in the skin, an infection could result. Put some antibiotic ointment on the wound. Burn the tick or drop it in some alcohol. Do not flush it down the toilet; it will live!
MITES
Mites are everywhere. Experts say that we clean, well-groomed people are exposed to mites all the time. Dogs have their own mites, even though we can’t see them. There are two types of mites found on dogs: demodetic and sarcoptic.
Demodectic mites are on dogs all the time and usually cause no problems. But sometimes, when a dog is under stress or in puberty, the mites get out of hand. Small bald spots show up, usually on the face first, and then spread. The spots rarely itch, and the dog doesn’t seem bothered at all. Unfortunately, this demodectic mange can cause severe problems in older dogs, although with treatment young dogs usually recuperate easily. Any unexplained bald patches should be seen by a veterinarian; never try to treat demodex on your own. Demodectic mites do not live on people.
Sarcoptic mites cause severe itching, and dogs will scratch continually, even to the point of drawing blood. Like demodectic mange, this problem requires veterinary care. Sarcoptic mange is contagious to other pets and to people.
