Dealing with fleas and ticks

Fleas and ticks can make your puppy or dog miserable... they can also trigger allergies and make him sick.

If your puppy is always scratching or has red, irritated patches of skin, and you see what looks like black grit in his fur (especially around the neck, ears and groin) - chances are he has some fleas.

If you also see some small (or not-so-small) `wart-like growths` on his head/body, then he might have some ticks as well!

Although it`s worrying to think that your precious puppy has parasites that are setting up home on his skin and literally drinking his blood, there`s no need to panic because preventing and treating flea or tick infestations is pretty straightforward and there are many medications that can help.

This is especially good news because these parasites have the potential to make your pup sick, with diseases such as Lyme Disease, Ehrlichiosis and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.... and these illnesses can be transmitted to humans too.

Puppies and dogs can get fleas in a number of different ways.

Very young puppies can have them because their momma did, or because the area they were kept in had a flea probem.

Pups and dogs of all ages can `catch` fleas from other infected dogs, cats, rodents, vermin and any other type of animal they come in contact with.

It`s not even necessary for your pet to touch another animal to get fleas... these little critters can jump a high and long, and are adept at leaping wide spaces in a single bound!

Flea eggs that are on the ground, in grass, carpets etc. will hatch sooner or later, and if your dog happens to walk by once they do.. then the fleas are going to hitch a ride.

Quick Links

• Best Flea & Tick Preventatives


• All About Ticks On Dogs


• How To Remove A Tick From Your Dog

All About Fleas On Dogs & Puppies

Although there are thousands of different species of flea, the one that causes most of the trouble for dogs and cats is the common cat flea.

Believe it or not, a single flea can bite as many as 400 times aday, and lay up to 50 eggs in the same time frame!

If your puppy is oneof the many dogs that is allergic to flea saliva, all this biting canresult in flea allergies. This causes excessive scratching, irritated skin and hair loss. Not nice!

Fleas are tiny, dark-colored creatures that crawl through yourpuppy`s fur, close to the skin. They`re usually most easy to spot aroundthe ears, face and on the tummy.

If you`re not sure whether or not little Fifi has fleas, standher on white, or light colored sheet and comb her carefully with a fleacomb (you can find these at any good petstore).

Small black flecks thatfall onto the sheet and turn red when wetted down are flea-dirt. Ifshe`s got a lot of fleas, they`ll probably fall (or jump) off too.

Whether Fifi has already managed to become home to aflea colony, or if you just want to make sure that doesn`t happen, it`simportant to use a good, effective preventative for fleas andticks regularly.

There are lots of options forrepelling or killing fleas and ticks, including shampoos, flea-collars,powders, sprays, chewable tablets and topical liquids.

Over-the-counter medications are usually not nearly as effective (orsafe) as the ones recommended or prescribed by your veterinarian, sopersonally I`d recommend that you don`t waste money, or take risks withyour pup`s health, by using OTC products.

Some kill only livefleas, others only ticks, somekill fleas and ticks, some kill fleas, ticks and internal parasites suchas certain types of worms, others also repel mosquitoes... to make sureyou get the right protection for your puppy or dog, check out the listbelow.

The quickest-acting, most effective, safest and long-lasting choices include:

Frontline Plus Flea & Tick

Capstar Flea Treatment Dog

Flea & Tick Control for Dogs

Bayer Advantage II, Small Dogs

These are just a FEW of the best flea and tick control products on the market. There is literally something for every dog!

It`s important to make the right choice for your pet and this depends on which parasites you want to eliminate, how many different products you want to use, where you live and how old/big your pup or dog is.

If your poor little pup has been the host to a bunch of fleas it`s also a good idea to treat her bedding, the carpet and any soft furnishings she`s been in contact with.

You can buy special sprays or use one of the popular `bombs` (a pressurized can of chemicals that spell D-E-A-T-H to fleas such as Virbac Knockout ES Area Treatmentand/or Virbac Home Flea Relief Yard Spray Concentrate) which are very effective.

By treating both your puppy and your environment you stand the best chance of being free of fleas and ticks in a very short period of time.

Ticks On Dogs

Ticks are small, brown or black creatures with teardrop-shaped bodiesand 8 legs (they`re related to spiders - another critter that makes yougo "yuk"!).

The most common ticks in the USA is the brown dog tick and theAmerican dog tick.

The Deer tick (the variety most likely to carry andtransmit Lyme Disease) and the Western Black-legged tick can also befound.

The first photo shows what a tick might look like before it bites your pup and starts to feed.

The second photo is what the same tick looks like once it`s engorged with your pup`s blood. Ugh, nasty!

Ticks vary in size from tiny, pin-head critters to much largerone - sometimes as large as a kernel of corn, especially when they`refull of your poor puppy`s blood!

The best, most effective and safest way to prevent or kill ticks isto use a medication specifically designed to kill fleas and ticks.

My personal favorite for eliminating ticks on dogs AND getting rid of fleas is K9 Advantix.

Because we live in the midwest, on an acreage in the country with a creek right behind the house, ticks can be a real problem, so I`ve had plenty of practice figuring out what works and what doesn`t!

If ticks are a big problem in your area you can use this every twoweeks rather than once a month during the worst of the season.

Video: TNR - Too many Fleas and Ticks!

But, it takes longer to kill ticks than it does fleas. Althoughthe packaging may say 24 hours, if your dog has a lot of ticks it couldtake several days for them all to die... and the little ones (known as`seed ticks` )normally die off first, the bigger ones that are engorgedtake longer.

Adding a Preventic Collar or a Seresto Collar can help too, and these are usually effective for about 3 months.

Video: How to Control Ticks & Fleas : How to Kill Fleas & Ticks on your Pets & in your House: Flea Control Tips

For really severe infestations of fleas and ticks (sometimesfound in dogs who spend a lot of time outdoors, or in stray, neglectedor abandoned puppies and dogs), a dip such as `Biospot Pyrethrin Dip`can be used too. This kills and repels fleas, ticks, lice, gnats, flies and mosquitoes as well.

Simply mix the recommended amount of dip with water and pour itover your dog, then let him `drip dry`. You can safely use it inconjunction with Advantix and the Preventic collar for maximum results.

IMPORTANT: Most flea and tick preventatives, including the Preventic collars andPyrethrin dip should NOT be used on puppies under 12 weeks old.

Please make sure you double-check with your vet or read the instructions on any products very carefully before using them on your pup.

How To Remove A Tick From A Dog Or Puppy

If your puppy has already picked up a tick and is not yet on any preventativemedications you need to remove it as quickly as possible.

Getting it off your puppy within 24 hours can really reduce thechances of it being able to transmit any diseases.

• Never touch a tick with your bare hands as Lyme Disease can be transmitted through your skin. Put on rubber/latex gloves first.
• For the fastest, easiest, most fool-proof tick removal I highly recommend either Dr. Mercola`s Tick Stick Kit or the Tick Twister Set. They work great and make it a snap to remove small or large ticks (there are also many other similar products, pick whichever one you think will work best for you). 

• Until you get your Tick Stick or Tick Twister, you can use a pair of tweezers or forceps instead.

  Grasp the tick`s headfirmly, as close to your pup`s skin as possible. Pull slowly but firmly. Don`t grip the tick around it`s swollen body orsqueeze it`s body.

• Once the whole tick is out, use a disinfectant orrubbing alcohol to clean the area (and your gloves/tweezers etc. too),then apply a little anti-biotic ointment to the area of the bite.

• When you`re removing a tick from your dog, if it`s head is left under your dog`s skin it could become infected, sokeep an extra-close eye on the area for the next few days.

• Don`t forget to make sure you kill the tick before disposing of it or you may see it again!

• Once you`ve done all that, be sure to get Fifi on a regularschedule of flea and tick medication so you don`t have to do the samething all over again.

The more common American Dog Tick isn`t a carrier, but most of us can`t really tell the difference between tick species..... and I know that I`m not too keen to get up really close to these nasty little creatures if I can help it!

The most commonly used antibiotics used for treating Lyme Disease in dogs are Doxycycline and Amoxicillin.

The earlier the antibiotics are started, the better the chance that your dog will make a full recovery.

As symptoms don`t show for weeks, this early warning can allow you to set up treatment much earlier than would otherwise be possible, saving a lot of discomfort, pain, distress and cost.

There is an additional cost of $39.95 to have the tick analyzed, but to my mind it`s well worth the money - especially if you`re in a high risk state.

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