Fleas are tiny brown insects that live on your dog's skin and feed by sucking your dog's blood. If you part your dog's fur you can see them jumping. Fleas can't fly, but they can jump quite a distance and travel easily from one pet to another. They sting the skin and make your dog uncomfortable - though not all scratching dogs have fleas.
The bite of the flea is a potent allergenic substance that may set up a severe allergenic response in a susceptible dog. In such a case the dog will lose a good deal of hair, particularly above the tail, and develop scaly skin on his back. He will probably scratch himself so consistently that the skin bleeds. This condition is often known as fleabite rash. Apart froms irritating the skin, the flea is the intermediate host of the tapeworm - an internal parasite.
Ticks are about size of a pinhead, and have a tendency to inhabit the parts of the dog where the hair is thin. They may burrow into the pet's skin and feed on their blood. When they are swollen with blood, ticks expand to just about the scale of a pea. After the tick is finished its meal, it will lay its eggs into a crack or cleft, and fall off animal. Mostly with pets, you can only find 1 or 2 ticks, which you can simply remove with tweezers or suffocate with petroleum jelly. Another good trick is to spray an insect repellant onto the head of the tweasers before you attempt to take away the tick - this will often cause the tick to release it's hold on your dog's skin making an allowance for easy removal.
Some ticks are devastating and so it is essential that you shield you dog especially during the sumer months when ticks are most prelevant. Many spot on flea treatments will supply the best flea treatment for dogs and will also defend against the most common ticks.
Fleas and ticks can wreak havoc in your pet's life, causing anything from mild scratching and discomfort through to dreadful sickness and sometimes death. Once fleas enter your environment, they spread and multiply at an intense rate. The best flea treatments for dogs change on your preferences with several different products that you can use to remove fleas and ticks from your pet as well as your house. However , it is recommended to consult your vet or a pro before essentially using any of these products as they can be lethal to your pet, other pets or perhaps you.
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