Dealing With Mites, Dog Skin Problems

Author: Kelly Marshall

So you treat your dogs very well. You give them their routine bath, the monthly visit to the vet and of course provide the medications that are prescribed to prevent any kind of skin inflammation or infections. But did you know that in spite of the best precautionary measures, dogs of any breed can easily become targets of some serious skin problems, caused by certain breeds of parasites?

An example of these parasites can be Mites. They are the principal agent that causes irritation that later exacerbates into inflammation. Below is a list, that includes the names of these mites, the symptoms shown by dogs when attacked by them and the requisite measures that must be taken to counter the infections.

• 1. Name of the mite: Demodex.

• Infection it causes: pustular dermatitis. If it gets infected in young puppies the skin problem is called juvenile pyoderma.

• Common name of the disease: Mange

• Symptoms: rashes around the head and shoulder of young puppies; hair loss, flaky or oily skin, characteristic mousy odour.

• Class of dogs generally attacked: carried by most dogs this parasite is harmless till the time that your dog doesn't become too stressed. And puppies are a prime target due to weak natural defences or immunity.

• Preventive measures: take your dog to the vet within 24 hours of the start of the infection to prevent scarring. He might prescribe antibiotics to heal the infection and a special shampoo that reduces oiliness and takes care of the smell.

2. Name of the mite: Sarcoptes, commonly known as scabies.

• Infection it causes: by burrowing through the skin of the dog these parasites drill long tunnels, inside which they lay their eggs. They can also infect humans but in humans the infections dies down quickly. Yet one should be careful.

• Common name of the disease: Mange

• Symptoms: red spots on ears, hocks and elbows. The tunnels are visible on human skin.

• Class of dogs generally attacked: dogs of all ages.

• Preventive measures: the dog on the detection of infection must immediately be taken to the vet to prevent the spread of infection to humans. The vet may prescribe chemicals that are also present in insecticidal shampoos. To calm the dog down and prevent him from scratching the infection and worsening it, he may also be treated wit certain kinds of drugs.

Besides these two microscopic kinds there is another kind of visible mite; it is called the Octodectes. The unique fact about this mite is that it can actually be seen as white moving dots on dogs' ears, with naked eyes. It causes inflammation of the ear.

So as you see, even the cleanest of dogs can fall victim to common parasites. There is nothing to worry about it; such an infection does not mean that you have been neglectful. Just take the right precautions and see your dog getting better in no time at all. And thus you have it, dealing with mites, dog skin problems.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/dealing-with-mites-dog-skin-problems-757995.html

About the Author
Written by Kelly Marshall from Oh My Dog Supplies - the largest provider of dog car seat covers online

Dog Illnesses

Author: Dog Care Tips

All pet dogs should be treated as members of our family and adequate attention must be paid to the canine's health. Sometimes dogs become sick but may not look so. It is very important to recognize and understand dog illnesses symptoms.

Since prevention is a better cure, we must learn something about dog illnesses and symptoms so we can better understand their conditions. This will help us recognize some common dog illnesses. If appropriate and adequate vaccinations are administered to the puppies, most of the common dog illnesses can be easily prevented.

Some elementary observations are useful to recognize certain common dog illnesses. Dogs take a lot of sleep but their sleep is marked by alertness. If a dog is sluggish then there may be various causes contributing to it, right from anemia to old age. If the dog is limping then you should check for prospective painful areas using a firm and yet gentile hand. Check out for any signs indicating lameness from time to time.

The appetite of the dog is bound to be affected by ill health. Look for any signs of loss of appetite. An important sign of dog health problems is excessive thirst. A pronounced weight loss is also an indicator of ill health. Check the eyes for any ulcers, discharges, veins or sores.

The mouth of a healthy dog is pink. There should not be any discoloring or cavities in the teeth. Look for signs of discharge from ears. It is advisable to clean the ears from time to time. The dog's head should be regularly checked for sore patches, hair loss, or deep wounds.

Investigate the limbs and trunk for the same signs. If the dog is vomiting, there may be various underlying problems. If the body temperature of your dog is not between the range 38 to 39 Celsius it is an indication of some kind of illness. Check the female dogs for any kind of foul smelling vaginal discharge, which needs attention of a vet.

The symptoms of pain and discomfort experienced by a dog can give us many clues about the possible underlying illness. If the dog is suffering any abdominal pain, it may be due to canine hepatitis, enteritis or it can be a simple case of constipation. The abdominal swelling dogs indicate canine bloat and roundworms in puppies. Aggression of the dog may be caused by rabies. Roundworms, tapeworms, and whipworms my cause anemia in dogs. Any behavioral changes in dog can be an indicator of hookworms, tapeworms, whipworms, canine arthritis, heart disease, canine, or parvovirus.

Kidney diseases sometimes cause blood in urine. Eye infections and entropion cause bloodshot eyes in dogs. A ruptured diaphragm, obstructed airway, lungworm, bronchitis, pneumonia, food poisoning, heatstroke, allergies can cause respiratory problems in dogs.

There are various reasons of sudden change in weight of dogs like heart disease to heartworms. Hernia might be caused due to long term constipation in dogs. Allergies, parvovirus, hepatitis, lungworm, TB, pneumonia or distemper may be one of the reasons of coughing in dogs. Cannine parvovirus can also cause dehydration in dogs. Any pancreatic disorder, food poisoning can give rise to diarrhea in dogs. The dog may suffer from hair loss due to mange, red mange demodectic, scabies, cheyletiella mange, or cushings syndrome.

If dog indicates any signs of failing genital bleeding, persistent constipation, projectile vomiting, fainting, hair loss, seizure, stumbling, trauma, trembling, mouth bleeding, rectal bleeding, lethargy, shaking, urinating problems contact a dog care specialist.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/dog-illnesses-327946.html

About the Author
If you love your dog, you've got to know "What to do if Your Dog is Poisoned" just in case. Hope you'd never have to use it. http://www.2knowabout.com/dog/what_to_do_if_your_dog_is_poisoned.php

Protecting Your Dog From Fleas

Author: Steve Searls

The easy natural ways to protect your dog from fleas.

- Make use of vacuum cleaners to get rid of dust. Do not forget to seal the vacuum bags before you dispose them off.

- These parasites mostly breed on your dog's bed. You must clean the bedding once a week with warm soapy water.

- Use of a dog shampoo also helps in keeping the fleas away.

- Cedar made products are naturally flea repellent. Use cedar shampoo for your dog and also put cedar oil on their beds.

- A dogs dry skin attracts fleas. To keep their skin moist you should refrain from doing too much shampooing. Linatone oil in their food can also help.

- A mixture of brewer's yeast and garlic can be given in small doses to your pet. This creates a certain odor in pets, and seems to repel fleas.

- Fresh or dried pennyroyal leaves is also a natural flea repellent. Use this in carpets to avoid the abundance of fleas in your home. However, do not use it if you have small children around, as this could be toxic.

- You may also use a mixture of lavender oil and rock salt to bathe your dog and sprinkle it in the places where dogs usually prefer to rest.

- Marigolds can also be planted in your backyard as it keeps away fleas, as well as other certain kinds of bugs.

- You may also give your dog a quick bath in boiled lemon water or by using orange peels in the water. This can also be used for soaking your dogs bedding for a few hours before washing it with warm soapy water.

Remember that bathing your dog will only work if the infestation is low. In fact, these methods of keeping fleas away are only preventive in nature and wouldn't work well if the infestation level is too high.

There are number of commercially made products that are also available in the market. Let us take a look at them.

- Advantage: This is a product from Bayer having imidaclorid as the active ingredient. Advantage comes in liquid form and is applied on the dog's back. It quickly kills the fleas by breaking the nervous system of the fleas and its effect lasts for about a month. Although it is a liquid, it is safe for your dog as it does not get absorbed into its bloodstream.

Advantage also kills the flea larvae.

- K9 Advantix: Also from Bayer, it has quickly become the favorite of veterinarians and dog owners. It is for dogs only. Its active ingredients are Imidacloprid and Permethrin. It kills fleas, mosquitoes, and ticks, including deer ticks and keeps working after swimming or bathing.

- Frontline Plus: Frontline is not much different from Advantage except that it is not soluble in water. The product can be used safely for your dogs and puppies. It is very efficient in repelling the fleas and its effect can last for over four months.

It contains Fipronil as its active ingredient.

Like Advantage, Fipronil also attacks the nervous system and causes instant death in about 24 hours. In spite of being highly toxic it is not harmful to your dog, unless your dog is not allergic to fipronil.

- Biospot: Biospot is meant for dogs only. It kills up to 75% of fleas and larvae and is also effective for mosquitoes. Biospot can temporarily alter the color of your pet's hair and make it appear yellowish. It contains permethrins and IGR and is effective for about a month.

- Knockout: Another effective product that is exclusively meant for dogs. Its active ingredients include Pyriproxyfen: 21 pyridine: 0.05% cyclopropanecarboxylate: 2%. It also contains NYLAR to control the flea growth.

- Proban and Prospot: Again exclusively and widely used for dogs. However these repellents only work when the fleas bite the dog as they are effective only after they are absorbed in the bloodstreams. You also need to remember that you are injecting a small quantity of poison into your dogs body and you may not even know the side effects. Also, if your dog is allergic to the flea bites these may not be the right products.

Fleas thrive during the summer as it is their breeding season. Commercial products are effective during this time, but it is always better to consult your vet before you actually begin to using these products on your dog.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/protecting-your-dog-from-fleas-234430.html

About the Author

Teaching your dog tricks is every dog owner's dream. Learn how dog tricks training can help reinforce basic obedience training for dogs, as well as improve agility.
Dog Tricks Training

Flea Infestation With Dogs

Author: John Burns

Fleas, ticks and lice are surface dwelling parasites. Fleas are small dark insects that run through the fur rapidly. Lice are tiny grey insects that move slowly and tend to form clusters around the earflaps. Ticks look like grey warts, they are immobile as the fix their mouthparts into the skin.

Pets will show signs of infestation by grooming and scratching excessively, some pets will show signs of hypersensitivity to flee bites (the saliva) with raised red bumps on the skin.

Flea eggs

Adult fleas live 3-4 months laying tiny white eggs constantly. These hatch into larvae, which live in cracks and crevices, carpets, upholstery, blankets and even earth and sand, living on the dried blood from the droppings of the adult fleas. 1-2 weeks later they turn into pupa and 2 weeks later hatch and hop onto the nearest warm body to feed and multiply.

This cycle can take anything from 2 to 20 weeks to complete depending on the temperature of the environment; it only takes approximately 2 weeks in the summer months.

POOR HEALTH ATTRACTS FLEAS

There are a few natural remedies for the avoidance of fleas and also for flea control, BUT a healthy lifestyle, including a good natural diet and exercise can help to prevent fleas. Parasites are attracted to animals with ‘tasty’ blood, therefore feeding a lesser quantity of a high quality food may avoid the build up of toxic waste in the system which attract the parasites.

Cleanliness in the pet and home is paramount to keeping fleas at bay. Vacuum around the house at least weekly, paying attention to cracks and crevices. Empty the vacuum straight away as the fleas could breed quite rapidly amongst the dust and debris in the bag. Launder your pets’ bed weekly in hot soapy water. Heat will kill fleas, larvae and eggs, so if possible dry the bedding using as high a heat as possible.

If your pet is infested, bathing may help using a gentle natural shampoo, containing flea and insect repellent. You could make your own adding Pennyroyal or Eucalyptus to a bottle of natural shampoo. Wet and lather around the neck first to avoid the fleas escaping up to the head and then do the same over the whole body, rinse lightly and shampoo again, keeping the shampoo on your pet for 5 minutes if that is possible. Rinse with a homemade rosemary infusion (1tsp dried or 1 tblsp fresh rosemary to 1 pint of boiling water, steep for 10 minutes) pour over the pet and towel dry.

Herbal flea powders can be used or again make one up using one part each of as many of the following powdered herbs as possible: Eucalyptus, Rosemary, Fennel, Yellow Dock, Wormwood and Rue. Apply sparingly to the base of the hairs paying attention to the neck, back and belly.

Regularly grooming your pet using a flea comb will also eliminate a lot of fleas, dip the comb in hot soapy water as this will kill the fleas.

A natural skin tonic for your pet can be made by thinly slicing 1 lemon and adding to 1 pint of boiling water, let it steep overnight. Sponge onto the animal and let it dry. Lemons contain a natural flea killing substance called d-limonene.

Garlic can be offered as a flea repellent either daily or every other day in small quantities (large amounts can cause anaemia). Brewers yeast either taken internally or again on the skin can also help.

Fleas can build up a resistance to any remedy and also to the chemicals we use to control them, so it may be wise to use different methods if possible.

References:

Natural Healthcare for Pets by Richard Allport -Publisher: Element Books Ltd (March 2002)

Dr. Pitcairn’s Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats ( Rodale Press )

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/flea-infestation-with-dogs-190205.html

About the Author

John Burns is a qualified veterinarian
who for the past fourteen years has also been producing a natural, holistic and
complete food for dogs and cats, Burns Real Food - free of artificial colours,
flavourings and preservatives.
As a practising Veterinary Surgeon, John became increasingly concerned about the
quality of pet foods on the market, and how nutrition was playing a part in the
poor health of the pets that he was seeing in his surgery.
Burns Pet Nutrition are known for being an ethical company with excellent customer
service and nutrition support which can be accessed via their website www.burns-pet-nutrition.co.uk