Fleas and Ticks in Dog

Fleas and ticks cause skin irritation and allergies which leads to anaemia and other diseases in house pets.

What are fleas?

Fleas are small, black insects about 2mm in length. They live in the bedding and coats of dogs and cats and feed on their blood.
How can I tell if my dog has fleas?
Close examination of your dog may reveal these small, black insects moving rapidly through your dogs’ coat. If there are few fleas present, only flea dirt may be evident which will appear as small, black specks. This is actually flea faeces, which is passed through the insect after sucking blood from your dog.
Some dogs may tolerate fleas well, with only very slight scratching. Others can show a severe allergic reaction to both flea bites and flea saliva. This can result in intense scratching and chewing of neck, ears, thighs and base of the tail. Your dog may also spin around quickly to chew itself when the flea bites. In extreme cases, your dog’s skin may start to scale and discolour. Hair loss and secondary bacterial infections may also occur.
How do I control fleas?
Adult fleas lay their eggs on the dog within a few days of their first blood meal. These eggs are non-sticky and will drop off onto surrounding carpets and bedding. From here, the eggs will hatch to produce larvae that feed on flea faeces and organic matter found in the environment. The larvae dislike light and will tend to live deep in the carpets and in soil.
After a period of growth, the larvae will pupate. This is when the larvae take on the form of the adult. The adult flea will be stimulated to emerge from the pupa by warmth of body heat, vibrations such as a dog walking by or by exhaled breath (carbon dioxide). The newly emerged flea may bite humans before jumping off to find a moe suitable host.Once this host is found, the life cycle will start over again.
To control fleas, you must treat all your cats and dogs on the same day. There are many treatments for your dog on the market, some function by killing fleas immediately while other preparations act when the flea bites. Treating your pets alone is not however sufficient you must also treat your home environment. Regular hoovering and cleaning of bedding will also help to destroy the flea’s different life stages.
What are ticks?
Ticks are small, light grey, rounded insects which feed from the blood of animals. They vary in size and when engorged, can reach the size of a pea. They can be found anywhere on the dogs body but are most frequently found on the ears, face or abdomen where hair cover is relatively thin. Ticks will only feed at certain times of their life.
Peak activity is between the months of March to June and from August to November. Most of their life cycle is spent outside in areas of long grasslands and moorland but they can also survive in cracks and crevices in the walls and floors of kennels.
How can I tell if my dog has ticks?
Adult ticks can be seen attached to the skin of your dog and will resemble a small, smooth wart or blood blister. If your dog has only a few ticks, they may have little effect on your dog. Occasionally your dog’s skin may become irritated due to allergic reaction to the bite. If infestations are heavy, anaemia may develop. Ticks can however be carriers of Lymes disease, which can be transmitted to the dog when bitten.
How do I control ticks?
When a tick is removed from your dog’s body, it is important that its mouthparts do not remain embedded in your dogs skin or this may result in irritation, infection and abscess. To prevent this from happening, it is always best to get your vet to remove the tick. There are many insecticide viz., Ridd liquid and shampoos (Notix Scrub Liquid) available in the market that will kill ticks and if you use these regularly, they can help prevent infestation. (Notix forte powder)

Removing ticks……
To remove an attached tick, use a pair of fine-tipped tweezers or special tick removal instruments. These special devices allow one to remove the tick without squeezing the tick body. This is important, as you do not want to crush the tick and force harmful bacteria to leave the tick and enter the dog’s bloodstream.
1. Grab the tick by the head or mouth parts right where they enter the skin. Do not grasp the tick by the body.
2. Without jerking, pull firmly and steadily directly outward. Do not twist the tick as your are pulling.
3. Using methods such as applying petroleum jelly, a hot match, or alcohol will NOT cause the tick to ‘back out’. In fact, these irritants may cause the tick to deposit more disease-carrying saliva in the wound.
4. After removing the tick, place it in a jar of spirit to kill it. Ticks are NOT killed by flushing them.
5. Clean bite wound with a disinfectant, if you want to apply a small amount of a antibiotic ointment.
6. Wash your hands thoroughly.
Please do not use your fingers to remove or dispose off the tick. We do not want you to come in contact with a potentially disease-carrying tick. Do NOT squash the tick with your fingers. The content of the tick can transmit disease.