Your dog’s skin is very similar to human skin. The skin is the largest organ and the first line of defense against harmful bacteria. Your dog’s fur will serve as a visible warning to the dog owner when their dog may be afflicted with a parasitic allergy that could lead to serious health problems.
There are two types of parasitic allergens. Both external and internal parasites can lead to more serious health problems for your dog. we will focus on External parasites.
It is important to keep a grooming log for your dog. Because many skin problems manifest themselves, changes in your dog’s skin and coat may be so gradual that by the time you notice changes, your dog’s problem may be out of control. Your grooming log will serve a dual purpose.
First, it will provide you with a routine and habit-forming program that will help you maintain your dog’s health. And second, it will detail any changes observed during the build process through documentation, ie. I did notice a bit of redness in my ears while cleaning today. Proper use of this grooming log will remind you to check for any progression of symptoms.
External pests They are pests that not only affect animals but also humans. These pests will usually make your dog miserable. The first signs that your dog may have an external parasite are vigorous head shaking, persistent scratching at ears and other parts of the body, jolting from a relaxed state to ‘chase’ an annoying itch that you just can’t seem to relieve. The different types of external parasites are fleas, ticks, lice, and mites.
fleas they are visible to the naked eye and are relatively easy to detect and treat. Fleas will be attracted to warm, moist areas and can usually be seen on your dog’s belly or groin. Please understand that the sight of one flea means there are probably hundreds present. The flea will not only feed on your dog, but also on a human host. As soon as the female flea feeds on the host’s blood, she lays eggs which fall from your dog onto furniture, bedding or carpet. The eggs hatch into larvae, pupate, mature into cocoons, then emerge into adult fleas and the process begins all over again. There are many great products that will end this cycle. Topical chemical treatments that must be administered on a monthly or quarterly schedule. These treatments are effective and will break the life cycle of the flea to get rid of the problem.
If you prefer a holistic treatment without pesticides, your first defense is to have a healthy dog. All parasites tend to feed on the weak so a healthy dog will not be as attractive as a host. Feeding your dog small amounts of garlic, apple cider vinegar, or brewer’s yeast will also make your dog less attractive to fleas. These holistic approaches can stop the initial infestation; however, at the first sign of fleas, you’ll need to protect your entire home from the infestation. An easy way to determine if you have a real problem is to comb your dog with a white towel, especially helpful if your dog is dark in color or has dark skin, and look for flea “dirt” or feces which will show up as brown spots. If you add water to the brown specks and they stain red, then you have a real flea problem. Although fleas are the most common external parasite, they should not be considered annoying but rather harmless. Fleas can transmit several infectious diseases, including bubonic plague, Brazilian spotted fever, and typhus, to name a few.
ticks they are much easier to detect and remove than fleas, but they are much more dangerous to both you and your dog. Ticks bury their heads through the skin and gorge themselves on the blood of their hosts. Typically, a tick will be found on your dog’s ears, head, or neck because they hide in tall grassy areas and attach to your dog as he sniffs for potential potty spots. Once completely filled, the tick will drop off the host, lay eggs, and die. That is why people may not consider them as a threat. The reality is that ticks are a major carrier of infectious diseases. These diseases cannot be transmitted to your pet until the tick has fed for several hours, so discovery and removal must be immediate. Some of the infectious diseases transmitted by ticks are:
babesiosis which can be deadly. This disease may be asymptomatic (no apparent symptoms) or may include symptoms such as fever, chills, muscle pain, fatigue, and sweating.
ehrlichiosis It presents with early symptoms of fever, malaise, headache, nausea, vomiting, muscle aches, rash, cough, and joint pain. In severe cases, it causes prolonged fever, swelling of the brain and spinal cord, uncontrollable bleeding, coma, respiratory distress, and even death.
Lyme’s desease which has been highly publicized since its appearance in the 1970s. Symptoms usually (but not always) begin with a circular rash and may continue with fever, chills, fatigue, headaches, swollen lymph nodes, and muscle and joint pain. If left untreated, it can cause shooting pain, loss of muscle tone in the face, arthritis, joint inflammation, meningitis, and other neurological problems.
Rocky Mountain spotted fever which is the most serious disease that is transmitted through a tick bite. Initial symptoms are fever, rash, headache, muscle pain, nausea, vomiting, and lack of appetite. It loves the white blood cell count and reduces the amount of sodium in the blood. It can affect the kidneys, lungs, nervous system, or gastrointestinal system.
Great care should be taken in removing ticks. First of all, you need to protect yourself with latex gloves. Using tweezers, get as close to the dog’s skin as possible and try to remove by pulling outward to make sure you don’t leave the head or paws behind. Then place the tick in isopropyl alcohol to kill it, and then wash the affected area of your dog’s skin well. Continue to monitor the bite area for signs of infection or a rash. Be sure to clean your forceps with soap and water and then with rubbing alcohol.
lice They are a rare external parasite found in domestic dogs. Lice can be found mainly on young, sick dogs, in kennels or dogs that have been rescued from puppy mills, in run-down and abandoned environments.
There are two types of competition. Biting lice that feed on the skin and sucking lice that feed on blood. Lice are too small to see with the naked eye, but like the lice that plague humans, their eggs (or nits) attach to a strand of hair near the base and appear white like dandruff. If a magnifying glass is used, the eggs can be seen. Lice are also known to transmit disease.
Most flea shampoos are effective at killing lice. You should also treat any other animals that may have come in contact with the lice, as well as yourself. Pack up and dispose of all bedding and treat any areas that may have been infested with lice with a spray insecticide and grooming tools.
moths They are small arthropods that are also parasites of other animals. There are several varieties of mites that affect dogs. Two of them are eating moths.
Tea sarcoptic eats moth it burrows into the skin, usually around the eyes and ears. They are extremely irritating and cause intense scratching, crusty scabs, sores on the body and subsequent hair loss. A strong odor is often detected in the infected dog as well. Sarcoptic mange is extremely contagious to other dogs and can cause mange in humans.
Demodetic eats moths attached to hair follicles. Demodetic mange is usually hereditary and is much less serious. It can cause pus-filled sores caused by a secondary infection.
Both mites can be killed with specialized shampoos that you can get from your vet. As with lice, it is best to bag and discard all bedding. Treat other animals that may have been infected and clean grooming supplies.
The Cheyletiella mite It has also been called ‘walking dandruff’ because it is visible to the naked eye. As suggested, they look like dander scales with legs. The cheyletiella mite has a long life cycle, so treatments must be repeated several times. They can also be killed with a veterinary shampoo. As with others, they are contagious to other dogs and bedding needs to be replaced.
The harvest mite it is barely visible to the naked eye. They are usually found on the feet and between the toes. The harvest mite is red in color and causes the dog to lick and nibble at its feet trying to soothe the irritation. As mentioned above, a veterinary shampoo will take care of this infestation.
ear mites it can hardly be seen with the naked eye. They are quite small but are white in color. The infection they cause produces a discharge from the ear that is yellow, brown, or mahogany in color. This infection will cause an unpleasant odor. Indications of an ear mite infection are head shaking or scratching one or both ears, howling when touched around the ears, and inflammation of the ear flaps. Antibiotic ear drops are needed to treat ear mites.
Well I don’t know about you, but I’m starting to get itchy all over my body just writing about all these external parasites! I constantly use my grooming log and am very confident that my own dog is parasite free. My next article will explore Internal parasites.