It is cooling down outside. The pests will soon be terrorizing your pup for yet another fall season. Instead of letting your best friend live in utter misery, why not identify the common pests that will be giving your pet such a hard time and deal with them accordingly? Here are the three pests to check your pups for this fall.
Fleas
Fleas are a pup’s worst nightmare. When their coat is saturated with fleas, the biting, itching and endless scratching can drive your pet nuts.
To make matters worse, if they swallow an infected flea, they could end up with tapeworms as a result.
To deal with fleas, you could try using a topical spot treatment, however, many of these products contain harmful toxins that are even dangerous to humans.
For most dog breeds, products containing spinosad are a far better way to ensure that the fleas will die a quick death from biting your pup.
Beware though, spinosad can be dangerous to certain breeds of dogs and you cannot use this product with monthly heartworm medication that contains ivermectin due to adverse reactions that could result in the death of your pup.
Ticks
If you live anywhere close to trees, ticks can be yet another puppy passenger that your little guy should not be plagued with having on their body.
A tick will burrow its head into the flesh of your pup, and it will begin to suck the pup’s blood. The tick’s body will swell as it gets full.
Generally, if you spend a lot of time running your fingers through your pup’s coat, you should be able to feel a plump tick or even a recent one.
There are a few steps from proper removal to disposing of ticks you should be aware of.
In addition, you should note the date you take the tick off your dog in case your pup begins to show signs of a tick-borne illness.
Companies like American Pest Control Inc can treat your property for these pests to keep your pup safe.
Hookworms
If you live in certain warm climates, such as Florida, you must always be on the lookout for hookworms.
Well, good luck, because their eggs are microscopic and they can be absorbed right through the pads of your pup’s feet and your own feet for that matter.
Although, hookworms are far more dangerous to your pup than to you.
As they grow and attach themselves to the inside of your pup’s intestines, they excrete an anticoagulant that causes your pup to lose blood at a rapid rate.
Generally, you can have your pup tested for hookworms, but a common sign your pup has such a pest will be blood in its stool.
You must treat this condition with a product designed to kill hookworms as soon as possible.
One way to kill these worms is to feed your dog a tablespoon full of food-grade, not non-food-grade, diatomaceous earth each day.
Pests are everywhere. Your pup will undoubtedly encounter a few unwanted pests throughout its life.
But, if you stay on top of your pup’s pest control measures, this will rarely create a dangerous situation for your pup.
Remember, your best friend is counting on you to check to make sure they are pest-free this fall season.
Calvin
Tuesday 17th of April 2018
Good to know even for cat owners
ellen beck
Sunday 29th of October 2017
Great info! Our dog is all ready for fall.No fleas ticks or other passengers we dont want. He is a senior and recently went blind. He is adapting to that as we are.