If you love your dog, you will want to do everything possible to ensure he stays healthy. Fleas and ticks are just part of a dog’s life, and every dog owner must deal with them at one point.
In this article, I’ll explain some common health problems that your dog can face because of fleas and ticks, making it vital to protect your pet from them.
Fleas Can Cause Itching and Discomfort
Fleas can cause itching, leading to your dog scratching and biting himself. This can lead to hair loss around the areas where he’s been bitten or scratched, so it’s essential to watch this behavior. Additionally, dogs infested with fleas are more likely to develop skin infections due to bacterial overgrowth.
If you find any infection on your dog’s skin, you can use medications like Apoquel for dogs. Apoquel is an FDA-approved drug for relieving itching sensation in dogs. While you should still visit your vet to treat the infection, using Apoquel will ensure that your dog doesn’t keep on biting himself.
Using Apoquel for dogs will target the itch signal in your pup’s nervous system. This will reduce the sensation. It will also help your vet to diagnose the underlying cause of pruritus. At times, you might feel it’s due to infection, but there can be another cause altogether. Hence, it is vital to take your dog to the vet quickly.
Ticks and Fleas Can Lead To Canine Babesiosis
Fleas and ticks are not only annoying but can also be dangerous. If your dog is infected with fleas or ticks, it’s important to remember that flea and tick bites can lead to serious health issues such as canine babesiosis.
Canine babesiosis is a tick-borne disease caused by the parasite Babesia. This disease often causes sudden bouts of fever in dogs that last about three weeks. If left untreated, this illness could be fatal for your dog if it progresses into an acute form of the disease known as hemolytic anemia.
The most common symptoms of canine babesiosis include pale lips, dark-colored urine, and rapid breathing due to low oxygen levels in their bloodstream due to red blood cell destruction by Babesia parasites.
Ticks and Fleas Can Lead To Canine Ehrlichiosis
Canine ehrlichiosis is an infectious disease transmitted to dogs by ticks and fleas. It causes a potentially fatal condition called canine granulocytic ehrlichiosis, which damages the dog’s cells and results in anemia and low white blood cell counts.
The bacteria that cause this disease are transferred from the blood of deer mice to the blood of ticks, which then pass it on to dogs when they bite them. Fleas can also carry the disease from one dog to another.
Symptoms of this condition include fever, fatigue, lethargy, loss of appetite, weight loss, and anemia. Other potential complications include swollen lymph nodes and pneumonia. If your dog shows any signs of illness or symptoms after being bitten by a tick or fleas, consult your veterinarian immediately so they can treat him properly before his condition worsens!
Ticks and Fleas Can Lead to Tapeworms
Fleas and ticks can carry tapeworms, bacteria, and other parasites that can cause serious health problems in your dog. However, the most common parasites that fleas and ticks carry to your dog are tapeworms.
A tapeworm is a long, flat, and segmented worm that attaches itself to the intestinal wall of its host animal, i.e., your dog, to feed on digested food. It usually lives in the small intestines or large intestines. The most common type of tapeworm found in dogs is called Dipylidium caninum or Hookworms. These are pretty giant worms with hooks at both ends which attach themselves directly into the tissue of the small intestine where they live for months sucking blood from their hosts – causing significant damage as well as nutritional deficiencies if not treated promptly!
Ticks and Fleas Can Lead to Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
While fleas and ticks are annoying to your dog, they can also be dangerous. If your dog comes in contact with a tick or flea, the parasite might infect them with Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) is caused by bacteria that live in the blood and spread through an infected animal’s saliva. If left untreated—or treated too late—this bacterial infection can be life-threatening for dogs and humans alike! Luckily for us all, antibiotics available today are effective against this disease. You should always keep such medications on hand just in case your dog gets bitten by one of these parasites!
Ticks and Fleas Can Lead to Lyme Diseases
Lyme disease is a severe infection caused by bacteria spread by ticks and other insects. It causes rashes, fever, joint pain and stiffness, and heart and nervous system problems. You’ll want to take your dog to a vet immediately if your dog has Lyme disease.
Both ticks and fleas can carry the bacteria that causes Lyme disease in dogs. When they attach themselves to your dog’s skin and feed on his blood, they inject the bacteria. Upon entering your dog’s blood, the bacteria can lead to Lyme disease.
If left untreated, the long-term effects of Lyme disease can be severe. Chronic arthritis and kidney failure are two complications of untreated Lyme disease in dogs.
How to Prevent Ticks and Fleas
As a pet owner, it is your responsibility to make sure that you keep your dog from having fleas and ticks. If you do not take care of this problem, it can cause severe damage to your dog’s health. The best way to get rid of these pests is by using the following methods:
- Using an insecticide spray on them
- Treating their bedding with chemicals that are toxic to fleas and ticks
- Spraying them with something like Bifen IT
- Keep your house and backyard clean
- Inspect your dog regularly
- Keep the grass in your landscape and garden mowed at a very short height
Conclusion
There are lots of ways to treat your dog with fleas and ticks. The best thing you can do is to consult with your vet, who will be able to create a personalized treatment plan for your dog—and maybe even give you some tips on how to avoid those pesky pests yourself!