Straight Up Facts On Fleas, Ticks, Heartworm And Kennel Cough

Straight Up Facts On Fleas, Ticks, Heartworm And Kennel Cough

Rebecca Foxton

Most popular these days are the spot-on treatments such as Frontline, Advantage, Revolution and Bio-Spot. These brands of pet flea treatments all provide a month of guaranteed protection.

Bad news to the flea, Advantage flea works due its active ingredient imidacloprid, which works on the nervous system of the flea causing paralysis and subsequent death. Within 12 hours of application, 98-100 percent of fleas are dead.

Brands such as Frontline flea and Advantage flea killers have nearly immediate results and long lasting protection. If you have this treatment available, your animal shouldn't suffer from flea discomfort. You just need to pick a good flea medicine for your pet's current situation.

External parasites that live off of the blood of mammals, reptiles, and birds are often referred to as mites and ticks. While there are 5 species of ticks in North America, the America dog tick is the most widely known.

The scary part is that ticks are only one step behind mosquitoes in transmitting diseases to people. Ticks can spread diseases like Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, equine encephalitis, and ehrlichiosis to humans. They also spread diseases among livestock, as well as our beloved pets.

Another type of mite living in the Rocky Mountains is the wood tick. Tick treatments for dogs include tick collars and flea & tick shampoos. In order for tick control to be effective during tick season, ticks should be checked for and removed completely if found. Part of the tick may be left in the wound, if you are not careful, thus increasing the likelihood of infection.

Unlike diseases passed by ticks, heartworm is transmitted by mosquitoes, and the larva then live in the bloodstream of the animal bitten by the mosquito. The parasites go through several stages before becoming adults. Once adult, the heart worms travel to the heart to live off the blood supply. Symptoms such as coughing and difficulty breathing may ensure, and the end result is heart failure.

Effective disease treatments are available for your pet, but only if it is caught early enough. One treatment available for dogs that also takes care of hookworms and ascarid infections is Interceptor.

Another common infection is kennel cough. Dogs are very susceptible to this highly contagious form of bronchitis, hence the name, as it can spread in areas where dogs are kept in proximity. Prevention is possible through vaccinating for canine adenovirus, distemper, parainfluenza, and bordetella and the infection itself treated with antibiotics.

Dog enthusiast Rebecca Foxton can help you protect your dog or cat's health with ( http://www.dogbuffs.com/?p=68) Frontline Plus. She is a staff writer on the recognized site www.dogbuffs.com with her article series on ( http://www.dogbuffs.com/?page_id=66) Flea Control.