Getting The Facts On Fleas, Ticks, Heartworm And Kennel Cough | Print |  E-mail
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Written by Rebecca Foxton   
Friday, 09 May 2008
The most widely accepted external parasite treatments currently available for pets are Frontline, Advantage, Revolution and Bio-Spot. These well-known dog and cat flea treatments provide one month of solid protection.
by RebeccaFoxton


The most widely accepted external parasite treatments currently available for pets are Frontline, Advantage, Revolution and Bio-Spot. These well-known dog and cat flea treatments provide one month of solid protection.

Advantage flea treatment kills fleas very quickly. The active ingredient, imidaloprid, acts as a nerve agent that fries their entire nervous system. Ninety eight to a hundred percent of the fleas on the animal die within 12 hours of application.

Brands like Frontline flea and Advantage flea killers have almost instant results and long lasting protection. Your pet need not suffer due to fleas if the treatment is on hand. All you need to do is choose the best dog or cat flea medication for your 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 amongst livestock, as well as our beloved pets.

Wood ticks are another kind of mite, living in the Rocky Mountains. Dog tick treatments include tick collars and dogs' flea/tick shampoos. For effective tick control, dogs should be checked in tick season (warm weather = more ticks) and if a tick is found, it should be removed entirely. If you are not careful, part of the tick may be left in the wound, increasing the likelihood of infection.

Heartworms are life threatening internal parasites that are transmitted by mosquitoes. Before becoming adults, the parasites must go through several stages. They enter the blood stream as larvae. Once mature, the heartworms move to the heart to survive off of the blood supply. Symptoms like coughing and difficulty in breathing may ensue, and the outcome of an untreated heartworm infestation is the heart failure of the host animal.

If the disease is caught early enough, there are treatments available that may prevent the death of a pet from this parasitic disease. Interceptor for dogs is one such treatment, which also tackles hookworms and ascarid infections in one fell swoop.

Kennel cough is yet another a common ailment for dogs. This is a form of bronchitis which can hit dogs hard, and readily spreads from one animal to another when many canines are held together in the same facility. However, the infection can be treated with proper use of antibiotics, and it can even be prevented with vaccinating for canine adenovirus, distemper, parainfluenza, and bordetella.

About the Author:

Dog lover Rebecca Foxton can help you defend your dog or cat's health with Frontline Flea and Tick. She is a staff writer on the popular site www.dogbuffs.com with her article series on How To Kill Fleas.



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