What are the types of external parasites in dogs? Complete guide to deworming dogs

Oct 20,2024
5Min

What are the external parasites of dogs?

The main types of external parasites are fleas, ticks, scabies, hair follicles, and ear mites.

Flea

The size of fine sand, it is parasitic on warm-blooded animals and lives by sucking the blood of the host. There are two types of fleas that can generally be seen on dogs: dog fleas and cat fleas (more common). Diseases that fleas may bring include: tapeworms (via fleas as vectors), allergies (flea secretions).

Ticks (tick)

The size of a grain of rice or sesame, it parasitizes dogs and cats and lives by sucking the blood of the host. The diseases that ticks may bring include: hepatitis, pyrozoonosis, Ehrlichia, and Lyme disease (zoonotic infectious diseases). They are also vectors of bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and rickettsiae.

Scabies (Scabies mite)

It's too small to see. It is a highly contagious skin parasite that has no particular season. The crusted mites can cause illnesses such as prolonged contact with infected dogs and can also infect breeders, and the mites secrete substances that can cause severe allergies.

Folliculorum (Demodex)

Too small and unable to see visually. Sick dogs and healthy dogs are infected by contact with each other. They can also be infected indirectly through vectors, or infected from mother dogs to puppies through the placenta (occurring in dogs of all ages, multiple infections for puppies aged 3-10 months).

Ear mites (ear scabies)

It is too small to be seen visually, feeds on epidermal debris and tissue fluid, and is transmitted through close contact. The contagiousness between cats and dogs is very high. Generally, if one cat (or dog) in the household is infected with ear mites, all cats and dogs need to start treatment at the same time (cats are more likely to be infected than dogs).

External deworming is required if this symptom occurs

The dog will frequently grab a certain part of the body or rub on the ground.

Sudden changes in personality, irritability, and weight loss.

Loss of appetite, lack of energy, and abnormal hair loss.

In severe cases of dogs, erythema or scabs after scratching can be directly observed on the skin surface.

How to prevent dogs from being infected with parasites

The first thing is to keep dogs away from places and foods that are prone to parasites, and take them less to grass, bushes, etc. Go, another way is to use deworming agents and oral deworming medicines for dogs. Dogs need to be dewormed every month. Separate the hair from the back of the dog's neck to the shoulder blades, expose the skin, and apply it directly on the skin (the dosage for dogs of different sizes is different, please refer to the drug instructions for details).

Do not take a bath within two days before and after pesticide treatment to ensure the effectiveness of the drug (see the drug package insert for details). It is important to note that some pesticides used on cats and dogs are not commonly usedall over.

Dog kennels, sofas, floors, bathrooms, etc. are all places where fleas are prone to appear, so these places must be disinfected regularly.

How to tell if your dog needs deworming?

Some dogs eat normally but lose weight or lose weight. Some dogs are affected by maternal parasites and will suffer from loss of appetite, weight loss, and delayed growth. Some dogs will present with diarrhea, abdominal pain, vomiting, and increased abdominal girth. Some dogs with severe symptoms will spit out parasites from their mouths or pass them through their feces. For puppies, it is easy to cause intussusception or anal prolapse.

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