Our dog friends are susceptible to contamination by parasites every summer. Unfortunately, changing climatic conditions and rising temperatures tend to favor the development of these parasites, which are now present almost all year round. Anyway, every summer the dog can be infested with undesirables, starting with fleas, ticks, chiggers and lice.
In this file, we will discover the characteristics of these parasites, the risks they present for the doggie and the solutions to be put in place to prevent their appearance and/or eliminate them to overcome them.
Fleas
In the first place of external parasites likely to attack the dog, fleas are enemies that can be encountered throughout the year. They jump on their host as soon as it passes by, attracted by its heat and the vibrations it causes in its path.
Who are they ?
Dog fleas nest in the animal’s coat and feed on its blood, which means that they are hematophagous. An adult flea can live for 14 days in the hairs of your little companion to feed and lay its eggs. A female flea lays large amounts of eggs every day. These then detach from the animal’s coat and turn into larvae which will then colonize the dog’s entire environment before transforming themselves into fleas.
The most common species is the cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis).
How to detect their presence?
A flea is a dark brown parasite that measures between 1 and 2mm in length. Capable of ingesting nearly 15 times their weight in blood, they leap up to 30 cm high to cling to their host. They nest in the dog’s coat and proliferate when the ambient temperature is high and the humidity rises. If they are mainly present at the end of summer, they are now likely to attack dogs throughout the year.
The first sign that should alert you is the fact that the dog is constantly scratching. They are also visible when brushing, as they wander through his coat. If in doubt, it is possible to rub the dog’s hair over a light surface. Small black commas the size of a pinhead should fall out. These are flea droppings, signs of their presence.
What risks?
In general, a dog is infested with fleas when they are present in his environment or when he is in contact with an animal already affected.
Fleas are parasites that must be eliminated quickly, because their presence can cause redness and pimples in addition to severe itching. Indeed, it is common for dogs to develop an allergy to flea saliva, called allergic dermatitis or flea bite hypersensitivity dermatitis (DAPP or DHPP). Finally, note that fleas can themselves carry the tapeworm and transmit it to the doggie when he licks himself and ingests them.
What solutions?
Prevention is the best way to protect the dog from a flea infestation. To do this, it must be administered regularly and throughout the year a flea product that will help repel parasites. Antifleas come in the form of pipettes (spot-on), tablets or necklaces. Better to buy these products from the veterinarian or pharmacy than in supermarkets, because their quality will be superior and their effectiveness will not risk irritating the dog’s skin.
In case of invasion, the same types of products are used, but in a different dosage. It is imperative to make sure to use insecticidal flea products – which will eliminate the parasite – and not insect repellents – which will only repel it.
In any case, it is important to sanitize the dog’s environment and to clean the entire accommodation well. His bedding and his bowls must be carefully washed and disinfected, but the whole house must also be cleaned (vacuuming, steam cleaning, etc.). Non-machine washable surfaces can be treated with suitable flea sprays.
ticks
Dreaded because of the risks they pose to the dog, ticks are parasites of the mite family that are frequently encountered in summer, but again, their presence is now observed throughout the year.
Who are they ?
Ticks also feed on the blood of their host. Present in the vegetation (woods, fields, meadows, roadsides, hedges and gardens, etc.), they cling to the dog that passes within their reach or they drop from the plants to attach themselves to their coat.
Ticks are small parasites with eight legs and light brown, dark brown, reddish or black in color. If they measure between 1 mm and 6 mm when they attach to their host, they can reach 1 cm or more once they are engorged with blood.
The most frequently encountered tick species in dogs are: Ixodes ricinus, Dermacentor reticulatus And Rhiphicephalus sanguineus.
How to detect their presence?
If ticks can be discreet when they settle in the coat of the animal, they are clearly visible when they are engorged with blood because of their large size. Most often, they bite the dog and stay there on the neck and head, around the ears. Just pull the doggie’s coat aside to see them. Brushing makes it easier to detect the smallest ones in order to eliminate them quickly.
What risks?
The tick bites the dog’s skin and buries its mouth there, fixing it with hooks. It causes a sore that can become infected. In addition, when the dog is invaded by several parasites, the risk of anemia is significant, because ticks pump a lot of blood to feed and reproduce.
In addition, ticks are mites that can transmit serious diseases to dogs, such as Lyme disease, piroplasmosis or ehrlichiosis. Not all are carriers of the germs in question, but it is enough for a tick to remain attached between 48 hours and 72 hours to its host for it to contaminate it.
What solutions?
It is imperative to prevent the risk of tick bites using acaricidal products. There are anti-ticks available from the veterinarian or in the pharmacy that quickly kill these parasites. These are preventive solutions often combined with antifleas.
Nevertheless, caution is still required, because as we have indicated, a tick must be removed as soon as possible from its host to prevent it from transmitting germs dangerous to its health. As a result, brush your pet regularly to detect them in his coat and eliminate them as quickly as possible. An inspection is even recommended after each walk in a risk area.
Be careful, because a tick cannot be removed anyhow! This is because the parasite implants its fangs and head into the dog’s skin. If it is removed incorrectly, only its body is removed and the head can continue to inject harmful substances into the dog’s body. Consequently, never use tweezers or your fingers, but equip yourself with a tick puller that you slide over the body of the tick to block its head, then turn by pulling gently to release the latter. The parasite must then be eliminated so as not to risk biting a new host. Also disinfect the dog’s wound to avoid infection.
Augusts
Very present in summer – as their name derived from the month of August indicates – as well as at the beginning of autumn, chiggers are parasites of the family of mites which do not present any danger, but which can interfere with the dog because of the intense itching they cause.
Who are they ?
Chiggers (Trombicula autumnalis), attach in large numbers to their host and settle under the skin for about a week. The larvae are generally present on plants and drop on their host when it passes within their reach. They feed on the dog’s blood and tissues and then lay eggs in its epidermis.
How to detect their presence?
The presence of chiggers can be detected by the large orange spots they leave on the surface of the skin. These parasites settle mainly in the hollows and the humid and hot places, such as between the fingers of the paws, the fold of the elbows and thighs and the ears.
What risks?
Chiggers cause intense itching. The dog thus scratches constantly, sometimes until it bleeds, then causing a risk of secondary infection. Some dogs may also develop an allergy to their saliva. It is therefore important to treat any invasion.
What solutions?
There is no preventive treatment dedicated to chiggers as there is for fleas or ticks. However, anti-tick products seem to prevent massive infestations.
Nevertheless, if the animal is contaminated, it is essential to consult the veterinarian quickly. He can indeed prescribe appropriate treatments to eliminate parasites and reduce itching. The greatest risk lies in the fact that the doggie scratches intensely to relieve himself, often to the point of injuring himself. However, bacteria can enter the wound and cause superinfection, which can have serious consequences.
Lice
The dog can be invaded in summer by two species of lice, Phtirapteran insects called grinding lice (which eat dead skin and dead hair) or biting (which feed on blood). Nevertheless, an invasion of lice remains rare and mainly concerns dogs living in communities (in kennels or in breeding) and which lack maintenance and care.
Who are they ?
These little parasites live in the doggie’s coat and cling to the base of the coat. The nits, which are their eggs, are stuck to the hairs. Visible to the naked eye, they have a flat back unlike the chip which is more rounded.
How to detect their presence?
Dogs are usually infested through direct contact with another affected dog or through contaminated objects. Unfortunately, head lice are very contagious parasites.
In general, the presence of lice remains discreet and only generates mild to moderate itching. Very often, the dog has a dull coat. Dandruff may be visible and hair may fall out.
What risks?
In case of massive invasion, the dog is likely to develop anemia.
It should be noted that unlike the other parasites mentioned above, the lice is a specific parasite, that is, the species that contaminates the dog cannot contaminate the cat or the man.
What solutions?
There is no preventive solution against lice. On the other hand, the affected animal must be treated quickly using specific insecticide molecules. The treatment must be renewed each month until the complete disappearance of the parasites, because it cannot eliminate the nits. As a result, only adult lice are killed, and the larvae they have laid will in turn hatch. They will therefore have to be eliminated during the following waves of treatment.
It should also be noted that when a dog is affected, all the doggies in the household must be treated at the same time.