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

by Rebecca Foxton

The top names in pet flea control are Frontline, Advantage, Revolution and Bio-Spot. These on-the-spot type treatments for dog and cat flea problems all provide one month of complete 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.

Ticks, also known as mites, are external parasites that feast on the blood of birds and mammals, and reptiles. Of the five common ticks in North America, the American dog tick is the best 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.

Another common kind of mites are the wood ticks that live in the Rocky Mountains. Some common weapons to combat them are tick collars and anti-flea/tick shampoos. Warm weather means an increase in the tick population and the need to monitor your dog for these parasites. When a tick is found it should be completely removed. Please use extreme caution when removing a tick because if part of the tick is left in the animal the chance of infection increases.

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.

No owner would like to see their pet die of this terrible parasitic disease, fortunately treatment is available if the disease is caught early enough. Interceptor for dogs is one such treatment, which also tackles hookworms and ascarid infections.

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 recognized site www.dogbuffs.com with her article series on Advantage Flea Control.