External Deworming - Dogs

Bruna Fernandes

April 01,2022

Deworming is one of the essential care that we must have with our pets. It is essential to maintain the health of animals, as well as ours, as parasites can infest us too, especially children, the elderly and people with immunosuppression (compromised immune defenses).

Preventive action is the best posture.

ticks

Ticks are found in a variety of places, such as bushes and vegetation, in forested areas, on grass and in tall grass in fields, parks and gardens.
Ticks climb to the top of leaves or grasses, where they wait for a possible host (dog) to pass.
If our dog passes through the vegetation where the ticks are, they will cling to its fur and move to the skin.

Tick bites cause stress and discomfort to our dog.

When an infected tick bites, it can transmit agents that can cause serious and potentially dangerous diseases for our dog.

Ticks can stay attached for days, but some dangerous diseases are transmitted almost immediately – which is why it is important to start by preventing your dog from biting.

how to remove ticks

If we find a tick on our dog, we must remove it quickly and as safely as possible.
With fine-tipped tweezers or a specific instrument for removing ticks, grasp the tick's head firmly at the point of attachment and as close to the skin as possible.
Then we pull the tick from the skin with a slow, steady and firm pulling motion. With some instruments, it is recommended to pull the tick with a circular twisting motion.
We should never squeeze the tick's body, as saliva can be injected into the animal while the tick is attached.
After removing the tick, we have to clean the affected area with mild soap and water.
If a small part of the tick separates, we have to remove it like a splinter.
Observing the affected site for a few days after removing the tick is essential. In case of inflammation we should always contact our Veterinary Doctor.

fleas

Fleas can transmit tapeworm larvae and infectious agents .

A parasitic infestation can result in

allergies
irritations
dermatitis
slimming
Diarrhea
Hair loss in certain areas of the body
Itching in the anal area, leads the animal to crawl, rubbing the anus on the floor. Small reservoirs of worm eggs are sometimes visible around the anus.

A flea can lay up to 50 eggs a day. For every flea you see on your pet, there are 200 fleas around it, in the fur, in the place where it sleeps, in the frequented places, etc.

Prevention is the best way to avoid the dire consequences of a flea infestation.

Why should we protect our dog from fleas?

Flea bites are irritating and stress your dog. Inflammation of the skin due to flea saliva (known as FAD – flea allergy dermatitis) is one of the most common causes of veterinary visits to dogs.
But it's not all. Fleas can transmit dangerous diseases to our dog, including taeniasis and bartolenosis. If flea infestations are severe, fleas can cause anemia.
Fleas can also bite humans and, if they are inside our homes, they can be very difficult to eradicate. Therefore, it is very important to protect our dog against fleas.

How dogs catch fleas

Our dog can easily catch fleas outside or through contact with other animals. When fleas are already inside our house, it is difficult to get rid of them.
After biting our dog, the fleas begin to lay eggs. Flea eggs fall from the dog's fur and begin to develop in the environment – for example on beds, rugs or sofas. Once developed, these new fleas jump back to our dog and the cycle continues – this is where the real problem begins, as the infestation is established in our home.
If we find fleas on our dog, there is probably an established infestation in the surroundings (and in our home), as the stages of development of new fleas occur in the animal's environment.

So prevention with a flea control drug like Advantix is an important part of flea control in dogs in general.

Mosquitoes / Sandflies

Sandflies are small insects, similar to mosquitoes, widely distributed in areas of sandy soils in temperate, subtropical and tropical climates. Only the female sand fly stings and 'sucks' the blood to develop the eggs. Sandflies can transmit leishmaniasis to our dog, a serious, potentially fatal disease.

How is leishmaniasis transmitted?

Through insects very similar to mosquitoes, but much smaller, called sandflies. These insects are particularly active at dusk and can transmit the disease by biting dogs to feed on their blood.

Is leishmaniasis transmissible to humans?

This disease can indeed affect humans. However, transmission is not done directly from dogs to humans.

For this to happen, it is necessary:

A sand fly stinging a dog with leishmania and becoming infected when it feeds on blood
Allow approximately a week for the leishmania found in sandflies to become infectious
That same sand fly biting a person
The person's immune system is weakened

Thus, living in an endemic area of the disease, we must take precautions against sandfly bites (use insect repellents, appropriate mosquito nets, avoid having the skin exposed at dusk and dawn and disinfect the premises).

These measures are also valid for dogs.

Prevention

It is important to prevent sandflies from biting dogs. By reducing the number of bites to a minimum, the risk of contracting the disease is reduced as much as possible. Using deworming agents suitable for this purpose, spot on pipettes , collars , etc.

It is scientifically proven that Advantix prevents sandflies from biting your dog for up to 3 weeks after application, reducing the risk of transmission of this disease by infected insects.

The incidence of bites occurs in particular at dusk, when the sandflies are most active and occurs mainly in the spring, summer and autumn months. Thus, if during this period we “protect” our dogs (eg kennel with a suitable mosquito net, that is, very fine mesh), we will be reducing the possibility of being bitten.

Although there are vaccines for this disease, we recommend prevention through the application to dogs of antiparasitic drugs with a proven repellent effect against sandflies. Although you cannot guarantee 100% protection, you can reduce the risk of contracting the disease. For this, it is essential that we follow the recommendations of the application intervals.

We must be careful when traveling with our dog. If we want to move to areas where leishmaniasis are endemic, we must protect our animals in advance.

Find all external dewormers for dogs here .

Bruna Fernandes

NewPet Team