We all dislike to think that we have bugs feeding and living off us. Mosquitoes are awful enough, but fleas, ticks and lice are even worse. They do not simply come over for dinner, they actually move in. Dogs and cats are normally to blame for bringing fleas into our homes, but ticks and lice we can bring ourselves too.

If you suspect an infestation or an immanent infestation of fleas or other bugs in your home, you ought to do something about it right away. The first thing to do is tie the dog up in the yard and clean up the house. Put your bedding and any loose covers, like cushion or chair covers, on a boil wash. Then get out the vacuum cleaner, put a large shake of flea powder into the bag and vacuum the whole house – even the chairs and the curtains.

Then take a large can of insecticide containing 0.5% permethrin and spray every fabric that you can see. This will kill all bugs and will keep your house bug free for about six months. Think twice if you have fish or cats as permethrin will kill them too, although it is completely safe for humans and dogs.

So, now you can turn your attention to Fido. Fleas are by far the most common problem, but some areas where there are deer, may have a lot of ticks as well. If you dog has ticks, make sure that you cut your grass short. Ticks prefer long grass.

Fleas and ticks often produce an allergic reaction in dogs which drives them mad. They bite and scratch themselves until their hair falls out and their skin bleeds.

If you dog has a condition like this, you should wash him with a medicated shampoo, dust him with flea powder, put a flea collar on him and put a little oil on his sore skin. If he still will not leave it alone, you may have to get him a ruff for a few days until his skin heals over. For maintenance, a regular bath and a dusting should be sufficient.

Worms are another horrible thought. Imagine having worms living inside you. I know that we do all have parasites within us, but they are supposed to be there. I am talking about the ones that are not supposed to be in there like: tape worms, round worms, hook worms and whip worms. A bad hook infection can even make your dog anaemic.

Hook worm larvae can pass through the skin, so when you are bathing or brushing him, be on the look out for what looks like small cuts. Often the dogs stools will be runny and tinged with blood. These are dangerous pests and have to be treated immediately.

The other worms are less dangerous and all puppies have round worms. Round worms and bits of dead tape worm in the stools are a sign of infection. A pot belly in a puppy is also a call to action. Worms are not difficult to treat and you should worm your dog every six months with a tablet. Not all of these worming tablets are suitable for puppies though.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article writes on quite a few subjects, but is currently concerned with natural tick repellent. If you would like to know more or check out some great offers, please go to our website at tick Repellent For Dogs.

The joys of pet ownership come with the burdens of pet ownership. Fleas are one example of such a burden. At one point or another, all pet owners will have to treat and or prevent flea infestations on their beloved pets. Fleas are a hassle and are also a great discomfort to our pets. The faster we can get rid of them, the easy the job will be and the better our pets will feel.

The first steps involve ridding your pet of fleas. The next steps involve ridding your pet’s environment of fleas. If you do not get rid of fleas in your home, your pet will quickly get re-infested. Once you have gotten rid of fleas on your pet and cleaned your home of fleas, you should take some preventative steps. These last steps will minimize your pet’s chances of getting fleas in the future.

As recently as 10-15 years ago, getting rid of fleas was a tedious and arduous process that involved a lot of combing and picking. Thankfully, the pet health industry has made getting rid of fleas much easier. There are a number of commercially available flea medications that work quickly and effectively. Some of the better known brands include Advantage and Frontline. Your pet will have some relief from fleas within the first 36 hours after taking the medication and the fleas can be totally eliminated within 3-4 days. These solutions are applied topically and are non-toxic to your pet.

There are also ways to get rid of fleas naturally. More common methods include rubbing olive oil on to your pet’s skin. Working from the head to the tail, the olive oil drowns the fleas. Of course, this method can prove to be expensive for larger animals. A similar method uses baby powder or talcum powder.

It is vitally important to rid your environment of fleas. Failure to get fleas out of your home will result in consecutive flea infestations on your pet. Fleas will be living everywhere your pet has been. That means attention must be paid to every bed, every sofa, and every carpet that may have played host to even the briefest pet nap. Be methodical. Start with the bedding and work your way to the living spaces of your main floor. The more effort you put into cleaning your home, the more likely you will be successful in solving your flea problems.

Once your pet and home are free of fleas you can take some steps to prevent future infestations. There are a number of ways to avoid future infestations. Some people add small amounts of garlic to their pet food. Other people like to douse a bandanna in citronella oil and tie it around the animal’s neck. There are also commercially available flea prevention medications that your pets can ingest once every few months. For more information on getting rid of fleas or flea prevention speak to your vet.

Find more articles on how to get rid of fleas in house by visiting my-dog-has-fleas.

Fleas and other parasites need always to be awarded the highest priority by dog owners. The all too common incidences of flea bite allergy in the case of dogs causes concern to many dog owners every year. This is because flea bites can cause allergic reactions in the area bitten by the fleas. In these cases, the affected area becomes hairless due to the dog scratching itself vigorously.

Heavy flea infestations can cause severe dermatitis in dogs. If the flea bites cause an allergic reaction or even dermatitis in your dog, he/she really ought to be taken to the veterinary doctor, because mostly, the dog will be experiencing extreme discomfort by now.

The vet will provide you a salve to ease the itching and reduce the inflammation and some powder or a spray to kill the fleas. Prevention is better than cure and medicated collars are available to treat and prevent an infestation of external parasites like ticks and fleas.

Apart from fleas, other parasites like ticks and lice plus the internal parasites like hookworms, round worms, whip worms etc. can have an adverse effect on the the well-being of your dog. For instance, if hookworms have infected a dog, that dog will almost surely become anaemic soon. The signs of anaemia become more obvious depending on the advancement of the hookworm infection.

Hookworm larvae will pass directly through the skin and cause severe problems inside the infected dog. Such dogs may show cuts on the paws and on the skin due to dermatitis. Frequently, skin rashes result in such cases and the affected animal may also pass runny stools, which are tinged red with blood.

Most dogs and all puppies get round worms, which is why dogs can often be seen rubbing their bottoms along the floor. However, if round worms are present in large numbers, infected puppies show a pot belly, which is easily recognized by dog owners themselves. Piperazine salts are given orally for the treatment of this problem. However, broad-spectrum anthelmintics like pyrantel pamoate, fenbendazole etc. are also given to treat this condition.

Lately, many drugs have come onto the market to treat fleas and other parasites. Nowadays, the medical agent called ivermectin is highly preferred by many dog owners to treat fleas and other parasites in dogs. This drug is available in injection form and oral form. The drug is available for external application also.

If you are experiencingproblems getting rid of fleas on your dog, please follow the previous link or if you want to read more about dogs or training dogs, please go here: Man’ Best Friend – the Dog