At Lil Dog Ranch, we REQUIRE all guests to be on preventatives for fleas and ticks (and highly recommend heartworm preventatives). As many people know, certain insects can cause diseases in humans, and the same is true for dogs.
Let’s dive in further and talk more about these three main culprits…
-Fleas
Not only are they unpleasant and annoying, they can multiply quickly without the use of preventatives and if left untreated can invade your home. A female can lay around 50 eggs in a single day. The following are some of the signs that your pet has fleas…
Itching & Biting Skin
Hair Loss
Tapeworm Segments
Flea Dirt
Irritated & Inflamed Skin
Tapeworms are intestinal worms that are spread by fleas. Fleas also carry Bartonella bacteria, the culprit behind cat scratch disease in humans. In severe cases, flea infestations can cause anemia in kittens and puppies and in even more severe cases, they can cause death.
-Ticks
Ticks are known to reside in tall grass and wooded areas. Even if you don’t reside in an area similar that doesn’t mean they can’t hitch a ride with a raccoon or neighborhood cat and find their way into your backyard. When ticks bite, diseases can be transmitted to the host by passing from their saliva into the host’s blood stream. Lyme disease and anaplasmosis are the two most common diseases transmitted by ticks. Both are treatable, but Lyme disease can lead to more serious conditions such as kidney failure and joint inflammation if not caught soon enough. Furthermore, here are some symptoms of Lyme disease…
Weakness
Lethargy
Joint Pain
Fever
Appetite Loss
Vomiting
Diarrhea
-Heartworm
Heartworm disease can be easily prevented, but unfortunately is still quite common in dogs. A dog becomes infected with heartworms when a mosquito carrying heartworm larvae bites the dog and injects the larvae into the dog’s skin while feeding on the dog’s blood. These larvae quickly make their way into the dog’s bloodstream, then on to the heart, lungs, and arteries. Within just five months of the dog being bitten by an infected mosquito, the heartworms that started out as tiny larvae grow to be up to 12 inches long. If left untreated heartworms can cause irreparable damage to a dog’s heart and lungs, and could be fatal. Unlike the diseases transmitted by fleas and ticks, treatment for heartworms is more than just medication, and is often estimated on the low end to cost around $1,200.
THIS CAN BE PREVENTED!
There are now oral medications, topicals, and injections that can be given to protect your dog from fleas, ticks, and heartworms. Whichever you choose, it is important to keep your pet on a set schedule to ensure they are adequately protected. Most of these medications range from $25-$45 on a monthly basis, and are well worth the price when it means keeping your four-legged family members safe from these painful and possibly deadly diseases.
