Pets: Dealing with a flea problem

I took my dog for a walk in a park in Chaoyang district and later found ticks on my dog. What can I do to prevent my dog from getting more ticks?

Fleas and ticks are parasites that can carry diseases such as Lyme disease, and or other parasites, like tapeworm. They often bite your animal’s skin and drink their blood for food, which can be irritating and painful. If your pet becomes infected, they can easily introduce these parasites into their surroundings, including your home.

Evidence of fleas includes small amounts of brown or black “dust” on your pet’s skin or fur roots. This is called “flea dust” and is actually bits of dried blood that the fleas have digested and excreted. You may also run a comb through your pet’s hair to see if you find fleas. They are very small, brown bugs that move extremely quickly. Your pet may scratch or bite itself incessantly if the infection is all over the body.

On the other hand, ticks usually bite an animal’s skin and don’t move from that location. They can be found anywhere on the body, but especially on the legs or parts of the animal that are lower to the ground. They are larger than fleas, brown, and can vary in size, depending on how long they have been there. The longer they’re attached, the more blood they withdrawn and the larger they are.

As soon as you suspect a flea or tick infection, seek medical help. Removing them can be difficult and may require a trained veterinarian. For fleas, treatment options include administration of a prescribed topical treatment to kill the infection or a “flea dip”, a bath with specially formulated shampoo. For ticks, treatment is removal. Ticks need to be removed by an experienced veterinarian, as failure to remove them properly can result in it re-growing or further infection.

Prevention is easy. Advantix for dogs or Revolution for dogs and cats are prescription medicines that can be applied once a month to the back of the neck. Consult your veterinarian for advice.

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Need advice from METRO's pet experts? E-mail questions to metrobeijing@chinadaily.com.cn. Answers supplied by the International Center for Veterinary Services on 8456-1939, icvsasia.com.