BlueMyst Australian Shepherds

Bringing Your New Puppy Home

What Now? Fleas and Ticks

A more natural approach of controlling internal and external parasites is to add Food Grade Diatomaeous Earth to your puppy's food, and to rub it into the fur and onto the skin. It will eliminate most parasites, naturally.

Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth (DE) can be given to sick and parasite infested animals. It can be added to their regular food/diet. Food Grade DE helps to strengthen a sick animal's immune system, detox heavy metals, provide 15 minerals, and eliminates any parasites they may have. Rubbing it into the fur helps to elimate and control external parasites, including fleas and ticks.

Food Grade DE Feeding Protocol

Manufacturer recommended feeding guideline:

Puppies - 1 teaspoon/day

Dogs - 20 to 50 lbs - 2 teaspoons/day

Dogs - 50 to 100 lbs - 1 tablespoon/day

Dogs - 100+ lbs - 2 tablespoons/day

Do NOT get Food Grade DE into your eyes, or your pet's eyes. It is a drying agent and will dry out the eyes. Avoid inhaling it by wearing a mask, or by being very careful not to inhale it. It is very light in the air and can be easily inhaled by you and your pet while dusting them for external parasites. It looks like flour, and is called fossil shell flour.

Fleas are found on pets year around, but they are most commonly found during warm and humid weather, they also feed on humans. A flea cartoon, that demonstrates having a flea problem.

Fleas...    

...eat blood, and adult fleas can live one to two months without feeding.

...are transmitters of diseases.

...can transmit tapeworms from and to dogs, rodents, and occasionally to humans.

...live for more than 100 days, a pair of fleas and their descendants can produce millions of offspring.

...consume 15 times its body weight in blood every day.

...are attracted to animals by body heat, movement, and the carbon dioxide they exhale.

...can jump almost one inch vertically, and 14 to 16 inches horizontally.

The 2 most common ticks found on your dog are the American Dog Ticks and the Brown Dog Ticks.

Deer Ticks can also be a problem for hunters, or nature lovers. The Deer Tick Virus  The Wood Tick Song

The American Dog Tick...

...does NOT transmit Lyme Disease.

...occurs throughout the eastern and central United States.

...may be found throughout the year.

...adults are most active during late April through May.

...is known to carry Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever in the midwest states.

...must be in areas of high humidity in order to survive.

...is most commonly found in grassy, brushy, wooded, and shaded areas.

The Brown Dog Tick...

...is the most widely distributed ticks in the world.

...can complete its entire life cycle indoors.

...can establish populations in colder climates, and has been found in many different climates.

...most commonly attaches itself to the ears, between the toes, and along the back.

...can quickly grow into an infestation once it enters your home.

Two types of dog lice:

One type of dog lice concentrates on biting the skin and feeding on skin flakes.

The other type of dog lice feed on your dog’s blood through the skin.

Lice cause dogs to scratch themselves. The scratching may, over time, cause bald patches.

Lice are usually found around the ears, neck, shoulders, and anus. Although dog lice are relatively large, you are more likely to spot their eggs in your dog’s hair. Lice eggs (nits) are easier to see because they are attached to the dog’s hair and looks like tiny white flakes of dust.

There are two common types of mites, which can cause mange, if not treated in a timely manner.

The Demodex Canis Mite can cause Demodectic Mange, and is the more common form of mange. Most healthy dogs have this mite present in small numbers as a normal inhabitant of their skin, without any problems.

The Sarcoptes Scabei Mite can cause Scabies, Sarcoptic Mange.

Dogs of any age can be hosts to mites. The ears, especially around the edges of the ears, and the elbows. Other areas of the body can also become infested. These infested areas become red and itchy. Hair may fall out after repeated scratching of an area. The skin becomes flaky and sometimes crusty in advanced cases.

Ear mites are parasites that can cause otitis externa. The incidence in dogs is much lower than often thought. Ticks and fleas are other examples of parasites commonly found in canine ear canals.

Ear mites are parasites, so if your dog has ear mites, he/she must have had direct contact with another animal that is infested with ear mites. So if your veterinarian diagnoses one animal in your house with ear mites, it is best to have all of your animals examined for possible infestations.

If you go to our "Links" page, you will find websites with additional information on pet health and care.