Are Parasites Killing Your Pets?
Are Parasites Killing Your Pets?
Of course we all want to take care of our beloved pets but is it possible that parasites are endangering their lives? Although dogs and cats are generally considered to be rather disease free, they are both susceptible to parasites such as hook worms. Otherwise known as Dipylidium Caninum, the hook worm is a particularly nasty parasite that can and will shorten the life of your pet unless properly treated.
Parasites like the hook worm actually have teeth that they use to attach to the small intestine of your dog or cat (actually, these parasites are also a danger to humans too!). Now these are rather simple parasites with three basic body parts: the head, neck, and tail. Every hook worm has only one head and neck, but they may have several tail segments.
The tail segment is very important to parasites like the hook worm because this is how they breed. Every tail section has the reproductive organs for the hook worm. Sections of tail break off all the time and are passed with other solid waste (in the animal s feces). Fleas, who lay their eggs in feces, eat the tail segments and are thus infected with hook worm.
The parasites are passed on to the animal when the flea bites it. It is also possible for animals to become infested with these parasites by eating the fleas themselves. Therefore, the best prevention for hook worms is to rid your home and yard of fleas. Then, make sure the animal is free of the parasites by taking it to your veterinarian. If infected, the animal will be orally given a mild poison that will cleanse its system of the hook worms.
Hook worms may not seem like very dangerous parasites but their effect upon animals is cumulative. After prolonged periods of infestation, animals will appear emaciated as they will have been deprived of essential vitamins, minerals, and nutrients by the parasites clinging to their intestinal walls. In time, the immune system will weaken and the animal will become prone to disease. If left untreated, hook worms are indeed parasites that can and will kill your pets.
It is usually possible to determine if your animal has hook worms by inspecting its stool for the parasites. Plus, if the stool is often too wet or runny, it is likely your pet has hook worms. Pets suspected of having the parasites need to be taken to the vet immediately as the risk of spreading hook worms to humans is very real. After the animal has been rid of the worms, be sure to destroy any flea populations in the area or the risk of re-infection is very high.
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Paw print ceramic food bowl Posted By : Ambika
Dog bowl food is relaxed eating in your pets. Our colorful Pet Dishes are made from food-safe ceramic and can be used indoors or out. The Red and blue with white accents. Show your furry friend that they are unique and special with our Personalized dog Food Bowl. The bowl is a common container, which is used differently in different cultures. Bowls can be made of a wide range of materials like ceramic, metal, wood, plastic, glass, and other materials.
Five Mistakes New Puppy Owners Make
You ve researched the different dog breeds to find the best one for you and your family, you ve taken the time to find out whether the breeder you chose is ethical, and now you re finally bringing that precious new bundle of joy home. The hard part is over, right? Actually, there are several mistakes that many new puppy owners make that can really turn this joyful time into a frustrating and worrying experience. Avoid these new dog owner mistakes to be sure you and your puppy are off to a great start:
1. Potty training your puppy indoors and then expecting him to automatically go outdoors when he is older. Those nifty potty training pads look an awful lot like nice, plushy rugs to your puppy and he may opt to use your rugs as a toilet spot after you do away with the pads.
2. Giving in to his sad whimpers and tucking him in your bed for the first few nights and then expecting him to sleep on his own in a few days without crying. He ll just cry louder and longer once he knows what he is missing.
3. Letting your guilty feelings overwhelm you so that you don t crate train him. Crate training helps keep your puppy safe, since he can t get into dangerous things when you aren t watching him if he s crated. Also, he actually feels more secure when he is crated while no one else is home.
4. Taking your puppy with you when you go out, especially if you are going to a park or pet store. Puppies should be finished with immunizations before they go on outings. Their immune systems are often not fully developed when they are young and they are more susceptible to some of the deadliest dog diseases.
5. Letting your puppy do things that are cute in puppies and not at all cute in full size dogs, such as jumping up on guests. It is easier to curb these behaviors right away than it is to break your adult dog of bad habits.
To get your new puppy off to a good start, why not take the free ABC s of New Puppy Care mini course? To chat about your canine friend with other dog lovers, don t forget to visit the Free Dog Tips forum.
To get your new puppy off to a good start, take the free <a href="http://www.puppycare.free-dog-tips.com">ABC s of New Puppy Care mini course</a>? To chat about your canine friend with other dog lovers, don t forget to visit the <a href="http://www.free-dog-tips.com/forum/">Free Dog Tips forum</a>.
Dealing With Hearing Loss in Dogs
Any living thing with the ability to hear has the potential to experience hearing loss. Of course, this goes for dogs. Any dog can be hard of hearing in one or both ears. The cause for hearing loss in dogs is similar to that in humans. Dogs can be born deaf or develop hearing loss due to genetics, illness, injury or old age. Since the reason for having a pet dog is companionship, the isolation of hearing loss in dogs can be particularly heartbreaking for its owner. There are organizations which officially take the position that dogs that cannot hear should be put to sleep. Some breeds, naturally, tend to have more congenital deafness than others. Dalmatians, for instance, suffer more from hearing loss in dogs than most breeds. Among Dalmatian owners, the issue of whether to raise a deaf dog or put it down is subject to hot debate. Like people, dogs are social. Unlike people, dogs do not depend on conversation skills to form social circles. At the center of the debate over hearing loss in dogs is the ability to train a deaf dog. To Keep or Not to Keep A dog owner who suspects that it may be deaf can have it tested by a specialized veterinarian. The BAER test is 100% accurate and can be performed on any dog over the age of six weeks. Most owners, however, can rely on observation to determine whether a dog can hear. Any reasonably alert dog will respond to sounds, especially sounds that indicate the presence of an affectionate owner. Sounds like the jingling of keys will cause different reactions in dogs with hearing loss in only one ear. An important issue concerning hearing loss in dogs is the ability of an owner to teach a deaf dog the skills it needs to be safe. A dog that can t be called away from a busy street can never be allowed near a busy street. The safety of others is also a consideration. A dog s owner should be able to calm an excited dog that is in a position to harm another person or animal. While no studies have been done to compare hearing with non-hearing dogs, owners who know from experience that hearing loss in dogs has not affected their ability to train and communicate with their own dogs will testify that a dog s personality has more to do with its success as a pet than its hearing does. Dogs, after all, are not expected to communicate with human language ” hearing or not. And dogs do not depend on the sense of hearing as much as humans do. You can not sneak up on a dog even if it can t hear. Most dogs have sharp eyes and a keen sense of smell, after all.
There are many ways in which you can improve hearing in dogs. If you want to learn more about hearing loss, author of this article, Tanja Folker., has made an informational website about <a href="http://www.hearinglosscause.com/">Causes Of Hearing Loss</a>.
Ways to Make Your Pets Healthy Posted By : Safe-T-Pet600 Safe-T-Pet600
Natural Dog Food Distributors Your Flint River Ranch distributor can tell you all about the advantages of a dog food that is natural, about how raw dog food going into a product will give your best friend better digestive health and that natural dog food is the best food to give your pet, because your pet was designed to eat foods from nature. You can get these qualities when you shop for Flint River products, at Flint they know that your pet is an animal and that it was born to eat certain foods found in nature, just as with you and I. The River Ranch team wants your pet to be as healthy as they can be, and their products are especially designed to offer the right caloric and fat balance to enable them to have a well balanced diet and good digestive health to mimic what they were meant to eat in nature. They even have healthful snacks for your pets because, just like humans, our pets do a little snacking now and then, and it pays off to have the right foods to sate that craving. Healthy eating habits are just as important for those of us with four legs.
Aquarium Fish Health: White Spot Disease Symptoms and Cures Posted By : Gaurav Walia
Fish death is one of the main problems that beginner aquarist and even some expert aquarist face. Its frustrating to the extent that most quit keeping aquarium fish.
