Pet Punter

Archive for the ‘Internal & External Parasites’ Category

Start by assuming that your dog has fleas. They are by far the commonest external parasite of the dog. A high proportion of skin problems may be caused, directly or indirectly, by their presence. Fleas thrive in the warm and cosy environment of a centrally heated house, and there is no longer a flea season in summer followed by a flea-free winter. Treatment should be continued all through the year. Fleas are often difficult to diagnose. They are small, move rapidly and are able to hop considerable distances. They are not very easy to see on the dog, but they never live alone. If you see on flea is safe to assume that there are plenty more. If you see on flea it is safe to assume that there are plenty more. If you see none at all, they are probably still somewhere around.

Once you have convinced yourself that even your dog may have fleas, treatment is straightforward, although control is anything but. There are several effective sprays and washes available that will kill fleas safely, and most have some residual effect. But re-infestation is very difficult to prevent. If protection is, say, for three months, in practice the effectiveness is likely to decline well within that time. So some fleas come back. There are number of preparations on the market that provide effective protection around the house. Thorough vacuuming of the carpets helps but will not overcome the problem. Flea eggs, laid in their thousands, are able to survive for long periods in a warm environment. Disturbance causes the eggs to hatch, in itself a reason for regular vacuum cleaning, as the eggs in their shells are resistant to insecticides.

Budgerigars are prone to the disease known as scaly face, and in most cases they will have been infected with the parasites that cause illness while still in the nest. This is a relatively easy condition to identify. Symptoms include any tiny white spot, which start out on the bird’s upper bill and spread to the side of the face, causing coral-like encrustations here. Treatment is with a proprietary cream spread over the affected area.

You will need to continue treating the bird for a period after the obvious signs have disappeared, to be sure of eliminating any mites that may still exist in the skin. Otherwise, the infection can recur. It is important to replace the perches at this stage because the bird may have transferred mites, which could reinfect it in the future. Scaly mites can also affect the legs in some cases, resulting in the appearance of white scaly swellings on this part of the body. Red mite is another common avian parasite and this is often spread during the breeding season. The mites lurk within breeding cages and nest boxes, and they emerge to suck the blood of the chicks, which gives them their characteristics coloration. Covering the cage with a white cloth overnight is likely to reveal the presence of red mites in the morning, with their coloration standing out against the cloth. A specific avian aerosol can be useful to kill these parasites, and the bird’s quarters should also be washed thoroughly. The best of the products now available commercially have a residual action and will offer some protection against reinfection. Aside from resulting in anemia, especially in chicks, red mite can also cause the condition known as feather plucking.

Mirrors can help to keep a pet bird occupied but, on occasion, cock budgerigars may end up feeding their reflections repeatedly. This phase will usually pass as the bird’s desire to breed subsides, but there may be another, more sinister cause of the behavior. A crop parasite called Trichomonas, often passed from adult birds to their chicks in the nest, can flare up causing the budgerigar to regurgitate its seed. On closer examinations the crop, at the base of the neck, will also be swollen with air. It is usually possible to treat trichomoniasis successfully, but be aware that the condition may recur again, should any of the parasites have survived.