Other
Beasties....
Beasties....
Other infections, those less threatening than viruses....
Worms-intestinal worms, round, hook, whip and tape. All but tape are
easily kicked out by de wormers. We use Stongid T on all pups here.
Most pups are born with round worms. The de worming meds only kill
adults so it is vital that pup be given 2 doses 2 weeks apart. It takes
larvae about 2 weeks to mature. If you only give one dose, you kill the
adults but leave all those baby worms to grow up, which they will in 2
weeks..they they will breed and make more. We will sometimes de
worm a pup 3 times to be certain.
Your pup can become infected with worms at any time. Unlike
vaccinations, de wormer does not keep working. Please do not assume
because your pup was de wormed, he will never be infected again. He
can become infected several days after a de worming. Speak to your vet
about heartworm prevention as well. They are found in all 50 states
now. Heart worms are a deadly infection.
Coccidia- a one celled parasite that loves pups. The bane of all
breeders. Symptoms are watery, sometimes bloody diarrhea. Cocci can
be carried by healthy dogs with the dog showing so signs of illness. Pups
are usually infected through healthy mother who is only a carrier and
not ill. It lives in the digestive tract and infects pups under stress. It's
highly contagious to other pups. You cannot cure cocci but you can
limit its reproduction until the pup's immune system can catch up,
usually 10 days. Cocci can lie dormant and only be noted when the pup
comes under stress.
The first 21 days after your pup comes home to you, is the time cocci
will flare. A plane trip, change in weather, change in food, water, just the
change of residence can be enough to cause this parasite to flare up and
reproduce very quickly. A seemingly non affected pup can become ill in
a very short period of time. In fact I may get a negative on a stool
sample conducted by my vet and you may get a positive just days after
the pup comes home to you. It is easily controlled and every pup that
leaves here has been treated for it or to prevent it. It is possible even
after treatment that your pup may become infected with it again after
leaving us. You need to understand that even though we have been
treating them here, it's possible you may need to give another round to
truly wipe it out. It is so common, we treat every pup here for it. Again
this does not mean that you won't have to treat for it again when pup
comes home to you.
Leaving us is a stressful time for your pup and this opportunist parasite
may flare again. We may have it completely under control and the pup
showing no signs (we do not allow a pup to leave us unless he is
showing NO signs) only to have you get a whopping case several days
after the pup comes to your home. We highly suggest that you take
stool sample to your vet and test for this within 2-4 days of him coming
home to you!!!. Fortunately the medication for it is readily available
and the pup's immune system with this help will catch up and help him
through it. If your pup's stool is found positive for this parasite, be very
clean with all feces, practice very strict clean up schedule. A 10%
ammonia mixture if left in contact for 10 mins will greatly reduce the
number of bugs. Oocysts can survive many weeks in the soil outdoors –
as long as 600 days. The optimum temperature for sporulation is
around 72°F. The rate of sporulation is slower if temperatures are much
cooler or hotter. Oocysts are killed either by freezing or very high
temperatures. Sporulation also requires oxygen and moisture (at least
20 percent moisture) Once sporulated, the oocyst remains infective for
months if protected from very hot, dry, or freezing conditions. If your
vet RX's meds, finish them as prescribed. Do not miss doses! If we
send you home with some, finish it according to our instructions, do not
miss doses or stop until the full course has been given!! Treatment:
Albon injectable, Albon Suspension, SMZ-Tmp Suspension and a new
product called Baycox.
Some pups are feces eaters, in spite of being raised in good conditions
and given all the food they want. This only further spreads the parasite.
If your pup is a feces eater, we suggest sprinkling his food with
FORBID, a product made for this nasty habit. If the FORBID does not
work, Try DETER. If that does not work, carry a bottle of hot (as hot as
you can find) pepper sauce with you and put a few drops on the feces.
He will not eat it if its seasoned! If you have other pups in your home,
we strongly urge you to keep them separate until you get the pup to the
vet for a check up. Adults, with their stronger immune system are fine
but all pups have underdeveloped immune systems making infections
easily passed between them. We strongly suggest feeding unsweetened
plain yogurt to a pup diagnosed with this. It will help replace the good
bacteria in the gut and they will fight this parasite more effectively. This
parasite will not always show up in fecal testing. It is not always shed
into feces and several tests may be needed to rule it out or confirm it.
Cats are often infected carriers of this parasite. If you have a kitty, keep
the litter box OUT of reach of your pup!
Giardia- one celled protozoan found in rivers, puddles, creeks,
streams, backyard wading pools and sometimes people water sources.
This is why you don't suck water out of a stream in the mountains and
one reason that when you travel to Mexico you do not drink their
water. It is contagious to man. Causes diarrhea and nausea. Treatment
for this is Flagyl or Metronidazole, affectionately called metro by
breeders. Can be diagnosed though fecal testing but is difficult because
it is not constantly shed. Several random fecal samples may be needed
to prove its existence or non existence.
If your pup is ever diagnosed with it, handle the feces with care. Clean
all areas with a disinfectant, bleach (1 part to 6 parts water) or Lysol
straight. Its important to note that you must allow bleach to sit for at
least 5 minutes and Lysol for the recommended time on the container.
Many people wrongly assume that a shot of Lysol kills all. It won't if
you don't let it sit!! You must remove feces before you disinfect, many
of them are rendered useless in the presence of organic material. In
other words, you cannot just spray the poop. Clean it up. Bathe your
pup throughly every day for 3-4 days with a mild shampoo to remove
any oocysts (the Giardia bug) from him pay attention to under tail area.
Wash all bedding. Clean, clean clean. If any of it remains in
environment, pup can become reinfected quickly.
You can become infected as well so wash your hands after petting pup
or handling clean up. Like cocci, we may get a negative result and you
can get a positive result days later when you bring your pup home. If
your pup has diarrhea, we strongly suggest you test his feces for this as
well as cocci. Puppies put everything in their mouth and susceptible to
the infections that fecal material contains.
Giardia lamblia: Causes Giardiasis, a gastrointestinal disease. Giardia
can exist as a trophozite (9 to 21 um long) or as an ovoid cyst (10 um
long and 6 m wide). Ovoid cysts can survive in water for one to three
months. Humans and pups become infected after ingesting as few as 10
cysts.
Residential and Urban: Failed on-site wastewater disposal systems can
contribute protozoan cysts to a water body. Urban runoff may convey
cysts from litter (such as from cats) and domestic pet excreta.
Other: Cysts in ground water may originate from landfill oxidation
ponds and deep well injection of sewage. Other surface water sources
include boats that discharge raw sewage overboard; excreta from wild
animals in surrounding watersheds; and excreta from wildfowl that
congregate on the water body.
Rural: Rural well water
Point source: Sewered communities may not have enough capacity to
treat the extremely large volume of water sometimes resulting from
large rainfalls. Periodically, treatment facilities may find it necessary to
bypass treatment of their wastewater. In this case, water containing
protozoan cysts is discharged directly into the surface water body.
I know we have a filter on our water. You may want one too now!
If your pup tests positive for either cocci or giardia, we strongly suggest
that you do the following to assist in his recovery. FEED him a
probiotic. Either Canine Fast Track or at the very least, unsweetened
plain yogurt. 1/3-2/3 Cup per day. You need to replace the good
bacteria present in all healthy guts to help him along.
Also please, if you choose to feed your pup anything other than what we
suggest, make the change very slowly. Abruptly switching a dog to
another food can cause diarrhea and stomach upset. We suggest that
you take 2-3 weeks making this change. Start with most of our food,
adding small amounts of yours into his meals. Slowly up what you are
feeding until the pup is on what you chose to feed him.
Many of our pups go to cities. In some cities, the water has things in it
he will not be used to, such as chlorine. We suggest you buy a gallon of
distilled water and again, change him slowly to your water source.
Puppies have very touchy tummies. Do all you can to not upset them.
Upper Respiratory Infection- UPI- Kennel Cough- This is cold that
is fairly common in pups. It can be caused by viruses, reactions to
vaccines, plane trips, bacteria or mycoplasmas (super germs)
Symptoms are runny nose and sometimes a cough. The incubation
ranges from 2-14 days. A pup who is not exhibiting signs, can still be
infected. Its like when you get a cold, it takes time for it to set up in
your body, until you feel sick, you are not really sick. Impossible to tell
what organism is causing it without running extensive testing. We feel
that antibiotics are useful in the fight against walking pneumonia. The
cold itself is usually self limiting, meaning it will run its course and be
done if caused by a virus. But in a stressed pup, one that has just been
shipped to us or to you, or in the case of bacterial or mycoplasmic
infection, the infection can travel to lungs easily.
This infection is very very resistant to most antibiotics. Which means
most of what other vets prescribe must either be given for long periods
of time (up to 4 weeks) or given in ever increasing dosages. Things that
do not work? Clavamox, Amoxicillin, Penicillin. We highly recommend
one of these meds: Azithromycin (brand name Zithromax),
Clarithromycin (brand name Biaxin) or Tribrissen (also called
TMP/SMZ suspension or SMZ/TMP suspension). The first two should
be given for at least 10 days. The last one, at least 14 days. Your vet can
decide on how long and which one. In very very resistant cases,
gentocin or amikacin is the cure. Since these are often injectables and
they can have side effects, your vet will want to monitor your pup. It is a
last resort and only should be used if all else fails. Nasal discharge and
any lung congestion should clear. Coughing may last for a few weeks
past cure. Like babies at a day care, who are often ill with colds etc,
pups have underexposed immune systems. When they are exposed to
respiratory illness, they often get it. As the pup grows, his immune
system will become better armed to deal with this just as adult people
don't get nearly as many colds as babies. Stopping an antibiotic, treating
with one that does not work is responsible for the super bacteria which
is resistant to antibiotic use. Keeping your pup warm, well fed, running
a vaporizer and keeping his nose wiped will help him stay comfortable.
We do not recommend cough suppressants, the cough is needed to
clear mucous out of airway. Keep him quiet and limit his exercise
instead. This is highly contagious to other puppies. If pups nose is
stuffed, he may not eat. Try feeding small meals of broth or a good
canned puppy food, warmed slightly to enhance the smell. This illness
can come on fast. We will not let any pup go that is showing any signs
of this. If your pup has a runny nose or any other warning sign, we will
keep him/her and treat him. If, after coming home to you, your pup
shows any signs, runny nose, cough, get to your vet ASAP. Because the
infection is in the respiratory passages, it can take awhile for this to cure
100%. There is very little blood flow to this area so systemic antibiotics
need a lot of time to clear this infection. Again, this is common in pups
and can take a few weeks to clear up. The coughing that is often
accompanied by the runny nose can continue past a cure.
This is rare in adult dogs. In addition to the oral antibiotics, we
STRONGLY and FORCEFULLY suggest you use a nebulizer machine.
These machines can be purchased on Ebay for about 30 bucks. They are
for asthmatic people. The medication is dispensed in steam. You put
the pup in a crate, after taping up the most of the ventilation panels and
the door on the crate, put the mouthpiece into the crate and steam the
pup for 25 mins 3-4 times per day. The medication delivered is a
combination of a steroid, antibiotic and distilled water. The pup must
breathe this in and the medication gets delivered to where it needs to
go. Far more effective than oral antibiotics. In fact the results are
astonishingly fast! Because very few buyers or their vets will listen to
our advice on this subject, we do not cover any respiratory illness in our
guarantee.
Fleas-in this day and age with Bio Spot, Revolution, Frontline, there is
simply no reason for flea infestation on ANY dog. However we hesitate
to use these on pups under 12 weeks of age. To date we have not had
any flea infestations on any pup. I think I would move if fleas ever
showed up in my yard!! Speak with your vet about prevention. A flea
infested Bull will scratch himself to a very nasty staph infection in a
matter of days. Fleas carry disease and tapeworms. Flea shampoo does
NOT protect against fleas. It will only kill what is already on him. Flea
shampoo should never be used in place of regular shampoo, its too
harsh and you should never use it on a dog that is on a flea
preventative. Many dogs are hyper sensitive to the saliva in a flea's bite.
They will lose hair and look as if they are patchy or have mange from a
single flea bite.
Ringworm- Not a worm at all. Its a fungus and it lives all over the
place, usually in the soil. Pups with underdeveloped immune systems
are the most apt to pick it up. A few spots are easily cured with Athletes
foot spray, yes Tinactin or another one, spayed directly on area 4 times
daily for 3 weeks should kill it. There are also anti fungal oral meds,
available at your vet and dips and creams to kill the fungus. Contagious
but not life threatening. Cats often carry it without being affected. This
one takes time to clear up. Be persistent and patient.
Mange-Two types Sarcoptic, (when people get this, we call it scabies)
and demodex or demodectic As mentioned elsewhere in this site, all
dogs carry some demodex mites on skin. It is when a pup is under
stress that the mites reproduce at a faster rate and cause secondary
trouble. We do not believe that localized demodex warrants spaying or
neutering. It is easily cured and in my considerable experience with
these breeds, not genetic. In many cases it will be brought back under
control with time and the maturity of the immune system. However we
do advocate helping it along with treatment. Be patient, it takes awhile
to bring it back to normal, un-noticed levels. Sarcoptic mange is rare in
well cared for pups. The treatment to kill fleas will kill it.
Antibiotics if your pup is on a course of these, we STRONGLY suggest
feeding probiotics. Antibiotics kill all bacteria, including those good
ones needed for digestion. A course of antibiotics can cause diarrhea in
many pups. You can find these in the human health food store, often in
fridge case or in soft gels. Usually called Acidophilus. There are also
certain ones made for dogs, we favor FASTRACK Canine Gel. If
nothing else, please feed your pup plain, unsweetened yogurt 3 times
per day. You need to replace the good bacteria in the gut.
Worms-intestinal worms, round, hook, whip and tape. All but tape are
easily kicked out by de wormers. We use Stongid T on all pups here.
Most pups are born with round worms. The de worming meds only kill
adults so it is vital that pup be given 2 doses 2 weeks apart. It takes
larvae about 2 weeks to mature. If you only give one dose, you kill the
adults but leave all those baby worms to grow up, which they will in 2
weeks..they they will breed and make more. We will sometimes de
worm a pup 3 times to be certain.
Your pup can become infected with worms at any time. Unlike
vaccinations, de wormer does not keep working. Please do not assume
because your pup was de wormed, he will never be infected again. He
can become infected several days after a de worming. Speak to your vet
about heartworm prevention as well. They are found in all 50 states
now. Heart worms are a deadly infection.
Coccidia- a one celled parasite that loves pups. The bane of all
breeders. Symptoms are watery, sometimes bloody diarrhea. Cocci can
be carried by healthy dogs with the dog showing so signs of illness. Pups
are usually infected through healthy mother who is only a carrier and
not ill. It lives in the digestive tract and infects pups under stress. It's
highly contagious to other pups. You cannot cure cocci but you can
limit its reproduction until the pup's immune system can catch up,
usually 10 days. Cocci can lie dormant and only be noted when the pup
comes under stress.
The first 21 days after your pup comes home to you, is the time cocci
will flare. A plane trip, change in weather, change in food, water, just the
change of residence can be enough to cause this parasite to flare up and
reproduce very quickly. A seemingly non affected pup can become ill in
a very short period of time. In fact I may get a negative on a stool
sample conducted by my vet and you may get a positive just days after
the pup comes home to you. It is easily controlled and every pup that
leaves here has been treated for it or to prevent it. It is possible even
after treatment that your pup may become infected with it again after
leaving us. You need to understand that even though we have been
treating them here, it's possible you may need to give another round to
truly wipe it out. It is so common, we treat every pup here for it. Again
this does not mean that you won't have to treat for it again when pup
comes home to you.
Leaving us is a stressful time for your pup and this opportunist parasite
may flare again. We may have it completely under control and the pup
showing no signs (we do not allow a pup to leave us unless he is
showing NO signs) only to have you get a whopping case several days
after the pup comes to your home. We highly suggest that you take
stool sample to your vet and test for this within 2-4 days of him coming
home to you!!!. Fortunately the medication for it is readily available
and the pup's immune system with this help will catch up and help him
through it. If your pup's stool is found positive for this parasite, be very
clean with all feces, practice very strict clean up schedule. A 10%
ammonia mixture if left in contact for 10 mins will greatly reduce the
number of bugs. Oocysts can survive many weeks in the soil outdoors –
as long as 600 days. The optimum temperature for sporulation is
around 72°F. The rate of sporulation is slower if temperatures are much
cooler or hotter. Oocysts are killed either by freezing or very high
temperatures. Sporulation also requires oxygen and moisture (at least
20 percent moisture) Once sporulated, the oocyst remains infective for
months if protected from very hot, dry, or freezing conditions. If your
vet RX's meds, finish them as prescribed. Do not miss doses! If we
send you home with some, finish it according to our instructions, do not
miss doses or stop until the full course has been given!! Treatment:
Albon injectable, Albon Suspension, SMZ-Tmp Suspension and a new
product called Baycox.
Some pups are feces eaters, in spite of being raised in good conditions
and given all the food they want. This only further spreads the parasite.
If your pup is a feces eater, we suggest sprinkling his food with
FORBID, a product made for this nasty habit. If the FORBID does not
work, Try DETER. If that does not work, carry a bottle of hot (as hot as
you can find) pepper sauce with you and put a few drops on the feces.
He will not eat it if its seasoned! If you have other pups in your home,
we strongly urge you to keep them separate until you get the pup to the
vet for a check up. Adults, with their stronger immune system are fine
but all pups have underdeveloped immune systems making infections
easily passed between them. We strongly suggest feeding unsweetened
plain yogurt to a pup diagnosed with this. It will help replace the good
bacteria in the gut and they will fight this parasite more effectively. This
parasite will not always show up in fecal testing. It is not always shed
into feces and several tests may be needed to rule it out or confirm it.
Cats are often infected carriers of this parasite. If you have a kitty, keep
the litter box OUT of reach of your pup!
Giardia- one celled protozoan found in rivers, puddles, creeks,
streams, backyard wading pools and sometimes people water sources.
This is why you don't suck water out of a stream in the mountains and
one reason that when you travel to Mexico you do not drink their
water. It is contagious to man. Causes diarrhea and nausea. Treatment
for this is Flagyl or Metronidazole, affectionately called metro by
breeders. Can be diagnosed though fecal testing but is difficult because
it is not constantly shed. Several random fecal samples may be needed
to prove its existence or non existence.
If your pup is ever diagnosed with it, handle the feces with care. Clean
all areas with a disinfectant, bleach (1 part to 6 parts water) or Lysol
straight. Its important to note that you must allow bleach to sit for at
least 5 minutes and Lysol for the recommended time on the container.
Many people wrongly assume that a shot of Lysol kills all. It won't if
you don't let it sit!! You must remove feces before you disinfect, many
of them are rendered useless in the presence of organic material. In
other words, you cannot just spray the poop. Clean it up. Bathe your
pup throughly every day for 3-4 days with a mild shampoo to remove
any oocysts (the Giardia bug) from him pay attention to under tail area.
Wash all bedding. Clean, clean clean. If any of it remains in
environment, pup can become reinfected quickly.
You can become infected as well so wash your hands after petting pup
or handling clean up. Like cocci, we may get a negative result and you
can get a positive result days later when you bring your pup home. If
your pup has diarrhea, we strongly suggest you test his feces for this as
well as cocci. Puppies put everything in their mouth and susceptible to
the infections that fecal material contains.
Giardia lamblia: Causes Giardiasis, a gastrointestinal disease. Giardia
can exist as a trophozite (9 to 21 um long) or as an ovoid cyst (10 um
long and 6 m wide). Ovoid cysts can survive in water for one to three
months. Humans and pups become infected after ingesting as few as 10
cysts.
Residential and Urban: Failed on-site wastewater disposal systems can
contribute protozoan cysts to a water body. Urban runoff may convey
cysts from litter (such as from cats) and domestic pet excreta.
Other: Cysts in ground water may originate from landfill oxidation
ponds and deep well injection of sewage. Other surface water sources
include boats that discharge raw sewage overboard; excreta from wild
animals in surrounding watersheds; and excreta from wildfowl that
congregate on the water body.
Rural: Rural well water
Point source: Sewered communities may not have enough capacity to
treat the extremely large volume of water sometimes resulting from
large rainfalls. Periodically, treatment facilities may find it necessary to
bypass treatment of their wastewater. In this case, water containing
protozoan cysts is discharged directly into the surface water body.
I know we have a filter on our water. You may want one too now!
If your pup tests positive for either cocci or giardia, we strongly suggest
that you do the following to assist in his recovery. FEED him a
probiotic. Either Canine Fast Track or at the very least, unsweetened
plain yogurt. 1/3-2/3 Cup per day. You need to replace the good
bacteria present in all healthy guts to help him along.
Also please, if you choose to feed your pup anything other than what we
suggest, make the change very slowly. Abruptly switching a dog to
another food can cause diarrhea and stomach upset. We suggest that
you take 2-3 weeks making this change. Start with most of our food,
adding small amounts of yours into his meals. Slowly up what you are
feeding until the pup is on what you chose to feed him.
Many of our pups go to cities. In some cities, the water has things in it
he will not be used to, such as chlorine. We suggest you buy a gallon of
distilled water and again, change him slowly to your water source.
Puppies have very touchy tummies. Do all you can to not upset them.
Upper Respiratory Infection- UPI- Kennel Cough- This is cold that
is fairly common in pups. It can be caused by viruses, reactions to
vaccines, plane trips, bacteria or mycoplasmas (super germs)
Symptoms are runny nose and sometimes a cough. The incubation
ranges from 2-14 days. A pup who is not exhibiting signs, can still be
infected. Its like when you get a cold, it takes time for it to set up in
your body, until you feel sick, you are not really sick. Impossible to tell
what organism is causing it without running extensive testing. We feel
that antibiotics are useful in the fight against walking pneumonia. The
cold itself is usually self limiting, meaning it will run its course and be
done if caused by a virus. But in a stressed pup, one that has just been
shipped to us or to you, or in the case of bacterial or mycoplasmic
infection, the infection can travel to lungs easily.
This infection is very very resistant to most antibiotics. Which means
most of what other vets prescribe must either be given for long periods
of time (up to 4 weeks) or given in ever increasing dosages. Things that
do not work? Clavamox, Amoxicillin, Penicillin. We highly recommend
one of these meds: Azithromycin (brand name Zithromax),
Clarithromycin (brand name Biaxin) or Tribrissen (also called
TMP/SMZ suspension or SMZ/TMP suspension). The first two should
be given for at least 10 days. The last one, at least 14 days. Your vet can
decide on how long and which one. In very very resistant cases,
gentocin or amikacin is the cure. Since these are often injectables and
they can have side effects, your vet will want to monitor your pup. It is a
last resort and only should be used if all else fails. Nasal discharge and
any lung congestion should clear. Coughing may last for a few weeks
past cure. Like babies at a day care, who are often ill with colds etc,
pups have underexposed immune systems. When they are exposed to
respiratory illness, they often get it. As the pup grows, his immune
system will become better armed to deal with this just as adult people
don't get nearly as many colds as babies. Stopping an antibiotic, treating
with one that does not work is responsible for the super bacteria which
is resistant to antibiotic use. Keeping your pup warm, well fed, running
a vaporizer and keeping his nose wiped will help him stay comfortable.
We do not recommend cough suppressants, the cough is needed to
clear mucous out of airway. Keep him quiet and limit his exercise
instead. This is highly contagious to other puppies. If pups nose is
stuffed, he may not eat. Try feeding small meals of broth or a good
canned puppy food, warmed slightly to enhance the smell. This illness
can come on fast. We will not let any pup go that is showing any signs
of this. If your pup has a runny nose or any other warning sign, we will
keep him/her and treat him. If, after coming home to you, your pup
shows any signs, runny nose, cough, get to your vet ASAP. Because the
infection is in the respiratory passages, it can take awhile for this to cure
100%. There is very little blood flow to this area so systemic antibiotics
need a lot of time to clear this infection. Again, this is common in pups
and can take a few weeks to clear up. The coughing that is often
accompanied by the runny nose can continue past a cure.
This is rare in adult dogs. In addition to the oral antibiotics, we
STRONGLY and FORCEFULLY suggest you use a nebulizer machine.
These machines can be purchased on Ebay for about 30 bucks. They are
for asthmatic people. The medication is dispensed in steam. You put
the pup in a crate, after taping up the most of the ventilation panels and
the door on the crate, put the mouthpiece into the crate and steam the
pup for 25 mins 3-4 times per day. The medication delivered is a
combination of a steroid, antibiotic and distilled water. The pup must
breathe this in and the medication gets delivered to where it needs to
go. Far more effective than oral antibiotics. In fact the results are
astonishingly fast! Because very few buyers or their vets will listen to
our advice on this subject, we do not cover any respiratory illness in our
guarantee.
Fleas-in this day and age with Bio Spot, Revolution, Frontline, there is
simply no reason for flea infestation on ANY dog. However we hesitate
to use these on pups under 12 weeks of age. To date we have not had
any flea infestations on any pup. I think I would move if fleas ever
showed up in my yard!! Speak with your vet about prevention. A flea
infested Bull will scratch himself to a very nasty staph infection in a
matter of days. Fleas carry disease and tapeworms. Flea shampoo does
NOT protect against fleas. It will only kill what is already on him. Flea
shampoo should never be used in place of regular shampoo, its too
harsh and you should never use it on a dog that is on a flea
preventative. Many dogs are hyper sensitive to the saliva in a flea's bite.
They will lose hair and look as if they are patchy or have mange from a
single flea bite.
Ringworm- Not a worm at all. Its a fungus and it lives all over the
place, usually in the soil. Pups with underdeveloped immune systems
are the most apt to pick it up. A few spots are easily cured with Athletes
foot spray, yes Tinactin or another one, spayed directly on area 4 times
daily for 3 weeks should kill it. There are also anti fungal oral meds,
available at your vet and dips and creams to kill the fungus. Contagious
but not life threatening. Cats often carry it without being affected. This
one takes time to clear up. Be persistent and patient.
Mange-Two types Sarcoptic, (when people get this, we call it scabies)
and demodex or demodectic As mentioned elsewhere in this site, all
dogs carry some demodex mites on skin. It is when a pup is under
stress that the mites reproduce at a faster rate and cause secondary
trouble. We do not believe that localized demodex warrants spaying or
neutering. It is easily cured and in my considerable experience with
these breeds, not genetic. In many cases it will be brought back under
control with time and the maturity of the immune system. However we
do advocate helping it along with treatment. Be patient, it takes awhile
to bring it back to normal, un-noticed levels. Sarcoptic mange is rare in
well cared for pups. The treatment to kill fleas will kill it.
Antibiotics if your pup is on a course of these, we STRONGLY suggest
feeding probiotics. Antibiotics kill all bacteria, including those good
ones needed for digestion. A course of antibiotics can cause diarrhea in
many pups. You can find these in the human health food store, often in
fridge case or in soft gels. Usually called Acidophilus. There are also
certain ones made for dogs, we favor FASTRACK Canine Gel. If
nothing else, please feed your pup plain, unsweetened yogurt 3 times
per day. You need to replace the good bacteria in the gut.
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