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Can Fleas Carry Tapeworm - This Knowledge Could Help Save Your Pet's Life
The question "can fleas carry tapeworm?" might not have ventured into the minds of pet owners yet, but being confronted with this idea is extremely alarming. As a pet owner, it is always your aim to provide the best for your pets despite a few mischievous deeds here and there. But will it change your opinion once you know that they can be carrier of infections as well?
Well, you shouldn't be: enough knowledge and early detection can make a huge difference. Flea and tick infestation is a common dilemma shared by millions of pet owners all over the world, and the threat it poses to the health of humans cannot be overemphasized. Indeed, dogs or cats infected with fleas can carry tapeworms!
The existence of fleas on your dog's skin can not only cause an allergic skin condition known as Flea Allergy Dermatitis (FAD), but they also serve as carriers of many other infectious agents such as tapeworm. If you take time to notice, tapeworm appears like rice grains on your pet dog's stool. This can cause irritation on your dog's anal region.
With humans, tapeworms and other types of bacterial worms can cause serious health problems when acquired by humans such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, and even permanent eye damage. The thing though with tapeworms is that they are quite difficult to remove once they've managed to infest your pet dog's body.
The tapeworm invades the intestinal walls of the host and that's when the segments break off until they are released along with the waste. And since fleas serve as carriers of tapeworm, the next organism they infest is very likely to acquire this infection as well. Once infected with tapeworm, you will need to undergo several de-worming procedures to be able to dislodge the worm's head because that is the key to regenerate and continue reproducing.
As of now, there are only a few medications that work effectively against tapeworms. Drontal is one type of de-wormer that is widely available in the market today. The process of applying de-wormer can be done twice, or even thrice, to ensure effectively. The interval of application can be done in two weeks in order to follow the parasite's life cycle. Therefore, the first wave of application aims to kill the adult worms, and the follow-up application aims to further kill the surviving ones.
Although many procedures and products have been created to help treat flea infestation, as well as the succeeding tapeworm infections, still nothing beats prevention. You must be always keen to observe conditions of your pets and use a specialized flea comb to take out fleas from your dog's hair. Then, you can take the necessary precautionary measures to help stop spreading or further tapeworm infestation. So do take note of itching on your dog, hair loss, and loss of blood.
And because these parasites are transmissible to humans, you as a pet owner is in grave danger too. Those with a weaker immune system are more likely to get infected, most especially your children who are in constant physical contact with your pets. You have to do something about it as early as now before you find out the answer to the question "can fleas carry tapeworm?" the hard way.
To learn more about can fleas carry tapeworm and the different types of discount pet meds for your dogs, cats, horse, etc., and how to get discount and cheap pet medications, make sure to visit http://www.callpetmeds.com where you will find everything on getting quality yet affordable pet medications as well as tips on how to take care of your pets like the experts.
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