Fleas, Lice and Jicks

Some wag once remarked that the best way to keep a city dog from becoming bored in an apartment was to load him with fleas. That way the dog would be so busy scratching, he wouldn't have time to complain about being lonesome. The person who made the remark didn't know much about dogs or fleas. Nor did he know that fleas are not adverse to con­gregating on and taking bites out of human beings.

In addition to causing skin irritations and irritability, fleas, lice and ticks may also be carriers of disease organisms. In the previous chapter, we mentioned that the flea is a carrier of tapeworm eggs, as well as microfilariae of heartworms. The flea is also the carrier of organisms causing bubonic plague and endemic typhus fever in man. Lice, while not as common as fleas, are just as dangerous to dogs. Severe infestations of lice have been responsible for the destructions of entire lit­ters of puppies. They are also known carriers of the organism causing typhus fever, trench fever and relapsing fever in hu­man beings. Ticks, once regarded as strictly rural pests, are now well distributed throughout the United States, in cities and suburbs as well as rural sections. Ticks are known car­riers of organisms causing piroplasmosis in dogs and Rocky Mountain spotted fever and tularemia in man.

This is an impressive array of diseases carried by these pests, not to mention the misery and cost of eradication. For­tunately, fleas, lice and ticks can be controlled. Your main efforts should be directed toward destroying the life cycle of these parasites, as well as eradicating them from the dog.

FLEAS

Most dog owners are quickly introduced to fleas. Just let your dog come into contact with another dog harboring fleas and you are in business.

Four species of fleas are associated with dogs and human beings. These are the human flea, dog flea, cat flea and the dog and cat "stick-tight" flea. Ordinarily, each of these species prefers a specific host, but will use any warm-blooded crea­tures as substitutes when the need arises. Fleas may be found on any part of the dog's body, although the "stick-tight" flea more or less localizes in and around the dog's ears.

The flea has a relatively simple life history. The female may deposit her eggs on the dog or in sand, furniture, dog bed, blankets or crevices in the home or doghouse. After a few days, the flea eggs develop into larvae which weave co­coons. These cocoons serve as a protection for the larvae. During the cocoon stage, the larvae turn into pupae which feed on organic matter incorporated into the cocoon. The adult flea emerges from the cocoon in 10 to 14 days, with the whole cycle taking approximately 30 days. One female flea can lay up to 500 eggs in her lifetime.

Before emerging from the cocoon, the flea pupae may stay dormant until favorable conditions exist; when temperatures are above freezing. Very often there are no signs of fleas, then all at once a swarm of adult fleas appear as if from nowhere. The adult flea is able to withstand cold weather, but a severe winter will greatly reduce the flea population.

Adult fleas will stick to the warmest parts of the dog during cold weather. The warmest parts are those with the most hair, such as the chest, neck ruff and root of the tail. Here, the fleas congregate until the weather warms up, then they move and spread over the dog's body.

Don't wait until the dog is loaded with fleas and scratching himself raw before doing something about them. By this time, you will have two problems with which to cope: getting rid of the fleas and clearing up the dog's skin. Constant scratch­ing can lead to chronic eczema. Check the dog several times a week, even if you don't see any fleas or he isn't doing any scratching. During the warm weather, keep the dog dusted with a flea powder.

When the dog is heavily infested with fleas, you will have to de-flea him. The standard treatment for fleas consists of using a powder or dip. The dip is more effective, since it has a longer residual time than the powder. A weekly dip or dust­ing is recommended.

A new method of eradicating fleas (also lice and ticks) and keeping them off the dog has recently been developed. It is an oral medication, in tablet form, and has shown some prom­ising results. The tablet Ectoral, is manufactured by the Pitt-man Moore Company, Indianapolis, Indiana. Dogs are given the tablet at specified intervals and, as long as they keep get­ting the tablets, the fleas, lice and ticks stay away.

The concept of oral treatment for the elimination of exter­nal parasites is not new. An oral treatment for ringworm and athlete's foot in human beings has been in use for several years. Ectoral is dispensed only by a veterinarian. Unfortu­nately, this method of distribution prevents a wider use of the oral method. It just means another trip to the veterinar­ian. Until the product is "sold over the counter," the average dog owner will have to rely on dusting, spraying or dipping to get rid of fleas, lice and ticks.

De-fleaing the dog

Dusting.Stand the dog on newspapers and dust him thor­oughly with a nontoxic insecticide. One containing lindane, chlordane, rotenone or pyrethrum is safe. Make sure that you get the powder in beyond the outer coat and on the skin. Avoid getting any powder in the dog's eyes. You can protect his eyes with Vaseline or eye ointment. After dusting, comb out the dead fleas onto the newspapers. Roll up the papers and burn them.

Spraying:Insecticides for fleas, lice and ticks also come in sprays that are put into pressurized cans or plastic containers. They usually contain the same ingredients as the powders and dips. The cost is higher, though.

Dipping:While dipping the dog is more of a chore, it has a longer residual effect than either spraying or dusting. Put enough water in the tub to reach the dog's stomach and add a commercial dipping compound. Follow directions on the label as to how much to add. Submerge the dog's body in the solution or pour the solution over the dog, avoiding his face. Again, protect his eyes with Vaseline or eye ointment. After thoroughly wetting the dog, lift him out of the tub and wrap a large towel or old blanket around him and mop up the excess solution. Don't rub him dry. Allow the solution to dry on him. Keep him in the house until he is dry; then stand him on some newspapers and comb out the dead fleas. The dried solution on his body and hair will afford some protec­tion against reinfestation. If the dog lives outdoors, reinforce the dip with a dusting of insect powder.

Merely knocking the fleas off the dog is only part of the job of flea control. You will have to spray the doghouse or other place where the dog may live. His bed and blanket or bedding should also come under scrutiny and be sprayed or dusted. When spraying the doghouse, make sure that you get the spray into crevices that may shelter flea eggs.

The housedog presents more of a problem. While you can easily de-flea the dog, you have a bigger chore when it comes to the house. Use the vacuum cleaner in cracks and crevices. Bedding, carpets, rugs and stuffed furniture should be sprayed. If you already have an infestation of fleas in the house, you will have to spray at least once a week to break up the 30-day life cycle of the fleas.

Anyone who has ever had an infestation of fleas in the house or cellar will tell you what misery they went through. You can avoid such an experience by keeping your dog free of fleas. It's work, but it's nothing compared to the work and annoyance that will be yours if a swarm of fleas takes up resi­dence in your house.

LICE

Lice, although they are not as widely distributed as fleas, are just as much of a nuisance. These small, wingless insects are grouped into sucking and biting types. They spend their entire lives, from egg to adult, on mammals and birds. The female louse deposits her eggs on the dog's hair and the eggs hatch in approximately 2 to 3 weeks.

Lice are completely dependent on the host animal for their existence and will not voluntarily leave the dog. They are not as active as fleas and cannot leap from animal to animal. They are transferred by direct contact with the lice or their eggs. When a dog with lice sheds hair containing lice eggs or lice, the hair becomes the means of transmission to other animals. Lice will freely infest different animals, including human beings. Therefore if you have children and a dog (or cat), and one of them has lice, the chances are that the others do. You will have to delouse everybody.

The louse can cause severe anemia in young puppies by sucking their blood. Puppies usually become infested with lice through contact with their mother, if she is infested. Since puppies are constantly nursing and lying against their mother, the chances of their being infested are great.

Control of lice

The eradication of lice consists of dipping or spraying the dog with a nontoxic insecticide. Oral medication can be used. In dipping or spraying, use the same technique as for fleas.

TICKS

Ticks are eight-legged, hard-shelled parasites that burrow into the skin and feed on blood. They are not true insects. All true insects have six legs. Ticks are very hardy and stub­born parasites, capable of fasting for long periods and with­standing extremes in weather and climate. In some respects, they are more dangerous than either the flea or louse. And they are not easily eradicated from buildings.

A female tick may deposit as many as 5,000 eggs. The eggs are laid on the ground in some sheltered spot. After laying the eggs, the female dies. Three weeks to six months later, depending upon the conditions, the larvae or seed-ticks make their appearance. These seed-ticks have six legs. When the temperature and humidity are favorable, the seed-ticks begin their search for an intermediate host. The intermediate hosts are the meadow mouse and other small rodents. When ready to find a host, the seed-tick moves up from the ground, climb­ing on blades of grass, brush, weeds or other handy vegeta­tion. The seed-tick works its way to the top of the vegetation. Here, perched and ready for action, the seed-tick awaits its prey. When a meadow mouse or other rodent comes along and brushes up against the vegetation with the seed-tick, the transfer is made.

When the temperature and humidity conditions are not right, the seed-tick will climb down from the vegetation and become dormant. She will become active only when the con­ditions are favorable.

After the seed-tick fastens onto its intermediate host, it digs in tightly and gorges on blood. The seed-tick and adult tick do this by puncturing the skin with the mouth and fastening into the opening made by the bite. Securely anchored, the seed-tick feeds on the intermediate host for 3 to 5 days. After it is gorged, the seed-tick falls to the ground.

Back on the ground again, the seed-tick undergoes a molt and changes into an eight-legged tick known as a nymph. The nymph climbs up on vegetation when the conditions are right and fastens onto a small rodent for 3 to 10 days. Again, gorged to sluggishness, the nymph falls to the ground and eventually molts into an eight-legged adult tick. The adult tick repeats the tactics of the seed-tick and nymph and climbs up on vege­tation to await a victim—this time a dog, human being or other animal. You can see that the tick has a more elaborate life cycle than either the flea or louse.

Dogs infested with ticks suffer in a variety of ways. Since ticks gorge on blood, anemia is often the result of a tick in­festation. Some ticks inject a toxin that affects the dog's neuromuscular system. Also, infections or abscesses can form at the site of the puncture made by the tick. But, as we men­tioned before, it is the tick's ability to carry and transmit disease organisms that make it a very dangerous pest. While any species of tick will fasten onto a dog, it is the American dog tick and the brown dog tick that are the most widely distributed of the group.

Control of ticks

If just a few ticks are dug into your dog, you can remove them by pulling them out with tweezers. Don't try to pull them out with your fingers. This is risky for two reasons: 1) since ticks burrow in very tightly, you may break off the tick's body, and 2) the tick may be a carrier of Rocky Moun­tain spotted fever or tularemia. Use a pair of tweezers that have wide blunt ends; not the sharp pointed type. Work care­fully and be sure to get all of the tick out of the dog's skin. If the head is left in, it may later cause infection. Ticks can also be loosened by wetting them with vinegar, alcohol or acetone (nail-polish remover).

When your dog is heavily infested with ticks, he will have to be dipped. Use the same dipping technique as for fleas and lice. But remember that ticks are very tough and you may have to repeat the dip once or twice before killing all of the ticks.

I£ you live in an area that is heavily infested with ticks, you will be wise to check the dog every time you take him out. This is especially true if you go into a woods or section with brush and weeds. Be sure to examine between the dog's toes, behind the ears and the root of the tail. These are favor­ite spots for ticks to fasten. Also, the chest. The dog usually brushes against vegetation with his chest and ticks are sure to get a hold here.

As with fleas and lice, eradicating ticks from the dog's body is only part of the battle. You've got to keep them out of the doghouse and your house. Above all, you've got to keep breaking up the life cycle. Spray the doghouse, working the spray into the cracks and corners. Next, go after the inter­mediate hosts, the field mice and other rodents. Keep them away from your house and the kennel. Maybe a cat, one that is a good mouser, will be of help. Cut down tall shrubbery, weeds and grass around the property. In short, make life impossible for ticks

Are You Ready To Move Onto The Next Lesson? Click Here...