Tracy Animal Hospital
  • Appointments
  • Services
    • Pet Check Up
    • Puppy & Kitten Exams
    • Spay & Neuter
    • Vaccinations
    • Pet Dental Care
    • Pet Boarding
    • Parasite Prevention
    • Microchip
    • Orthopedic & Soft Tissue Surgery
  • Specials
    • New Client Special
    • Canine Wellness Packages
    • Feline Wellness Packages
    • Puppy Wellness Package
    • Kitten Wellness Package
    • Shelter Adoption Special
    • Multi-Pet Household Special
  • Resources
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • New Client Information
  • Shop Now
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Client Reviews
    • Careers
    • Referral Program
  • NEWS

Vet Pet Blog & Practice News

Welcome to our blog. Visit this page often to get great pet care tips & practice news. 
CALL NOW
BOOK NOW

Protecting Your Pet From External Parasites

5/20/2020

16 Comments

 
Tracy Animal Hospital | Pet Parasites
External parasites are organisms that feed on other animals. While fleas and ticks are the most well-known pests, other parasites include mites, lice, and tapeworm. 

If left untreated, your pet could experience mild to even fatal symptoms. Parasites can also affect humans. Certain parasites can cause zoonotic infections, which means that they can transmit from pets to people. 

Fleas

Fleas live on your pet's body. Dogs and cats can get fleas from their mother (when they are young), from another dog, or from their environment. When infected, your pet might bite or scratch himself frequently. Severe allergic reactions from flea bites can include Flea Allergic Dermatitis, which can show up as encrusted lesions on the skin. Not only can fleas cause dermatitis, but they can also transmit diseases to other animals and humans, such as tapeworm. 

If your pet has fleas, it is important to treat both your pet and his environment. Flea season can last several months and there are several ways to combat fleas. From washing your pet's bedding and deep cleaning, to utilizing a treatment and preventative that is veterinarian approved, you can help your dog or cat to get relief from fleas. 

Ticks

Pets are most likely to pick up ticks in wooded area in the summer and spring. Bites from certain types of ticks can cause irritation and infection at the point where the tick attaches to the pet's skin and can transmit diseases including Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Lyme disease. Tick infestations can lead to anemia, weight loss, paralysis, and even death. 

Parasite prevention products for fleas and ticks, like Bravecto, can work effectively to eliminate pests living on your dog or cat within hours. We recommend partnering with your veterinarian to determine the best course of treatment for your pet.

Mange Mites & Ear Mites

Mange mites are tiny organisms not visible to the naked eye. They live on your pet's skin or in hair follicles and they lay their eggs under the skin. As your pet scratches and rubs, the skin becomes dry and thickened leading to hair loss and hardened crusty patches. It is highly contagious to both animals and humans and must be treated by a veterinarian promptly. 

Ear mites will cause your pet to scratch their ears or shake their head. You can tell if your pet has ear mites by checking the ears for dark earwas or specks resembling dried blood or coffee grounds. Ear mites can cause ear infections and are also highly contagious to other animals. Treatment will require veterinary care. 

Ringworm

Ringworm is caused by a fungus and will appear on your dog's or cat's skin as round, bare patches on the skin. If your pet has ringworm, avoid contact with other animals as ringworm is highly contagious and can be transmitted to other animals and humans. Your veterinarian can treat ringworm with medication. 

Seeking Veterinary Care

Even the best cared pet can get ill from time-to-time. Changes in behavior can be early indicators of illness. If your dog or cat exhibits changes, or other unusual symptoms, contact your veterinarian for guidance and care:
  • Loss of appetite for more than an day
  • Diarrhea, constipation, difficulty with urination, or blood in the stool or urine
  • Vomiting
  • Fever - usually indicated by a dry, hot nose, dull eyes, and an increase in body heat
  • Pain
  • Excessive panting or difficulty breathing
  • Coughing and sneezing
  • Head shaking
  • Constant scratching or biting
  • Biting or other aggressive or unusual behaviour in a normally well-tempered pet
  • Bad mouth odor 
  • Lump beneath the skin
  • Dull hair coat
  • Scooting along the ground

Do you live in Cypress, Tx or the surrounding areas? We are happy to help! Give us a call at 281-970-0601 or make an appointment conveniently online.
Make An Appointment
16 Comments
make personality link
11/20/2020 04:42:33 am

One of the perfect and informative site ever. Bookmarked for future read.
<a href="https://makepersonality.com/flea-bites/"> flea bites symptoms on humans</a>

Reply
jenny jia link
1/21/2021 06:52:24 am

One of the best and my favorite blog ever. Aala stuf and best quality.
<a href="https://makepersonality.com/flea-bites/"> flea bites symptoms on humans</a>

Reply
jenny jia link
2/10/2021 11:46:40 am

best and interesting information would like to visit again

Reply
everythingtail link
2/18/2021 06:53:28 am

This is a fantastic website, thanks for sharing. There's no doubt i would fully rate it after i read what the idea about this article is.

Reply
Lilian "KnottstDermatology.com" Stone link
3/17/2021 06:14:29 pm

If left untreated, your pet could experience mild to even fatal symptoms. Parasites can also affect humans. Certain parasites can cause zoonotic infections, which means that they can transmit from pets to people.

Reply
PetsForever link
4/6/2021 05:06:00 am

Hello
Thanks for sharing the great information. I read this blog and must say the information that you shared in this blog is really very useful. Please post more blog related to ”Top Pet Questions App"
Thank You.

Reply
James Lucas link
7/30/2021 10:12:35 am

You make an excellent point that it is important for us to choose a qualified animal hospital for our pets.
My wife and I would like to have our dogs checked. I will look into reliable hospital for our pets.

Reply
Taylor Hicken link
11/9/2021 08:37:37 pm

I appreciated it when you shared that it is best to contact your veterinarian for guidance and care if your dog or cat exhibits changes or other unusual symptoms. My friend just mentioned the other day that she is worried about her dog that has been developing severe allergic reactions from flea bites. I will suggest to her taking it to a reliable veterinarian who can help with its condition.

Reply
Roofing In Foley Al link
12/31/2021 12:35:56 pm

You can tell if your pet has ear mites by checking the ears for dark earwas or specks resembling dried blood or coffee grounds. I truly appreciate your great post!

Reply
Mattress Removal Staten Island link
12/31/2021 12:52:58 pm

As your pet scratches and rubs, the skin becomes dry and thickened leading to hair loss and hardened crusty patches. Thank you!

Reply
Braden Bills link
10/24/2022 09:54:38 am

I didn't realize that there were so many external parasites that can cause problems for dogs. I can see how fleas would be easy to notice, but there's also things like worms that you need to watch out for. It would be a good idea for me to take my dog to the vet every once in a while to ensure that he gets the care that he needs.

Reply
Victoria Addington link
12/12/2022 03:18:56 am

It made sense when you mentioned that changes in a pet's behavior can be early indicators of sickness. My friend told me that his pet is acting lethargic. I should advise him to bring his pet to a veterinary office for proper treatment.

Reply
Mia Evans link
12/26/2022 04:54:22 am

Thanks for helping me understand that tick bites can actually lead to weight loss, paralysis, anemia, and even death in our pets. I hope that my dog does not get that kind of issue as he grows older. We can hire a tick control service to check on our property to ensure that there would be no source for it while I take it to a vet to get my pet checked for any parasites as well.

Reply
escuela de perros
12/26/2022 02:16:42 pm

Para muchas personas que padecen alguna discapacidad, pasaron por algún trauma o sufren de problemas como la depresión, está comprobado que un perro puede contribuir significativamente tanto en su recuperación como en el desarrollo de su vida diaria.
<a href="https://www.inteligenciacanina.com/" rel="nofollow ugc"></a></p>

Reply
Iris Smith link
1/3/2023 11:39:29 pm

It's great to know that ear mites can lead to ear infections and are very contagious to other animals. My dog continues to itch his ear. I'll take him to the animal hospital for treatment.

Reply
Millie Hue link
1/9/2023 09:51:11 pm

I never took into account the fact that ear mites would be contagious to other animals as well aside from causing infections in our pet. I hope that can prevent that now that my husband and I plan to get a dachshund this year. It will be our first ever pet together, and we want to be the best owners which is why we also plan to start looking for a pet hospital here in Tucson, Arizona. As early as now, we want to ensure that we already have chosen the facility where to take the animal for its regular checkups.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    NEWS

    Dr. Tanner Tracy, DVM

    News & Pet Blog

    Follow our pet blog to read great articles about pet care, office news and more. Have a question or comment? We'd love to hear from you!

    Archives

    December 2022
    November 2022
    June 2022
    March 2022
    January 2022
    October 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    January 2021
    October 2020
    May 2020
    April 2019
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    January 2018
    August 2017
    June 2017
    April 2017
    February 2017
    December 2016

    Categories

    All
    Dental Care
    Pet Health
    Practice News

    RSS Feed

Picture

Animal Hospital Hours

Mon.........7:30 am  -  6:00 pm
Tues.........7:30 am  -  6:00 pm
Wed.........7:30 am  -  6:00 pm

Thurs.....7:30 am  -  12:00 pm
Fri.............7:30 am  -  6:00 pm
Sat................................Closed
​Sun...............................Closed

Helpful Links

Appointments
About Us
Surgery
Wellness Packages
Puppy & Kitten Packages
Boarding
Spay & Neuter
​Microchip
FAQ's
Blog

Contact Us

Phone: (281) 970-0601 
Fax: (281) 970-0604 
​
Address:
11500 Grant Rd
Cypress, TX 77429​
Tweets by Tracy Animal Hospital

Copyright © 2016 Tracy Animal Hospital   |   All Rights Reserved.   |  Cypress, TX   |   Developed & Managed by: PracticeExcel
  • Appointments
  • Services
    • Pet Check Up
    • Puppy & Kitten Exams
    • Spay & Neuter
    • Vaccinations
    • Pet Dental Care
    • Pet Boarding
    • Parasite Prevention
    • Microchip
    • Orthopedic & Soft Tissue Surgery
  • Specials
    • New Client Special
    • Canine Wellness Packages
    • Feline Wellness Packages
    • Puppy Wellness Package
    • Kitten Wellness Package
    • Shelter Adoption Special
    • Multi-Pet Household Special
  • Resources
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • New Client Information
  • Shop Now
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Client Reviews
    • Careers
    • Referral Program
  • NEWS