THE HOMESTEAD HOUND, PART II

Article Tools

Image Gallery

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

A regular deworming for roundworms, hookworms and tapeworms should be given to any manure- or carcass-loving pooch every three to six months. Use effective combination products such as Drontal® (by prescription only), and remember that most roundworm/hookworm medications such as Panacur® and Strongid® will not treat tapeworms.

Prevent Ticks and Fleas

As with puppies, it's much easier to prevent flea and tick infestations than it is to treat them. Ticks carry infectious diseases such as Rocky Mountain tick fever, Lyme disease and ehrlichiosis, all of which can be ransmitted to people. Fleas will enthusiastically feast on your dog's blood, causing an allergic reaction - or hypersensitivity - to their saliva.

Flea bite allergies cause an intense itchiness that will drive your pet crazy (and you, too, if you listen to the scratching all night). To eliminate fleas and ticks, have your veterinarian prescribe powerful skin ointments such as the easy-to-ap ply Frontline® or Advantage®.

Year-Round Heartworm Prevention

Imagine a slithering, entwined mass of white, spaghetti-like worms luxuriating in a Jacuzzi of blood in your dog's heart. Heartworms are spread by mosquitoes and initially live in the bloodstream as microscopic parasites. They embark on a migration to the heart as they mature, wreaking havoc with the cardiovascular system. You can easily and completely prevent heartworm disease by giving your dog a monthly, chewable medication.

Any dog living with mosquitoes should be on a heartworm prevention program year-round, since the program also provides protection against roundworms and hookworms. A simple blood test should be performed every 2-3 years to confirm heartworm-free status, especially in areas with high numbers of mosquitoes.

Vaccinate Conservatively

Dogs over 8-10 years of age that have been vaccinated regularly may not require annual vaccinations for parvovirus/distemper/adenovirus 2/parainfluenza, despite the manufacturer's label recommendation to do so. In fact, many veterinarians are vaccinating older dogs only two to three years, if at all. Rabies vaccinat ions, however,should be kept current with legal requirements (most call for shots from once a year to once every three years).

Continued annual vaccination for giardia, Lyme disease and leptospirosis should be given in areas where the diseases are prevalent. Be aware that there are potential side effects to vaccination, especially in older dogs, which include allergic reactions and disorders of the immune system. Immune-mediated hemolytic anemia, for example, is a life-threatening disease in which the immune system destroys the body's own red blood cells. Some veterinarians suspect it is trig gered by vaccinations in older dogs that have been "sensitized" to a particular vaccine. My recommendation is to vaccinate adult dogs every three years, with each vaccine on a rotating schedule (see the vaccination schedule above).

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print