Ticks
Two tick species matter for dogs in Lithuania. The castor bean tick waits in woods, parks and long grass and spreads Lyme disease and anaplasmosis. The ornate dog tick, a meadow tick, spreads babesiosis, a serious disease that destroys red blood cells.
Ticks wake up in early spring, as soon as it warms up, and stay active until late autumn; in a mild winter they turn up later still. Ornate dog ticks are found on dogs as early as March, while it is still cool, and dogs fall ill with babesiosis mainly in spring and autumn.
How to check
After every walk outdoors, run your hands over your dog's whole coat. Check the head, ears, neck, armpits, belly, groin and between the toes especially carefully: young ticks are very small and easy to miss in a dark or thick coat.
A tick does not attach straight away, and it does not pass on disease the moment it bites, so the sooner you find and remove it, the lower the risk. Ask your vet how to remove a tick properly.
When to see a vet
Babesiosis is an emergency: if after a tick bite or a walk in tick season your dog suddenly turns dull, stops eating, runs a fever, its urine darkens or its gums turn pale, go to a vet straight away. If your dog starts limping or its joints swell weeks after a bite, book a visit.
Fleas
Fleas are tiny jumping parasites that feed on blood. Adult fleas live on the dog, while their eggs drop off and the larvae develop in the bed, carpets and gaps in furniture. In a heated home fleas breed all year round, not only in summer.
Fleas cause itching, and some dogs become allergic to their saliva; a dog that swallows a flea can pick up a tapeworm. Fleas pass easily between dogs and cats, so if you find them on one animal, ask your vet about protection for every pet in the home.
How to check
Part the coat on the back near the base of the tail and on the belly, and look for fleas running or for black specks. Tip the specks onto damp white paper: if reddish spots appear around them, they are flea droppings full of digested blood.
Sometimes you see no fleas at all, only the marks of the itch: reddened skin, scabs and a thinning coat.
When to see a vet
Book a visit if you find fleas or their droppings, if your dog scratches until its skin turns red and scabby, or if you see tapeworm segments like grains of rice in its stool. If a young puppy has fleas and pale gums, have it seen promptly.
Conditions
Intestinal worms
Dogs can carry roundworms, tapeworms, hookworms and whipworms. Puppies can pick up roundworms before birth or through their mother's milk; adult dogs get them from contaminated soil, by swallowing a flea, or by eating raw meat, offal or prey. Worms have no season: dogs pick them up all year round.
The eggs of some dog worms can infect people too, children especially. Pick up droppings straight away, and wash your hands after playing with your dog.
How to check
An adult dog can carry worms for a long time with no signs, and not every worm can be seen with the naked eye. No worms in the stool does not mean there are none: a stool test shows whether there are.
Your vet will tell you how regularly your dog needs a check and protection against worms.
When to see a vet
Book a visit if you see worms or segments in the stool or around the bottom, if your dog drags its bottom along the floor, or if it loses weight while eating well. Bring a fresh stool sample. If a puppy vomits, has diarrhoea or is listless, have it seen promptly.
Ear mites
Ear mites are microscopic parasites that live in the ear canal. They cause intense itching and a dark, dry discharge that looks like coffee grounds.
Mites pass between animals through close contact, especially from cats and between puppies, and have no season. If one pet in the home has them, it is worth checking all of them.
How to check
Now and then, for example while combing, look at and sniff your dog's ears. A dark crumbly discharge, redness or a bad smell means the ear needs a vet's look.
Do not clean deep into the ears before a vet has examined them.
When to see a vet
Book a visit if your dog shakes its head and scratches its ears and you see a dark discharge in them. If the ear flap has swollen, the ear hurts or your dog holds its head tilted, have it seen promptly.
Kinds of protection
Parasite protection comes in several forms. All of them are veterinary products, and which one suits your dog depends on its age, weight, health and way of life, so your vet will help you choose.
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Spot-on drops
A liquid applied to the skin between the shoulder blades, where the dog cannot lick it off. Some protect against ticks and fleas, others against some worms as well.
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Collar
A collar that slowly spreads its active substance through the coat. It is worn all the time, so it has to fit well and not bother the dog.
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Chewable tablets
Given by mouth: some protect against ticks and fleas, others against intestinal worms. Bathing and rain do not affect them.
Decide with your vet what to protect your dog with and how regularly. Never use a tick or flea product meant for dogs on a cat: some of them are poisonous to cats.
You will find products against ticks, fleas and worms in this category. This is not a treatment: your vet will advise which suits your dog.
Antiparasitic products for dogs 623 productsWhat to do
- After every walk outdoors, check your dog for ticks.
- Before tick season, ask your vet which protection suits your dog.
- Now and then check the coat for fleas or their droppings.
- Pick up droppings straight away, and wash your hands after playing with your dog.
- Do not feed your dog raw offal.
- If you find parasites on one animal, ask about protection for every pet in the home.
- Never use a parasite product meant for dogs on a cat.
When to contact a vet straight away
Contact a vet straight away if, after a tick bite or a walk in tick season, your dog's urine has turned dark, brown or reddish, or your dog has a fever, has become dull, will not eat, or its gums have turned pale or yellowish. Have a young puppy seen promptly too if it has fleas or worms and vomits, has diarrhoea or has pale gums.
Sources
- National Public Health Centre (Lithuania): Tick-borne diseases (nvsc.lrv.lt)
- Mardosaitė-Busaitienė et al. (Vytautas Magnus University): Babesia spp. in Dermacentor reticulatus and Ixodes ricinus ticks in Lithuania (www.vdu.lt)
- Žukaitė (LSMU Veterinary Academy): Babesia canis in ticks and babesiosis in dogs (lsmu.lt)
- ESCCAP: control of ectoparasites in dogs and cats (www.esccap.org)