Dog Zone Guru

There are few things more inconvenient and unsettling than finding out that your prized pet is harboring parasites. Fleas feast on the blood of their host, jumping from one life source to another and even becoming an itchy, scratchy nuisance to humans. Ticks are less mobile, but they often carry disease. Dealing with them can be tricky and precarious, and it’s not easy to get your dog to sit still while extracting a tick from his flank.

In the unfortunate event that your dog experiences a flea infestation, it’s time to dig out the flea and tick shampoo. Warm up a bath for the pooch and coax him into the water. Rubbing the shampoo into the fur without gloves allows for more control and precision. Be sure to cover every part of the body save the eyes with a thick lather. Finish by rinsing the animal clean and draining the water while he’s still in the tub. Then dry him off to the best of your ability. The water that gets shaken all over the house momentarily should be minimized that way.

Your dog has just returned home after a long day of roaming the neighborhood; hey, everybody gets hungry eventually. Unfortunately, it seems there’s already a few unwelcome guests dining on your dog. Although the problem could be attributed to allergies, it’s more likely that he has a flea problem. And that means you might have a flea problem of your own if the issue goes untreated.

Try giving your dog a bath and using a topical flea medication. Getting rid of fleas can be tricky, so you might also want to outfit the dog with a flea collar. The process doesn’t end there – you’ve got to limit the chance that the pests have made themselves comfortable in your home. Wash any clothes, towels, upholstery and sheets that the dog has touched with warm, soapy water.