Of all the common insects and parasites that can affect your dog, fleas are among the most annoying. Not only do they cause discomfort to your pet, but if not treated immediately they can spread to the rest of the house and even bite human family members. Both long coat breeds such as Cavoodles and short coat breeds such as Puggles are just as susceptible to these annoying parasites. Listed below is what you need to know about fleas, as well as how to treat and prevent them.
Where do fleas come from?
Fleas are native to wooded areas, such as forest or scrub land, but will happily take up residence in shrubs, bushes, or anywhere they can find crevices to hide out until a potential host comes by. As animals pass by these areas, fleas jump from brush to animal in search of a meal of blood from this host animal. A dog can get fleas from being outside or near another animal that is already infested, as well as from birds or rodents that visit the backyard unbeknownst to everyone who lives there.
What are the symptoms of fleas?
Initial symptoms of fleas include excessive scratching and shaking, especially at the base of tail or on the head, where most blood is concentrated. To check for fleas, pull back your dog’s fur to look at the skin. Fleas will look like moving black or brown thin bugs, and in a particularly bad infestation may reveal literally hundreds of fleas on a dog. “Flea dirt,” which looks like specks of black soil in the dog’s coat is usually what gives the presence of fleas away. It is the flea ‘poo’. If you are not sure if what you are seeing is dirt or flea dirt, take some of the grains and place them on a wet paper towel. The dirt will stay black while the flea dirt will go red when smudged into the paper towel.
How should fleas be treated?
A flea infestation should be treated as soon as possible. The first step is to treat the dog by administering a flea bath or spray. These products contain insecticides that kill adult and juvenile fleas, or render them unable to reproduce. Next, the entire house must be treated, as well. Once the flea is finished sucking your dog’s blood, it will find a place to lay its eggs, such as upholstery or carpet. It is important to kill any remaining fleas in the house, or else the flea cycle will continue. Products are available at pet stores to help with this process. In extreme cases, an exterminator may have to be called. Additionally, it is recommended to treat your house and dog multiple times to ensure all remaining fleas are killed.
What diseases do they spread?
Besides causing allergic reactions in many dogs, fleas can also contribute to the spread of disease. If a dog uses his mouth to bite and scratch at fleas and accidentally ingests the insect, he is at risk for developing a tapeworm infection. Tapeworms live inside an animal’s digestive tract and steal vital nutrients from the animal’s diet. Extreme infections of tapeworm lead to weight loss and anemia.
How can fleas be prevented?
Fortunately, fleas are entirely preventable. A number of products exist that are designed to be regularly administered to dogs. One option is a topical gel or liquid, applied monthly, that contains an insecticide that is metabolized by the dog’s skin. When a flea bites a treated dog it ingests the insecticide and is killed on contact. Some of the brands of these topical preventative treatments include brands such as Frontline and Revolution. Other popular options include monthly oral tablets or topical sprays. Additionally, some products are multifunctional and combine heartworm, flea, tick, and worm protection. Overall, fleas are one of the easiest problems to prevent, and a small investment for monthly protection more than outweighs the cost of treatment.
Dog roundworms (Toxocara canis) are the most common worm parasite of dogs and almost all dogs will have them at some stage in their life. They are picked up in a number of ways and can be passed on to people when basic hygiene such as hand washing is not followed after being exposed to infected dogs or their stool. They look like little lengths of noodles in the feces of puppies but are usually not seen until the puppy is given a worming tablet or syrup and the worm passed is usually a dead one.
Thankfully, heartworms are less common in Australia than most other dog parasites but they can cause the most damage to an infected dog. Dog heartworms cannot be transmitted to people which is a good thing, considering that they are spread by mosquitos and they are almost 100% preventable in dogs with modern treatments. Heartworm preventatives need to be given from about 4-5 months of age. If you wait until after your puppy is 6 months old to start heartworm treatment, your vet may need to perform a blood test first.
For most new dog owner’s, cleaning the ears of the most recent addition to the family has most likely not even crossed their minds. However, cleaning a dog’s ears is one of the most important things you can do to prevent a whole range of health problems from taking root. 
Newborn puppies start receiving disease fighting antibodies straight from mother’s milk as soon as they are born but the advantage this provides to their immune system dissipates after the first few weeks. To help protect your puppy long after they have left their mother, vaccinations are needed. Puppy vaccinations are essentially modified strains of diseases used to stimulate the puppy’s immune system into producing its own antibodies.
Puppy vaccinations start early on in your puppy’s life as the first round is usually administered at 6 to 8 weeks of age. At this age the vaccinations are temporary in order to get the animal safely through this period of its life. Once the pup reaches 10 – 12 weeks they receive booster a shot to further stimulate their immune system, and then at 14 – 16 weeks they receive their final vaccination to usher them safely into their adult life. Booster shots are then required at 12 month or 24 month intervals for the remainder of a dog’s life, with many vets now recommending a slightly less stringent program of once every 3 years.