AY Honors/Dog Care and Training/Answer Key

2. Do at least two of the following:

Prevention

The best course of action is to prevent these parasites from infecting your dog by treating them with a preventative medicine. One such medicine is Fipronil, the active ingredient in Frontline. Another is Imidacloprid Permethrin, the active ingredient in K9 Advantix. These medicines are applied topically every month and are available with a veterinarian's prescription. Your dog's vet may advise other measures as well.

Tick Removal

If you find a tick attached to your dog, find a pair of tweezers and dip them in rubbing alcohol. Grasp the tick as near the dog's skin as possible and then gently pull. Be patient and pull firmly and with consistent force. The tick will eventually tire and release its grip. You can then either place it in a sealable container (such as a freezer bag or a jar) so that it can be analyzed by a vet, or you can destroy it by dropping it in rubbing alcohol. Wash your hands when you are finished.

When removing the tick:

• Do not squeeze the tick's body - pull it out by grasping it near its jaws.
• Do not twist the tick - just pull.
• Do not try to "burn the tick out" by applying a lit match to it. This is dangerous! It is also likely to cause the tick to disgorge bacteria into your dog's bloodstream.
• Don't allow your dog to eat the tick (it will likely try).

Flea and Lice Removal

Fleas and lice can be combed out of your dog's hair. If your dog has an infestation you should give it a bath with flea/lice shampoo, then groom the dog with a fine comb. Finally, dip the dog in a pyrethrin dip. You will also need to treat any area where your dog has spent a lot of time (its bed, dog house, etc) to prevent reinfestation.

b. Mention some of the diseases, pests, and worms that dogs can get.

Rabies

Rabies is a viral disease commonly associated with dogs, although in recent years canine rabies has been practically eliminated in North America and Europe due to extensive and often mandatory vaccination requirements. Rabies in dogs is a fatal disease transmitted by the bite of an infected mammal, such as a cat, raccoon, bat, or another dog. Animals with rabies suffer deterioration of the brain and tend to behave bizarrely and often aggressively, increasing the chances that they will bite another animal or a person and transmit the disease.

Distemper

Canine distemper, caused by a virus similar to the cause of measles, is a highly contagious disease that affects the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and central nervous systems. It is spread through either direct contact with respiratory excretions, through the air, or on inanimate objects such as clothing. Symptoms and signs include discharge from the eye or nose, coughing, difficulty breathing, vomiting, diarrhea, depression, seizures, and paralysis.

Kennel cough

Kennel cough is a highly contagious canine illness characterized by inflammation of the upper respiratory system. It can be caused by viral infections such as canine distemper. It is so named because the infection can spread quickly among dogs, such as in the close quarters of a kennel.

Fleas and Ticks

Fleas and ticks of various species can be acquired and brought home by a dog, where they can multiply and attack humans (and vice versa). This is particularly important, now that tick-borne Lyme Disease has become endemic throughout a large area, in addition to other similar diseases such as Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.

Hookworms, Tapeworms, and Roundworms

Parasites, particularly intestinal worms such as hookworms, tapeworms and roundworms, can be transmitted in a dog's feces. Some tapeworms have fleas as intermediate hosts: the worm egg must be consumed by a flea to hatch, then the infected flea must be ingested (usually by the dog while grooming itself) for the adult worm to establish itself in the intestines. The worm's eggs then pass through the intestines and adhere to the nether regions of the dog, and the cycle begins again.

Heart worms

As the name suggests, an infected mosquito injects a larva into the dog's skin, where it migrates to the circulatory system and takes up residence in the pulmonary arteries and heart, growing and reproducing to an alarming degree. The effects on the dog are quite predictable, cardiac failure over a year or two, leading to death. Treatment of an infected dog is difficult, involving an attempt to poison the healthy worm with arsenic compounds without killing the weakened dog, and frequently does not succeed. Prevention is much the better course, via heartworm pills which are fed to the dog and contain a compound which kills the larvae immediately upon infection without harming the dog. Often they are available combined with other parasite preventives.