The Dangers of One Little Flea

ByMike

Tags: Pointer Health, Pointer Care, Dog Health, Caring for Pointers

I take my Pointer out hunting as often as I can during quail season. Unfortunately, it’s easy for him to pick up some fleas or ticks when he’s working his way through the underbrush and tall grass.

Well, let me tell you what I’ve learned about the dangers of one little flea.

You wouldn’t think these little critters would be all that bad. After all, fleas are tiny, especially when you compare them to the size of a big, strong Pointer. But a single flea can torture your dog all by itself, biting him up to 400 or so times every day. And each one of those bites is itchy and irritating.

That’s bad enough, but fleas can lead to other problems in addition to aggravating your dog almost to death. These problems include potential hair loss and skin issues. And, if your dog has a heavy flea infestation, the blood loss can even cause anemia.

Your Pointer can also get tapeworms if he has even one flea, because immature tapeworms live inside them. When an infected flea bites your dog, he typically reacts by licking or chewing at his skin. In the process he swallows the infected flea, which is then digested, releasing the immature tapeworms into his system. From there, the tapeworms are off to the races. A heavy tapeworm infestation might not kill your dog, but they can cause weight loss and weaken him. And it’s completely disgusting to see little whitish tapeworm segments crawling around your Pointer’s anus as they pass outside of his body.

You can prevent all of that by ensuring you protect your Pointer from having even one little flea. I use a topical squeeze-on flea and tick preventative, but sprays, shampoos and flea collars are also available.

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