The most widely accepted external parasite treatments currently available for pets are Frontline, Advantage, Revolution and Bio-Spot. These well-known dog and cat flea treatments provide one month of solid protection.

Imidacloprid is the key ingredient in Advantage Flea that works to destroy the flea’s nervous system, rendering the flea paralyzed and quickly ending its life. 98 to 100 percent of the fleas die within the first 12 hours of application.

Frontline and Advantage brand flea killers work nearly instantaneously and keep working for a long time. Your pet should not be a victim of fleas when relief is readily available. The best solution is to pick a good flea medication for your dog.

Ticks, also known as mites, are external parasites that feast on the blood of birds and mammals, and reptiles. Of the five common ticks in North America, the American dog tick is the best known.

Now for the scary stuff: Ticks are only second to mosquitoes in transmitting diseases to humans. Ticks can transmit diseases such as Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, equine encephalitis, and ehrlichiosis. Additionally, they are responsible for transmitting livestock and pet diseases.

Another common kind of mites are the wood ticks that live in the Rocky Mountains. Some common weapons to combat them are tick collars and anti-flea/tick shampoos. Warm weather means an increase in the tick population and the need to monitor your dog for these parasites. When a tick is found it should be completely removed. Please use extreme caution when removing a tick because if part of the tick is left in the animal the chance of infection increases.

Unlike diseases passed by ticks, heartworm is transmitted by mosquitoes, and the larva then live in the bloodstream of the animal bitten by the mosquito. The parasites go through several stages before becoming adults. Once adult, the heart worms travel to the heart to live off the blood supply. Symptoms such as coughing and difficulty breathing may ensure, and the end result is heart failure.

Effective disease treatments are available for your pet, but only if it is caught early enough. One treatment available for dogs that also takes care of hookworms and ascarid infections is Interceptor.

Kennel cough is yet another a common ailment for dogs. This is a form of bronchitis which can hit dogs hard, and readily spreads from one animal to another when many canines are held together in the same facility. However, the infection can be treated with proper use of antibiotics, and it can even be prevented with vaccinating for canine adenovirus, distemper, parainfluenza, and bordetella.