There are ten tick borne diseases recognized in the United States. Three were identified in the last 25 years:

Lyme Disease (1970′s)
Human Ehrlichosis (1980′s)
Human Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis (1990′s)

ticks are external parasites that suck blood from other animals to survive. They are most prevalent in wooded rural areas but can be found anywhere animals live. ticks bite dogs, cats, livestock, snakes, squirrels, turtles, ducks, robins, and people. Most ticks are just a nuisance but some transmit disease. For example:

Lone Star and Deer Ticks carry Lyme Disease
Brown Dog Ticks carry Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
TICK LIFE CYCLE

The life cycle of the tick plays an important role in determining when disease can be transmitted.

Ticks lay eggs in the spring, one month later larvae emerge. The larvae feed once in the summer on small mammals (like rodents) especially the white-footed mouse, then over winter.

The next spring, the larvae molt into nymphs. Nymphs feed on dogs, cats, deer and people in the late spring and early summer. Nymph are tiny, smaller than a mole, and therefore, difficult to detect in your pet’s fur.

In the fall, nymphs molt into adult ticks and feed on larger mammals, like white-tailed deer. They mate, lay their eggs, and die. Nothing can actually prevent ticks from attaching to pets or people. The key is to remove the tick promptly.

TO REMOVE A TICK

Use tweezers and grasp the mouthparts of the tick as close to the skin as you can and pull back. If part of the tick’s head remains, use a sterilized needle to remove it, just as you would a splinter. Don’t squeeze the tick because that can cause the contents of the tick’s body to be injected into the person or pet, and if the tick is carrying a disease, the individual can become infected this way.

When you’re in an area that may have ticks, i.e., hiking or camping in the woods, check yourself, your children, and pets carefully in less than 12 hours. Most ticks don’t carry disease and if those that do are removed in less than 12 hours, it is unlikely that you and/or your family or pets will get a disease.
TIP: Wear rubber gloves to remove ticks, and then put them in a sealed jar containing a little alcohol. Call your vet and/or physician to identify the tick, just to be sure.

Lyme Disease

Lyme Disease is the most commonly reported tick borne disease in the United States. A multisystem illness caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgderferi and transmitted by Ixodes ticks. Lyme Disease is a complex illness that affects dogs, cats, other animals, and people. To date, cases have been reported in 44 states in North America and many other countries around the world and the incidence is increasing.

Lyme Disease is caused by a microscopic organism called a ‘spirochete’, which is transmitted through the bite wound of certain types of ticks, i.e., Deer Tick, Black-Legged Tick, and Western Black-Legged Tick. The ticks must be attached to the victim for at least 24 hours to transmit Lyme Disease.

If infection does occur, the disease affects the skin, joints, and nervous system. In cats, signs are generally more vague than in the dog but arthritis with fever, lethargy, and appetite loss may occur two to five months after initial exposure. Treatment is with antibiotics given for two to four weeks and your cat may suffer relapses.

PREVENTION OF LYME DISEASE

Since nothing can stop ticks from attaching, prompt removal and preventing exposure to ticks in the first place are the solution. In the past insecticides applied to the coat as a spray, powder, or dip killed the ticks, but their protection only lasted three to five days. Therefore, in high-risk areas, treatment had to be repeated every seven to ten days.

New monthly medication prescribed by your vet can be given to cats as a pill or drops. These new products are easier to give and far more effective than those previously available. Frontline is a new, over-the-counter product that kills adult fleas on contact and controls ticks. Frontline is approved for cats over 12 weeks old and dogs. It comes as a liquid, which is applied to the skin between the shoulder blades at 30-day intervals.

TIP: Cats are very sensitive to insecticides and only products specifically labeled for cats should be used. Your vet will be able to recommend the best product for your pet.

FACT: Vaccines are available for people and dogs living in high-risk areas. and after treatment.

Copyright 2007 Dr. Carol Osborne

Get FREE pet advice from Dr. Carol at http://CarolonPets.com/

Visit Dr. Carol’s blog at http://CarolonPets.com/blog/

Buy PAAWS and VitaLife dog and cat vitamin supplements and other pet health products at http://DrCarol.com/

The Lyme disease is quite a new disease. It has been found recently in the north and western parts of the US. The alarming think about this disease is that it can be transmitted form dogs to humans quite easily.

Since 1975 this disease has been a constant sign of concern in all the states of the United States of America.

The source of infection

The source is a microscopic parasite also named deer tick. The white-footed mice and the white tailed deer are the main hosts. When the mice or the deer is in the wood area or areas with plants, the tick attached itself to the body of the hosts. These ticks don’t fly or jump. They just sit there and wait for the host to carry them out.

Attack method

The ticks can attack a dog almost everywhere on the body. They can attach themselves to ears, neck, feat or head. The tick bites are not painful, they are like a bee sting. It is quite common that an infected dog doesn’t show distress from the tick bites.

The symptoms

The infected dog will show an elevated temperature. He can also be restless and show a bit of limping. Other symptoms that follow are the pain, warmth and joint swelling. Also, it is hard to notice, but underneath the dog’s coat, some inflammated areas can appear.

That is where the tick has bitten the skin. Make a habit of checking the dog’s skin form time to time and watch out for these symptoms.

The treatment

Once you have spotted some symptoms, take the dog straight to the doctor. The vet will diagnose the dog and give him the right medication. Don’t wait a while before taking the dog to the vet. The Lyme disease can easily spread to you too and in advanced stages it can even kill the dog.

Serious repercussions happen if it is left untreated. The dog can even get paralyzed on his limbs. After attacking the front and then the back limbs, the disease will for sure attack the chest muscles and disable them. This means the dog will no longer be able to breath on his own. He will choke and die of asphyxiation.

Learn more about lyme disease in dogs, causes of lyme disease in dogs and effective treatment for lyme disease in dogs at LymeDiseaseInDogs.Net.

Exercise is important for everyone including your pet. Too much confinement can result in stress, emotional and behavioral problems, and a generally unhappy dog.

Unhappy dogs result from negative environments, experiences, and inconsistent interaction with their owners, along with a lack of exercise, an unstable routine, inappropriate social interactions, and underemployment where the instinctual desires to perform an activity are not met.

Emotional stress and loneliness alter neurochemical and vascular functions and can increase susceptibility to major diseases.

A lack of exercise leads to obesity, poor muscle tone, heart, bone, and emotional problems.

The opposite scenario occurs with exercise. Exercise leads to longer life, increased strength and endurance. Your dog will rest more calmly and be less nervous when left alone. Exercise can improve dog bone and joint health, heart, and lung function.

Your dog’s metabolism is geared for field work, pulling sleds, or other vigorous tasks.  Pent-up energy demands an outlet and it is up to the responsible dog caregiver to channel this energy constructively through exercise.

The most effective exercise engages both mind and body.

It’s important to understand what your dog’s instinctual traits are and incorporate them into activities and exercise. For a working breed, performing a task would be naturally satisfying, possibly pulling a wagon or carrying a pack with your water bottle. For a retriever breed, engage your dog in ball throwing and retrieving.

Do not make the mistake of thinking that dogs need a big yard to get plenty of exercise.

The truth is that most dogs do not exercise when they are alone outside or indoors; they spend most of their time lying in a comfortable spot waiting for “their guardians” to play with them.

Exercising with your dog creates a human-dog bond in which the dog will sense you care as a good pack leader, which will make your dog happy.

A brief daily walk sometimes is not enough.

The exercise you choose for your dog should depend on the age, weight, health and breed characteristics. A Border Collie or Parson Russell Terrier needs more play and exercise than an English Bulldog or Pug.

For small dogs, vigorous play activity for exercise can be accomplished indoors; for larger breeds, outdoor activity needs to be given unless the weather is especially dangerous or conditions are too extreme. 

Daily exercise is recommended and is a great stress reliever.

Dogs on average should be exercised aerobically for at least 20-30 minutes each day, of course taking into consideration health and age limitations, unless there is a medical problem or a pregnancy.

Keep in mind that obese dogs and those with heart and lung diseases may have a problem, and be sure to consult with your vet before starting any exercise regime.

Healthy dogs need interaction with other dogs and people for proper socialization. Dog parks are great for this and some of them allow the dogs to play and walk unleashed. If you participate in off-leash activities, be sure you are in control and can reliably recall your dog.

Your exercise should include activities the dog finds stimulating and enjoys — games of catch, long walks, jogging, swimming and biking. A Ruff Dawg K9 flying disc is similar to a Frisbee, only more rugged, flexible and non-toxic for on-land or in water. Try a simple game with a rope tug toy, a Hyper Disc which is floatable, durable and soft on your dog’s mouth, or a Hyper Ball Launcher that allows you to launch a ball up to 220 feet. These and other quality dog exercise toys are available at CalloftheDogShop.com

Caution should be used when exercising in the hot weather.

All dogs, especially those with heart and lung ailments and dogs with thick hair coats will likely have trouble with hot and humid conditions.

Use precaution when temperatures are approaching and greater than 100 degrees and for at-risk pets when approaching and at 90 degrees. Exercise your dog in the early morning or evening and when the temperature is less than 80 degrees and humidity heat index is less then 30 percent. When the heat index greater then 72 use precaution for at-risk breeds. Any relative-humidity reading above 17 % will make the heat index higher if the actual temperature is above approximately 68 degrees, and full sunshine can increase heat index values by up to 15 degrees. Always avoid hot and humid conditions.

Dogs do not get rid of heat the way we do.

Sweat cools our skin; however, dogs do not sweat. They have a few sweat glands in their feet, but mostly they dissipate heat through their paws and mouths.

Dogs do not dissipate heat as fast as we can, which makes heat stroke a real possible danger. While they are having fun, many dogs will run themselves even to the point of collapse, which can prove to be fatal. Limit sun exposure during the mid-day hours and provide plenty of water in a shady area

People assume that if your dog is in water, your pet won’t overheat. This just isn’t true when the water temperature gets much above 75 degrees and if the dog is working hard in the water.

Keep in mind that searing hot asphalt is not good for your dog’s paws.

Consult your veterinarian before you decide on a fitness program for your pet.

CalloftheDogShop.com specializes in DOG EXERCISE TOYS, and supplies for all pet needs.
We have existed as a company since 1985, but it was a love of dogs that inspired the creation of CalloftheDog.com and CalloftheDogShop.com. Be sure to see our About Us page.

In dogs bladder tumors are a rare occurrence. Bladder tumors are of two different forms, one is potentially fatal while the other is benign. To ensure your dog remains healthy and free from such tumors continue reading this article.

The symptoms of bladder tumors in dogs are as follows:

1. The dog may go to the toilet a lot more than usual
2. There will be a slight amount of blood in the urine produced.
3. They dog may struggle to produce any urine.

As mentioned above there are two different forms of bladder tumors one being malignant which can be potentially life threatening while the other being benign. The benign or non progressive type of bladder tumors usually leaves the tissue which surrounds the growth relatively unharmed and does not spread to other parts of the body.

Squamous cell carcinomas and transitional cell carcinomas are the two most common types of bladder tumors . Both of these are highly malignant which means that they may spread to other parts of the body. Polyps are very rare but unlike the two mentioned above they are benign and do not spread to other parts of the body.

To make sure that the dog remains healthy any such growth will be need to removed. Complications arise depending on where the tumors is located inside the body. If it is close to an organ or a vital body part then the risks of surgery increase.

Treatment is not really effective when it comes to dealing with cancer and tumors in a dog’s bladder and this can prove to be a very costly option. Most people try and keep their dog on antibiotics and painkillers to try to relieve the pain as much as possible as the dog begins to suffer and then on a later stage the dog is put down as humanely as possible.

Your vet may conduct a number of tests such as ultrasound scans, x-rays and even passing a camera through the bladder of the dog. Only after all these tests will the vet know for sure whether the dog has been affected by a tumors or not. To determine the type of tumors the dog has the vet will have to conduct a biopsy.

If it is a polyp tumors then it will require surgery to be removed. Potential complications arise depending on the location of the tumors . If it is located at the bladder neck skilled surgery or complicated reconstruction would be required to keep the connection between the bladder and the urethra intact and even if the surgery goes as planned there are always chances that the dog may become incontinent for a short while after the surgery.

If the tumors is either squamous cell carcinomas or transitional cell carcinomas the vet will have to conduct further x-rays of the abdomen and the chest in order to determine how far the tumors cells have spread.

If the vet has determined that the tumors hasn’t spread then they may try and remove the malignant cell. Of course there are many difficulties and risks in doing this. A Lot of healthy tissue may need to be removed in order to remove a cancerous tumors from the dog’s body and to be certain that all the effected cells have been removed. This results in the vet having a lot less room to work with as compared to the polyp tumors . It is also likely that vital body parts and organs will cause hindrance.

Most vets will still try to remove the tumors first and then use chemotherapy and radiation to remove the remaining cancerous cells. A histopathologist will decide the type of therapy depending on the samples given to them

For more information on dog bladder tumors or Dog Health take a look at this Dog Behaviour website.

Is your dog sick? What are your dog’s symptoms? We all know that your dog can’t tell you if it feels bad (at least not in so many words), so it’s your responsibility to take care of your dog and to understand when your dog is feeling bad.

Just how do you do that? Well, the best thing I can suggest to you is to know exactly how your dog feels when it is not sick. If you know this, and you know it well, you will be able to tell the difference when your dog is really sick without anyone else having to tell you otherwise.

When your dog feels bad he will probably exhibit some sort of symptom that should communicate to you, if you’re really paying attention, that he does not feel well. What is a symptom? Well, to be precise, a symptom is often defined as “a physical sign that a disease or sickness is present”. Knowing exactly what kind of symptoms your dog has can usually guide your veterinarian toward diagnosing your pet illness.

Here are just a few of the more common symptoms your dog may exhibit if it is injured or feels “under the weather”, including: vomiting, diarrhea, going off it’s food, stumbling, seizing, drooling or limping.

The ability of recognizing your dogs symptoms and knowing when they need to be treated professionally is very important. This is a skill that everyone does not have but learning it can be the difference between life and death in many instances. The best thing I can tell you is to watch carefully. If your dog exhibits any thing out of the ordinary, and if that symptom continues or worsens over time, then it could very well become a problem.

Certain symptoms, such as seizures, breathing problems, or any kind of collapse should prompt you to get your dog a veterinary exam immediately. If there is ever any kind of doubt about the seriousness of any symptom then please contact your veterinarian or local veterinary emergency facility immediately and ask. Don’t wait to see if it’ll go away on it’s own. Explain the symptoms to the pet professional and ask for their advice. It is always better to be safe than sorry if you’re not sure whether or not your dog is in serious trouble.

There are all sorts of serious symptoms that should never be ignored in your dog. Potentially any of these symptoms could easily indicate an underlying disease and might even be your first clue to the presence of a life-threatening conditioning in your dog. You never know. So, here are a few symptoms that should never be ignored if you see them in your own dog!

Seizure. A seizure is often a symptom of some sort of neurological disorder. They can be caused by several things including epilepsy, toxins or tumors. Contact your veterinarian immediately.

Collapse or Fainting. Any reasons for collapse or fainting should always be considered serious and should not be ignored. Contact your veterinarian immediately.

Breathing Problems. Respiratory distress, labored or difficult breathing or even shortness of breath are all very serious symptoms and should be taken care of immediately.

Bloated or Distended Abdomen. Abdominal distension is an abnormal enlargement of the abdominal cavity and can often be a symptom of potentially life-threatening disease. Contact your veterinarian immediately.

Unproductive Vomiting. Dogs that attempt to vomit over and over and are never able to bring anything up is very serious. You should call your veterinarian immediately.

Trouble Urinating. This can range from: straining to urinate, frequently attempting to urinate, or even great discomfort when urinating. This can be very serious. Contact your veterinarian immediately.

Bruising and/or Bleeding. This should be evaluated immediately by your veterinarian.

Not Eating or Loss of Appetite. This is often the first indication of illness in your dog. This should be evaluated immediately by your veterinarian.

Pacing and Restlessness. In dogs, pacing and/or restlessness can usually be indicative of pain, discomfort or distress in your dog. In many cases it an indicator of a serious problem. This should be evaluated immediately by your veterinarian.

Losing Weight. There are several causes for this, if you’re not actually trying to help your dog lose extra pounds – some of which can be very serious. This should be evaluated immediately by your veterinarian.

Urinating and Drinking Excessively. Either of these are often the early signs of several diseases such as: kidney failure, diabetes, thyroid problems, uterine infections, etc. If you think that your dog is drinking excessively, make an appointment with your veterinarian immediately.

Fever. The normal temperature in dogs is 100.5 to 102.5 degrees Fahrenheit. If your dogs temperature is higher, call your veterinarian asap.

Excessive coughing. Don’t think that this is no big deal. Coughing is a common protective reflex to clear the throat, etc. It can also affect the respiratory system if the coughing is excessive. Common causes of excessive coughing can be quite severe, such as: an obstruction in the windpipe, heartworm disease, bronchitis, pneumonia, lung tumors, kennel cough or even heart failure. This should be evaluated immediately by your veterinarian.

Bloody Diarrhea – Bloody Urine – Bloody Vomit. Any of these should be evaluated by your veterinarian as soon as possible. Some may be the result of minor ailments, while others could be severe or even life threatening. Contact your veterinarian immediately.

While the list of dog symptoms above is not at all all-inclusive, it is meant to be merely a resource of symptoms of which you should always be aware of as a dog owner. Keep an eye on your dogs health in much the same way you would do so for your own child and you will be well on your way to a long and lasting relationship with your own dog. Your dogs health is important so watch for any symptoms your dog may exhibit closely and be ready to act on them as necessary.

If you’d like to learn even more about your dogs health and how to keep your dog healthy, please check into the book called Veterinary Secrets at: http://www.veterinarysecretsrevealed.com for more information or visit my website at: http://www.pedigreedpups.com

The disadvantage of being a dog is – dogs cannot express fully whenever they feel pain or in what level of pain they are in. They can just give off hints that they are experiencing such; however, if we are really not that attentive to their feelings, we won’t easily acknowledge that they are anguished. Oftentimes, they are just left in agony. The only solution is to bring your dogs to their veterinarians and have a constant check up as much as possible, so that they can be given prescriptions on dog pain medications.

Mostly, dogs are the most favored pets because of their smartness and faithfulness. They are famously called and considered man’s best friends. They show their complete loyalty especially if they were treated nicely by their owners. And due to that, pet owners become very fond of them, that they eventually don’t notice at all that their pets are growing older, despite of their unchanging appearances. There’s no immediate physical alteration, unlike people. And obviously, if one starts to step on aging, various ailments can also come to them.

As a responsible pet owner, you must be attuned to your pet’s health condition and needs. Obviously, they are incapable of telling that they are suffering from grievances. But because of a dog’s exceptional ability, they can somehow voice out their pain through crying or whimpering. But it is not always advisable to wait for your dogs to exhibit such ability because there are some that shows off their pain until it’s too late. So be very heedful.

One of the most common dog pains is arthritis. Like aging people, dogs experience such disorder too. In order to avoid such ailment, be sure to give your dogs the proper supplements and vitamins to get rid of early pain experience.

Simple acts like running, walking, or getting into the car, or simply letting him rise to greet you can already become extremely painful for your pets. The possibility of personality changes, withdrawal and crabbiness can be seen from your pets.

A good indicator that a dog is in pain is when he has changes in temperament. Your dog may become uneasy and violent when they are in pain. So the best thing to do is to inform your veterinarians so that proper administration of treatments can be given to your suffering dogs.

It is not advisable to diagnose any treatments to your dogs when they are experiencing something not good. There are treatments that can trigger your pet’s hidden allergies. Do not give any medication when you know yourself that you are not an expert at it.

Dog pain should not be taken for granted. If we love them, we should make sure that we give them the best of all we have. As loving pet owners, we normally feel everything they feel especially when they are in pain. We are just lucky to have lived in this modern age as there are dog pain medications that are always available anytime, anywhere – whether it be just near your place or online. Just make sure that before you buy any medication, vet consultation and advice is a better option to take first.

To learn more about the different types of pet meds for your dogs, cats, horse, etc., and how to get discount and cheap pet medications, make sure to visit http://www.callpetmeds.com where you will find everything on getting quality yet affordable pet medications.

Alex was a happy dog. Always seeming to smile and even sometimes laugh at my early morning antics as I rushed about to get off to work. The one thing he never laughed about was the few times I actually forgot to leave his breakfast. I would rush home on my lunch hour and there he would be…staring at me with that quizzical, head-cocked–to-the-side look…as if I had lost what was left of my mind.

His ire would usually last an entire minute and then he would be his old happy-go-lucky self again. I was sure a few times I could hear him thinking, “This better be the last dam time you make me eat breakfast for lunch”.

When Alex died of spleen cancer last year, he was only 5 years old…still a puppy.

My vet said that the only thing he could think of that would cause such a thing to develop and kill Alex so quickly was probably just bad genes. I asked him to repeat himself. I actually thought he had said that Alex died because I didn’t buy Gloria Vanderbilts for myself.

He said that Alex probably just had a proclivity for the disease already in his body from the day he was born. I couldn’t believe that. He was too happy to NOT be healthy. So I started my research. I was determined to find out what really happened to Alex. He was my friend. I felt I owed him that much.

It was shortly after I started scouring the internet for whatever I could find on cancers of dogs that I read a very shocking report of why thousands of dogs die early and painful deaths unnecessarily.

It was me. I had killed Alex. And I had killed him with my ignorance. I had always thought that I was doing so well with him. I fed him ONLY canned dog food, never dry…even though that got expensive as heck. I did it because I thought it was better for him.

I never fed him human food, except for an occasional steak bone. Something large with which he could get a good chew session going. And I always fed him at about the same time every day, three times a day (usually).

So what did I do that was so wrong? How did I murder my best friend?

When I read one of the cans of dog food that was still in my cabinet, it said,”…not recommended as a main source of diet for your dog”.

What?!

Since when isn’t dog food to be used as food for dogs?

I learned that day that most dog foods contain some horrible, horrible things that are banned from human consumption because they are known carcinogens (cancer causing agents).

I cried for days after that day. I cried for Alex and I cried for myself. If only I had had some inkling that something was wrong with what I was feeding him. I assumed that it had to be good for him because it was so expensive. Little did I know.

But now I do know. And although it is too late for Alex and me…there is still hope for you and your dog if you want to extend his life or just stop it from being cut short unnecessarily.

I couldn’t save Alex and I couldn’t bring to light any media exposure on this corrupt company, but what I can do is help other people who love their dogs to keep them.

They can’t stop me from doing that.

So go and watch the video…it may help save your dog’s life.

And, don’t you owe him or her that much?

Lynne Gordon
I am striving to save the world – one person, one cat and one dog at a time.

If you are looking for simple answers and facts for heartworm in canines you have come to the right article. As they say there will be no spin here. Canine heartworms are a serious condition that should be taken seriously for our pets. Imagine being armed with this information and some great home remedies in the process for all kinds of ailments and illnesses that affect our dogs.

You are intelligent enough to know that conventional medicines can have serious side effects which sometimes can be as bad as the symptoms of the disease itself. That is why many people are turning away from conventional medicines as a choice for treatment. More on that later so now to the facts.

WHAT CAUSES HEARTWORMS IN CANINES

Heartworms are caused in our pets when our pets are bitten by mosquitoes which have become infected with heartworms from biting other infected animals.  A number of animals can be host to heartworms. They include dogs, cats, wolves, coyotes, foxes, ferrets, sea lions and even humans.  When the infected mosquito bites our pets the mosquito deposits larvae into the skin of our pets. The larvae are from the parasitic roundworm known as dirofilaria immitis. The larvae migrate to the heart and within 6 months they hatch or transform into worms that look like pieces of thread. The heartworms can in found in the chambers of the heart and in the two main arteries leading to the heart (Pulmonary artery and vena cava). From there they move to other parts of the body including the lungs and liver.

HEARTWORM SYMPTOMS FOR HEARTWORMS IN CANINES

Breathing difficulties Coughing Vomiting Weight loss Collapse Convulsions Sudden death Tiredness Decreased appetite Heart failure Difficulty exercising Bloody sputum Loss of consciousness Abnormal lung sounds May take years after initial infection to show up

VETERINARY ADVICE ON HEARTWORM MEDICATION FOR HEARTWORM IN CANINES

Because heartworms are such a serious issue you should not administer heartworm medication without consulting your veterinarian. It is just that simple. While you can also use home remedies to fend off heartworms infesting your pets these should be used at the advice of your veterinarian.

Many current medications produce harmful side effects in our pets. That is why a growing number of concerned pet owners have decided to use natural remedies. Many natural remedies work quite well and save you a bunch of money in the process. Read on through the last paragraph and find out home remedy secrets that are safe and effective.

Are you making any of the classic pet treatment mistakes which will cause you to improperly treat heartworm in canines? I hate to admit it but I have made most if not all of them myself. Find out what they are and how to avoid them by visiting http://www.natural-and-herbal-dog-remedies.com right now before you do any serious harm to your pet. They are a member of the family also.