Fleas, Ticks, Ear Mites and Mange - Frontline and Stronghold from online chemists

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We use a frontline spray on our pups before 8 weeks. So you do not need to think about this again until 12 weeks. The best reminder is to ask your vetwhen you go for the second vaccination. We recommend Stronghold drops which are administered to the back of the pup's neck once a month. Stronghold is too strong for our young pups which is why we use Frontline, but in the long-term we think Stronghold offers more comprehensive protection. This is especially true if you have cats or foxes/wildlife in your garden. Again avoiding areas with foxes until 12 weeks old + is adviseable due to the risk of parvo, but also to avoid picking up mange.

How to detect and prevent fleas?

Fleas are small brown wingless insects, with powerful legs for jumping.  They live off animals by biting them and drinking their blood.  If they can't find an animal to bite, our blood will do nicely.  You are more likely to see fleas in the summer time, as they don't like the cold weather.  Fleas also carry diseases including tapeworm so its impossible to thoroughly de-worm your puppy unless flea treatment is administered as well. Ensure your pup has been treated with either frontline or stronghold (the two strongest treatments breeders can get from a vet). We dont recommend any current over-the-counter flea treatments though we are hopeful that the stronger ones wil be available without prescription soon as I understand the laws on this are under review. Monthly Frontline/Stronghold drops on back of neck will prevent fleas on the dog and also should prevent any infestation in the house.

How to detect and prevent/treat mange?

Sarcoptic mange, commonly known as canine scabies is caused by the parasite Sarcoptes scabiei . These microscopic mites can invade the skin of healthy dogs or puppies and create a variety of skin problems, the most common of which is hair loss and severe itching. They can infect other animals (cats, foxes etc) and even humans, but they prefer dogs. Fortunately, it is easily controlled. We use Stronghold for combined flea/mange control.

Basically the mange mites burrow into the dog's skin and lays eggs, the eggs hatch and mature, they then mate and burrow - the cycle continues taking 2-3 weeks on average each time, but obviously multiplying in numbers dramatically. The symptoms are varied but usually include hair loss and severe itching on the elbows, ears, armpits, hocks, chest, and belly. Small red pustules often develop along with yellow crust on the skin. The poor host dog expereinces severe itching and naturally scratches and soon the skin becomes traumatized with sores and infections developing. If the infection goes on untreated or is mistakenly treated as an allergy, the skin may darken due to the constant irritation. Sarcoptic mange is a common infection though many cases are first misdiagnosed as severe atopy (inhalant allergy). Vets usually take skin scraping to identify the mites under the microscope however studies have said that only 20% of dogs with mange will show mites on any given scraping so a negative test does not rule out mange. If the mites decides to live on a 2 legged animal for a change then this will cause us a rash on the wrists, elbows, or between the fingers. In infants, the rash may appear on the head, neck, or body. Delightful.