Raindrops on the ground, a warm cup of tea, and some snacks remind us of the oh-so-lovely monsoon season and the bliss it brings. But did you know, along with happiness and peace, this season comes forward with challenges for our fur babies that are relatively easy to prevent but tougher to face? Have you ever wondered what the various challenges that this season brings are? How can you protect your pets from dangers and ensure they are well shielded from all the odds? You have come to the right place. Yes, in today’s blog, let us uncover some of the infections and diseases our pets might attract during this monsoon season and how to shield them against the same. Good sanitary practices are a responsibility and a proactive measure to keep your pets healthy.
Understanding Ticks: A Common Monsoon Menace
Ticks, minor blood-sucking bugs, are ectoparasitic and harm a wide range of animals. They are parasites that live on the body or skin, deriving nutrients from the host and depriving them of their natural energy source. Ticks are dangerous little bugs that attach to the host’s body and suck blood.
‘Ectoparasites’ is a medical term which means Ecto: outside Parasite: harmful organism. Fleas and lice are examples of ectoparasites, ticks, and mites. Ticks are dangerous little bugs that attach to the body of the host and suck blood. They derive nutrition from a process called haematophagy, a self-explanatory word. Haem: Blood and Phagy: to eat.
Disease Storehouse:
Ticks carry infectious agents like the protozoa Babesia, which causes the deadly Tick Fever. Ticks also carry other infectious agents such as Ehrlichia canis which again contributes to Babesia damage, i.e., Tick Fever] and cause diseases such as hepatozoonosis and anaplasmosis.
Watch Out For Signs:
Signs and symptoms vary for each individual, but roughly, you can observe the following signs and symptoms-
1. Fever
2. Lethargy and anorexia
3. Vomiting/ diarrhoea
4. Change in behaviour
Ensure Protection By:
You can always adopt healthy practices that ensure 360-degree protection. Here are some tips you can follow.
1. Use of anti-tick and flea shampoos
2. Use of anti-tick and flea sprays
3. Use of medicated anti-tick collars
4. Use spot-ons, which generally protect your pets for approximately 30 days.
5. Use drugs your vet suggests [such as fluralaner, etc.]. These drugs generally offer protection against ticks-fleas for 3-6 months.
6. Adopting the habit of cleaning your dogs’ paws after walks.
7. Brushing the coat of your dog every day or every alternative day
Fun Fact: Brushing your pet’s coat will help you keep an eye on ticks and fleas and make your furry friend happy! It is a great option to increase the Pet Parent-Pet Bond.
2. The Frustrating Fleas
Fleas are small bodi, ed- flightless insects that are also grouped under the family of ectoparasites. They are very similar to ticks however fleas are ectoparasites and live by consuming blood from their hosts. However, a striking difference between ticks and fleas is that these ticks get attached to the body [skin] where they suck blood, whereas fleas do not attach themselves to the skin; instead, they suck blood and keep on moving or running on the fur- skin.
Watch Out For Signs:
1. Intense itching and scratching
2. Redness on the skin [belly area]
3. Restlessness
4. Red bumps on the skin
5. Rough hair coat
Ensure Protection By:
The same protocol can be followed as anti-tick prevention, as mentioned previously.
- By use of spot-on
- By use of medicated shampoos [anti tick and flea]
- By adopting good grooming practices [brushing their coat often]
- Not allowing your pets to roam in dirty bushes
3. Worm Infection
Small creatures possess the power to create havoc in our pets’ lives. Worms! Yes, various forms of worms are potentially harmful; let’s focus on tapeworms mainly. Tapeworms primarily affect the small intestines. They derive nutrition from the host’s body, depleting its energy resources.
What happens is that our pets’ being inquisitive beings, tend to sniff the surroundings, which is a very natural process. Some pets do have a vice of licking or picking random objects when they are out for a walk. The eggs of tapeworms could easily be found on unclean contaminated water or foodstuff (which is contaminated by the feces of affected animals), so when your pet licks/drinks or picks up random objects, it affects your pet adversely. Tapeworm infection and various bacterial and gastrointestinal infections could also set in.
It is important to note that puppies are more often affected than adults. One reason could be immunity. Puppies are very fragile and thus need to be protected. Tapeworm infection could be straightforward to tackle but can become life-threatening if not taken care of in the early stages.
On the other hand, as mentioned before, fleas that reside on your furry friend’s fur also carry the tapeworm life stage within themselves. What? Yes. Tapeworm lifecycle is rather complex; fleas are known to have the life stage of dog tapeworm Dipylidium caninum. So when irritated by fleas, your dog might accidentally ingest a flea, which in the digestive system releases tapeworm. Complex cycle?
To summarise –
1. Tapeworm or worm load can happen via unclean surrounding
2. Accidental ingestion of fleas can end up causing tapeworm infection
3. You may observe your pet is losing weight despite a significant healthy diet
4. You may observe a cucumber seed-like structure in your dogs’ feces (which is the proglottid of tapeworm)
5. You may observe your dog is scooting, has a rough hair coat
Ensure Protection By:
1. Following routine deworming protocol
2. Ensure a Vet has routinely checked your pet for worm load- or any other associated condition.
- Gastrointestinal Diseases
With the monsoon comes the storm of gastrointestinal infections. It is common in humans to have tummy upset, diarrhoea, and vomiting when we eat food from street vendors during monsoon season. However, it’s not street food for our dogs, but it is street garbage. As mentioned above, we are expected to observe our dogs sniffing or picking random objects from the trash in tapeworm infections. Such behaviour should be discouraged, or your dog might have a viral or bacterial infection. Primary bacterial infections are commonly seen, with E.coli bacteria being the most notorious.
What Do You Observe:
1. Your dog is vomiting (please make sure you know what the contents of vomitus are, how frequently they are vomiting, and the colour of the vomitus- as this may help in establishing a good diagnosis)
2. Diarrhoea, the most common outcome
3. Anorexia, as they refuse to eat food or water
4. Weight loss and listlessness
5. Behavioural changes
6. They may exhibit signs of pain in the abdominal areas
Ensure Protection By:
1. Walking your dog on a leash as this provides you control over them, and they will walk wherever you allow them to.
2. Behavioural training. It’s a myth that only puppies can be trained. Even adult dogs can and will listen to you if you are firm and bold with your instructions. Yes, dogs understand what you speak, so next time they try to go near garbage, say NO loud and clear and pull them back so they will know that this is not to be done.
3. If your dog gets gastrointestinal upset, please do not delay this further and take your pet to the nearest vet as soon as possible. Gastrointestinal conditions can quickly deteriorate as the immune system goes down; hence, secondary infections can soon set in.
So, there we go; these were the few most commonly found diseases and infections your furry friend might face. These diseases are preventable and curable. However, as vigilant pet parents, we must put a stop sign in front of the infection and not let it take its course. Make sure you are protecting your pets from all the harmful pathogens by adopting the three ‘Good.’
1. Good sanitary practices
2. Good training- behavioural practices
3. Good self-education and enlightenment.
Good sanitary practices imply that you must adopt and follow suitable sanitation protocols—washing or cleaning paws after walking, brushing their coat, giving weekly or bi-weekly baths, following the routine deworming protocol, offering clean water after each meal, etc.
Good training -behavioural practices imply that you are training your paw friend and guiding them whenever and wherever necessary. Lastly, a good education means that you, as a pet parent, are educating yourself about such conditions and threats and ensuring you have the required action plan ready. For example, you have an idea about tick fever; you have your veterinarian’s number handy, and you also have an emergency first aid kit handy(on consultation with your vet) so that even if your pet falls sick during odd hours, you have the necessary tool kit ready.
Do not worry. Monsoon is a great season, as it brings forth new life, fruits, leaves, and hopes. Enjoy the season with your furry friend. Enjoy that sip of tea (no tea/coffee for your furry friend!!). Cuddle up in a warm blanket and enjoy these beautiful moments of life with your best friend, who is well-protected and happy.
