Flea Allergy in Collies
In this article, you can find information on:
Secondary infections linked to flea allergy
Flea allergy dermatitis treatment
Fleas are small, brown, wingless parasitic insects that feed on the blood of your collie.
When your collie is bitten by fleas, a small amount of saliva is injected into the skin to prevent blood coagulation.
Causes of Flea Allergy Dermatitis
The saliva of the fleas can cause the most common skin disease in collies known as flea allergy dermatitis. This can lead to secondary skin infections from the biting and scratching done to ease the itching. Scratching may not occur if your collie does not have sensitive skin or is not allergic to fleas.
However, this does not mean that your collie is free from flea allergy dermatitis. In fact, a large number of fleas may be residing on your collie without your knowledge.
Flea Allergy Dermatitis Symptoms
Severe itching and scratching are common flea allergy dermatitis symptoms that can be observed if your collie is affected.
Commonly affected areas include:
Abdomen
Lower back
Base of the tail
Secondary Infections linked to Flea Allergy
Excessive scratching and biting due to the irritation can create additional problems such as:
Permanent hair loss
Since your main concern is to relieve your collie’s discomfort, you should choose flea allergy treatment products that can kill the adult fleas and eliminate as many stages of the flea life cycle as possible.
There are 2 categories of flea allergy products in the market that can fit the bill. The first category known as insect growth regulators (IGRs), focuses on disrupting the growth of fleas by killing the flea larva and eggs.
The other one known as adulticide, actually works on killing the adult fleas. Both spot-on and oral products are available for this category.
Spot-on products are usually applied on your collie’s skin between the shoulders, after which the medication is absorbed and distributed throughout the body. Fleas that come into contact with the skin are killed in less than no time.
Some veterinarians recommend the use of an adulticide and insect growth regulator as a more complete method of flea allergy treatment.
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Author
Lawrence & Andy founded Reviews-Corner.net. You can also expect to find more information and tips on various topics related to dogs & babies at http://www.reviews-corner.net
What Next? Read more!
- Flea Remedy – What Effective Products Available?
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- Canine Parvovirus - a Serious Cantagious Disease in Dogs
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October 20th, 2008 at 3:01 pm
I have had terrible problems with fleas and I tried all the vet products and the best of them only lasted 7 days. Also I did a Google search and found that these products are insectacides and fleas become immune (remember DDT) and you have to get something stronger and whats worse is some dogs have very bad reactions to these products. Do a Google search “Advantix killed my dog” in the quotes and you will get an eye opener. So from my search I found Neem oil and Neem powder and these natural herbs handled my flea problem. Check out http://www.purelynaturalpets.com