By Anirudh Narendra Nath
When you see the word ‘parasite’, what comes to mind? A slimy writhing leech, greedily sucking blood? Multi-legged critters scratching away at the skin? Worms burrowing further and further into a body?
While shadowing at a veterinary clinic, I got to learn more about what parasites affect dogs and cats, and the various diseases they can afflict. Let’s take a deeper look at what exactly these parasites do, and how to get rid of them. For those with an aversion to tiny, twitching, many-legged monstrosities, this might be a bit graphic.
The cartoon portrayal of parasites, especially fleas, has been something along the lines of -“black spot springs out of fur as dog continuously scratches itself.” Ticks are at the other end of the spectrum, with horrifyingly disgusting pictures of their swollen, blood filled abdomens on the internet. Are these images and portrayals accurate? Let’s take a look at the distinguishing features of 4 different parasites, as well as the diseases they can cause, based on my experience at the clinic.
Perhaps one of the most well-known parasites, fleas are commonly associated with scratching and infestations. Notorious blood-suckers, fleas are one of the primary causes of skin diseases in cats and dogs. In terms of appearance, fleas are slightly long, similar in shape to a thin seed.
These insects are just as happy feasting on human blood, too - intense itching and infections as a result of scratching are possible afflictions. They can also cause allergic reactions, and some may carry tapeworms. Eradicating them from your house is vital, as they can transfer to anyone who comes and goes.
Mites are extremely small parasites - they can only be seen under a microscope. They are
noted to cause skin lesions, including redness, bald patches and flaky regions. In one case I witnessed, a kitten came into the clinic with very dirty ears - there were noticeable patches of black gunk throughout the canal, along with white spots here and there - these spots, I would later be told, are groups of mites. The kitten’s ears were cleaned out with a swab and cleansing solution - again reinforcing how regular ear cleaning is vital to any pet’s health.
The clinic I went to said that they did not encounter too many lice - however, there was a case where a dog came in with lice on it. The lice were not as distinguishable as the fleas, yet they were more visible than the mites. They appeared akin to dust specks on the dog’s fur, and came loose after a few comb strokes. Similar to mites, lice can cause skin lesions and related irritations.
Onto arguably the most disgusting and distinguishable of the bunch - ticks. Prior to actually
having seen a tick, I was informed of the size differences between the different parasites. Multiple doctors told me that ticks were easily distinguishable - their legs could be individually seen moving, and that they had to be firmly grasped and tugged out of an animal’s fur. In one case, a dog came in with ticks. After the dog and its owners left, I noticed a black speck on the ground. Upon closer inspection, I noted its size and distinct kegs and realized it was a tick. After informing the doctors, it was promptly squished to prevent it from potentially transferring to another animal. Ticks can cause tick fever in animals, wherein the red blood count and the platelet count drops below the usual level, typically leading to anemia.
How does one deal with so many parasites? In the clinic, the animals were sprayed with a
solution called “Spot-On”, which wards off any parasites residing on the skin. However, the
animal cannot bathe for 8 to 10 days after applying the solution, or it might get washed away. Typical pet hygiene also applies - prevent animals from going into extremely dense or wild undergrowth, as there may be insects hiding amongst the leaves. Owners should also regularly check their animal’s fur and clean the animal’s ears for early signs of parasites. Some actions such as frequent head shaking or scratching are also important to look out for and could be indicative of parasites. In extreme cases, scratching of the ears can cause aural hematoma (blood pooling and swelling of the ear due to burst capillaries, usually caused by ticks).
In a world where selectively bred animals have become normalized and genetic diseases can be found relatively easily, owners should keep the factors they can control in check to minimize and prevent any possible suffering their animal may experience. Keeping these creepy crawly bloodsuckers as far away from your animals and household as possible will prevent complications from arising for not just your animal, but potentially yourself as well.
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