| External At some point in their lives, many boxers experience discomfort caused by external parasites such as fleas, ticks, or mites on their skin or in their ears. These parasites can be extremely irritating to boxers and can cause serious skin problems or even carry disease. Although the following provides basic information about the most common external parasites, we are your best source of advice regarding your boxer's needs. Modern medicines make treatment, control, and prevention of many external parasites much easier than in the past. Fleas Fleas thrive when the weather is warm and humid. Depending on your climate, fleas may be a seasonal or year-round problem. Your boxer can pick up fleas wherever an infestation exists, often in areas frequented by other cats and boxers. Adult fleas are dark brown, no bigger than a sesame seed, and able to move rapidly over your boxer's skin.
Adult fleas live their entire lives on your boxer. Female fleas begin laying eggs within 24 hours of selecting your boxer as a host, producing up to 50 eggs each day. These eggs fall from your boxer onto the floor or furniture, including your boxer's bed, or onto any other indoor or outdoor area where your boxer happens to be. Tiny worm-like larvae hatch from the eggs and, to avoid sunlight, burrow into carpet, under furniture, or into soil before spinning a cocoon. The cocooned flea pupae can lie dormant for weeks before emerging as adults, ready to infest your boxer. This gives fleas a life cycle of anywhere from 12 days to 6 months. Knowing where fleas develop helps you to efficiently break their life cycle. Flea Risk
You might not even know that your boxer has fleas until their number increases to the point that your boxer is visibly uncomfortable. Signs of flea problems range from mild irritation to severe itching that can lead to open sores and skin infection. One of the first things you might notice on a boxer with fleas is "flea dirt", the black flea droppings left on your boxer's coat.
Some boxers develop an allergy to flea saliva and this condition requires management. Also, boxers can become infected with tapeworms if they ingest fleas carrying tapeworm eggs. Young or small boxers with heavy flea infestations may become anemic, and in areas with moderate to severe flea infestations, people may experience flea bites. Fleas are capable of transmitting a few other infectious diseases to boxers and people, but this is rare. Controlling fleas and flea treatment
We will recommend an appropriate flea control plan for your boxer based on your particular needs and the severity of the flea infestation. In addition to treating your boxer, you can reduce the flea population in your house by thoroughly cleaning your boxer's sleeping quarters and vacuuming floors and any furniture that your boxer frequents. Careful and regular vacuuming or cleaning of the boxer's living area helps to remove and kill flea eggs, larvae, and pupae. Pay particular attention to carboxered areas and rugs where your boxer lies. With moderate and severe flea infestations, treatment of your yard may be necessary in addition to treatment of your home. We can recommend an appropriate course of action. Finally, ask us about ways to prevent future flea infestations. Ticks Hosting a tick is the price boxers or, less commonly, cats may pay for investigating shrubbery, brush, or wild undergrowth. Ticks have a four-stage life cycle, and immature ticks often feed on small, wild animals found in forests, prairies, and brush. Adult ticks seek larger hosts like boxers and cats who venture into these habitats. Tick exposure may be seasonal, depending on geographic location.
Tick Risk
Ticks are most often found around your boxer's neck, in the ears, in the folds between the legs and the body, and between the toes. Cats may have ticks on their neck or face. Tick bites can cause skin irritation. Ticks are also capable of spreading serious infectious diseases to the boxers and people on which they feed. Disease risk varies by geographic area and tick species. Heavy infestations can cause anemia in boxers. Controlling ticks and tick treatment Prompt removal of ticks is very important because it lessens the chance of disease transmission from the tick to your boxer. Remove ticks by carefully using tweezers to firmly grip the tick as close to the boxer's skin as possible and gently pulling the tick free. After removing the tick, crush it, avoiding contact with tick fluids that can carry disease.
boxers that are at risk for ticks should be treated during the tick season with an appropriate tick preventative. We can recommend a product that best suits your boxer's needs. Owners who take their boxers to tick-prone areas during camping, sporting, or hiking trips should examine their boxers for ticks immediately on returning home and remove any ticks from their boxers. If your boxer picks up ticks in the backyard, trimming brush may reduce your boxer's exposure to tick habitats. Ear Mites Ear mites are common in young cats and boxers, and generally confine themselves to the ears and surrounding area. Mites are tiny and individual mites may be seen only with the aid of a microscope. Your boxer can pick up ear mites by close contact with an infested boxer or its bedding. Ear mite risk Ear mites can cause intense irritation of the ear canal. Signs of ear mite infestation include excessive head shaking and scratching of the ears. Your boxer may scratch to the point that it creates bleeding sores around its ears. A brown or black ear discharge is common.
Controlling ear mites and ear mite treatment Treatment of ear mites involves thorough ear cleaning and medication. Your veterinarian can recommend an effective treatment plan. Sarcoptic mange mites Microscopic sarcoptic mange mites cause sarcoptic mange, also known as scabies. Sarcoptic mange mites affect boxers of all ages, during any time of the year. Sarcoptic mange mites are highly contagious to other boxers and may be passed by close contact with infested animals, bedding, or grooming tools. Sarcoptic mange mite risk Sarcoptic mange mites burrow through the top layer of the boxer's skin and cause intense itching. Clinical signs include generalized hair loss, a skin rash, and crusting. Skin infections may develop secondary to the intense irritation. People who come in close contact with an affected boxer may develop a rash and should see their physician. Controlling sarcoptic mange mites and sarcoptic mange mite treatment boxers with sarcoptic mange require medication to kill the mites and additional treatment to soothe the skin and resolve related infections. Cleaning and treatment of the boxer's environment can be beneficial. Demodectic Mange Mites Demodectic mange caused by demodectic mange mites is mainly a problem in boxers. Demodectic mange mites are microscopic, cigar-shaped, and not highly contagious. However, a dam may pass the mites to her puppies.
Demodectic mange mite risk Localized demodectic mange tends to appear in young boxers as patches of scaliness and redness around the eyes and mouth and, perhaps, the legs and trunk. Unlike other types of mange, demodectic mange may signal an underlying medical condition, and your boxer's overall health should be carefully evaluated. Less commonly, young and old boxers experience a generalized form of demodectic mange and can exhibit widespread patches of redness, hair loss, and scaliness. Controlling demodectic mange mites and demodectic mange mite treatment Treatment of boxers with localized demodectic mange generally results in favorable outcome. Generalized demodectic mange, however, may be difficult to treat, and treatment may only control the condition, rather than cure it. |