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Flea InfestationJackie Drakeford |
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In the same way
that some people can be troubled by biting insects while others are hardly
affected, some dogs suffer much more from parasites than others. Sometimes
this is a reflection of the health of the dog and a change for the better
can come with an improvement in diet, husbandry or a general health check.
There may however, be other factors involved. I have found that
bitches in breeding fettle can be plagued by fleas, while other dogs kept
in exactly the same way do not suffer at all. Significantly, where other
creatures such as rabbits are concerned, the species-specific flea cannot
breed untill it feeds on an pregnant animal.
During her last heat, one of my bitches was covered in fleas and no matter what I did to get rid of them, she brought back another horde with every walk. It was not the case of the house needing treatment as none of the other dogs were affected - in fact, I did not find a single flea on any of them.
Recieved wisdom is that central heating and carpets are the source of flea problems, but our cottage has neither, and nor does any rabbit burrow I have ever seen, though the latter are often infested with fleas. I remain convinced that the fleas were attracted by my bitch's oestrus and, indeed, once her season passed, the flea problem stopped.
Had I bred from her this time, I suspect the infestation would have lasted long enough to spread to the whelps - soft puppy skin being even more attractive to biting parasites than a bitch on heat.
During her last heat, one of my bitches was covered in fleas and no matter what I did to get rid of them, she brought back another horde with every walk. It was not the case of the house needing treatment as none of the other dogs were affected - in fact, I did not find a single flea on any of them.
Recieved wisdom is that central heating and carpets are the source of flea problems, but our cottage has neither, and nor does any rabbit burrow I have ever seen, though the latter are often infested with fleas. I remain convinced that the fleas were attracted by my bitch's oestrus and, indeed, once her season passed, the flea problem stopped.
Had I bred from her this time, I suspect the infestation would have lasted long enough to spread to the whelps - soft puppy skin being even more attractive to biting parasites than a bitch on heat.
reprinted with kind permission from Alastair Balmain
Deputy Editor:Shooting Times & Country Magazine
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Deputy Editor:Shooting Times & Country Magazine
Blue Fin Building, 110 Southwark Street SE1 0SU
Tel: 020 3148 4750