There’s new products out there, what you can use on your Pekingese, to fight against fleas and ticks, and will give you a much better results than the older ones. These products have a higher initial purchase price compared to traditional products but are cheaper in the long run because they work and they need be reapplied only every few months.
Most of these products are available only from your veterinarian, although some discount products try to sound like they work the same. Look for a product with one of the following ingredients:
- Imidacloprid: a self-distributing liquid that kills fleas within a day and continues for a month. It can withstand water, but not repeated bathing.
- Fipronil: a spray or self-distributing liquid that collects in the hair follicles and wicks out over time. It kills fleas for up to three months and ticks for a shorter time, and is resistant to bathing.
- Selamectin: a self-distributing liquid that kills fleas for one month. It also kills ear mites and several internal parasites, and acts as a heart worm preventive.
- Nytenpyram: oral medication that starts killing fleas in 20 minutes; all fleas are killed in four hours. It has almost no residual activity, so it’s mostly for a quick fix of heavily infested dogs.
- Lufenuron, methoprene, or fenoxycarb: chemicals that interfere with the hatching of flea eggs.
Most over-the-counter products are permethrin‑based, which isn’t resistant to water and doesn’t kill fleas for long. Flea populations can easily become resistant to it. In fact, fleas can become resistant to any treatment, so the best strategy is to change products frequently and to include the use of both a flea killer and a flea egg killer.
Ticks
Ticks are
harder to kill than fleas. The same fipronil flea product will kill ticks, but not immediately. Amitraz tick collars are also effective, but not perfect.
Regardless, if you’re in a tick-infested area, you’ll need to supplement by feeling your Pekingese daily, paying close attention around the ears, neck, and between the toes.
Tip: To remove a tick, use a tissue or tweezers and grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible. Pull slowly, trying not to lose the head or squeeze the contents back into the dog. Even if you get the head with the tick, it will often leave a bump for several days.
Diseases
Ticks can transmit several diseases. A vaccination is available for Lyme disease, but it’s not advisable for dogs that don’t live in Lyme endemic areas.
Of greater concern is erhlichiosis, a potentially fatal disease that cripples the immune system and often has vague symptoms. Other tick-borne diseases include Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and babesiosis. Your veterinarian can order blood tests if these conditions are suspected.
Mites
Mites can also cause problems. Sarcoptic mites cause sarcoptic mange, an intensely itchy disorder that you can catch. It’s often characterized by small bumps and crusts on the ear tips, abdomen, elbows, and hocks. The condition can be treated with repeated shampoos or with drugs.
Demodex mites cause demodectic mange, a noncontagious but often difficult-to-treat condition. A couple of small patches in a puppy are commonplace and will usually go away on their own, but many such patches or a generalized condition must be treated with repeated dips or with drug therapy. Cases involving the feet can be especially difficult to cure.
