There are many advantages to owning a dog. Besides companionship, they offer security, empathy, and unconditional love. With all they have to offer, it is important to remember the responsibility of pet ownership. Lots of love, a good diet and regular veterinary care are essential to the well being of your pet. Routine veterinary checkups that include an examination, immunizations and tests for internal parasites will insure a long, happy life for your pet.

Internal parasites are the most common of problems in dogs. Statistics show that one in three dogs will be infected at some time with intestinal parasites such as roundworms, hookworms, whipworms and tapeworms.

Roundworms are the most commonly seen intestinal parasite. Puppies are often born with them and can be treated as early as three weeks. In puppies, the larvae penetrate the small intestine and then enter the bloodstream to arrive at the liver and lungs. Sometimes, they will even travel up the trachea where they can be coughed up, swallowed then pass back to the intestines where they mature and reproduce. These worms can also migrate to the muscles where they form cysts and lie dormant. If the dog becomes pregnant, the worms can migrate to the lungs of the developing puppies as well as into the mother's milk.

Hookworms actually attach themselves to the dog's intestinal wall. When untreated, they can cause intestinal bleeding, bloody diarrhea, anemia and even death.

Whipworms are often the hardest to cure in dogs because of the prolific nature of the female worm. One female can produce in excess of 2,000 eggs a day; these eggs are passed in the dog's feces and can survive in the soil for years regardless of the cold or heat of a given region.

Tapeworms occur when a dog bites and swallows fleas. They are made up of many flat segments that resemble moving grains of rice. They are the most common worms seen by the owner when cleaning up the feces of their dog.

Heartworms are exactly what the name implies. They are the most serious and deadly parasite to attack an adult dog. These worms are carried by mosquitoes and transmitted when the dog is bitten. Lodging in the heart, the worms restrict blood flow and cause damage to other internal organs. Without treatment, heartworms will cause a long and often lingering death.

All of the above-mentioned intestinal parasites can be easily treated then given preventative medication to keep a recurrence of infestation. Most heartworm preventatives include medications to prevent all the intestinal worms but tapeworms. Depending on the type of worm, treatment will involve a single dose to a three-day program.

The cure for heartworms is much more difficult and dangerous. It is also expensive and time consuming. The treatment can even be fatal. Blood profiles should be done prior to treatment. This allows the veterinarian to be as sure as humanly possible, that the dog's heart, liver and kidneys are up to the strain. If the tests are within an acceptable range, the dog is then hospitalized for a minimum of three days. During this time, injections are given twice daily. These will kill the adult worms over an extended period of time. Follow up treatments are done in three to four weeks. The survival rate of dogs undergoing the treatment for heartworms is better than 90%. The fatality rate for dogs left untreated, is 100%.

Fleas are a common problem for dogs, cats and people, who can also be bitten. Watching a flea-bitten pet scratch herself desperately is a heart-rending sight. As if the bite wasn't bad enough, many dogs are allergic to fleas.

When a flea bites your dog, it injects a small amount of saliva into the skin to prevent blood coagulation. Some animals may have fleas without showing discomfort, but an unfortunate number of dogs become sensitized to this saliva. In highly allergic animals, the bite of a single flea can cause severe itching and scratching. Fleas cause the most common skin disease of dogs, which is called Flea Allergy Dermatitis.

Ticks present another set of problems. When ticks are in need of a blood meal, they seek out prey by heat sensors. When a warm object passes by them, they attach themselves by clinging to clothing or fur or falling from trees onto the object and insert pincher-like mouthparts into the skin and begin feeding. These mouthparts are locked in place and will only dislodge when the tick has completed the meal. Once the meal is complete, the adult female falls from the prey and seeks shelter. Eggs are born and the adult female dies.

Dogs are a common target for ticks. If you live in an area populated with ticks you should keep a sharp eye on these parasites. They can transmit serious diseases (such as rickettsial diseases like Rocky Mountain spotted fever and ehrlichiosis) to dogs and even to humans.

Lice are not just aesthetically unpleasant. They can become a source of danger for your pet--especially to puppies. Often dogs with just a few lice are very "itchy," while those harboring thousands of lice may not scratch themselves at all. So small they escape notice, some lice penetrate the pet's skin and suck the blood. The females will lay eggs that in just three weeks will hatch and develop into adult lice. The constant blood-sucking, if extensive, can cause severe anemia in puppies and greatly weaken mature dogs, particularly females with nursing puppies. The pest can also be a source of irritation to cats and kittens. Your veterinarian is your best resource to detect and eventually eliminate this dangerous parasite.

Mites are the cause of Mange. Fortunately, mange is rare in the well-fed, well-kept cat. In dogs, two types of mange are the most common: DEMODECTIC mange or "red mange," and SARCOPTIC mange or "scabies." They may be present at any time of the year.

Dogs suffering from demodectic mange usually do not scratch. This mange is most common in young short-haired animals and is marked in the early stages by small areas of hairlessness, accompanied by a red, irritated appearance. Demodex mites are not contagious to people and are believed to be an immune-related problem at controlling a normal skin parasite.

In sarcoptic mange, a severe itching is usually observed, with consequent skin irritation and loss of hair. This type of mange is contagious to people as well as to other dogs and therefore should be checked as soon as possible.