Why acaricides against parasites in dogs are a bad choice
Parasites such as mites, fleas or ticks in dogs are extremely annoying and can sometimes cause serious health problems. It is therefore understandable that dog owners do their best to avoid parasite infestation in their four-legged friend.
To counteract the parasites in the dog's coat, there is a huge selection of different preparations available. However, on closer inspection, many of them are not recommended. Why this is so and how you can protect your dog from ticks and fleas instead is explained below.
What makes ticks so dangerous for dogs
Despite their small size, ticks represent an enormous risk for dogs. This is because they often carry pathogens for dangerous diseases with which they can infect your four-legged friends while sucking their blood.
Among the diseases that can be transmitted from ticks to dogs and also to humans are borreliosis, TBE, ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosis and babesiosis. It is not uncommon for the above-mentioned diseases to be detected very late, which makes receiving adequate treatment considerably more difficult. In some cases, they can also cause permanent damage and in the worst case even end fatally.
Against this background, it is more than worrying that the number of cases of these diseases has been increasing significantly for several years. This inevitably also means that your dog is at increased risk of infection.
Acaricides to combat parasites in dogs
Considering the health risks associated with parasites such as ticks, it is understandable that you are looking for suitable means to combat parasites. There is a large selection of preparations available on the Internet as well as in retail stores. However, before you decide on a remedy, we recommend that you take a closer look at the active ingredients it contains.
This is because very often, tick repellents for dogs contain acaricides. This sounds harmless at first, but it means that the parasites are to be counteracted with neurotoxins. These were originally intended to protect fruit plantations and fields from being infested with pests. However, some acaricides may also be used in the EU as active ingredients in tick repellents for dogs and other pets.
How do acaricides work in dogs?
By using an appropriate anti-parasite agent, the acaricides in the product reach the dog's lymphatic system and bloodstream. If the quadruped is now bitten by a mosquito, flea or tick, the parasite is killed. With acaricides the infestation with parasites can be counteracted very effectively.
Why acaricides increase the risk of infection from tick bites
It actually looks like problems with parasites in dogs can be solved very easily by using acaricides. Unfortunately, this is only the case at first glance, as the term neurotoxin, which in English means nothing more than nerve poison, should make clear.
For it may indeed seem quite sensible to kill parasites as quickly as possible by using spot-ons or tablets. However, the consequences that this type of parasite control often has are not taken into account.
Ticks in particular tend to bite the skin. If they are killed by acaricides, they do not simply fall off, but usually get stuck. As a result, pathogens such as Borrelia can continue to be transmitted.
The use of a tick repellent is therefore in many cases not an effective protection against infection. In addition, the toxins it contains put unnecessary strain on your dog's body and, if used frequently, can cause health problems.
Effective protection without harmful tick repellents
If you want to reliably protect your dog from ticks, you do not necessarily have to use toxic tick repellents for this purpose. If your quadruped is bitten by a tick, it is important that you remove it immediately and completely.
Most tick-borne pathogens take several hours to enter the dog's organs. If you always remove parasites directly, the risk of infection is therefore significantly reduced without the use of chemical products.
Natural tick repellents for dogs
In addition to subsequent removal, it is also advisable in the warm months of the year to rely on natural preparations to protect against ticks. For this purpose, we recommend using the products from our ZEComplete range. ZEComplete does not contain acaricides and contains only natural ingredients with a high content of lauric acid, such as insect fat and coconut oil.
Studies have shown that the medium-chain fatty acid lauric acid is repellent to ticks and other skin parasites. By using our ZEComplete Spray you can therefore naturally reduce the risk of your dog being bitten by ticks. In addition, Bellfor ZEComplete is also available in the form of tasty dog biscuits, which optimally support the effect of the spray.
Our conclusion on parasite protection with acaricides
As you can see, classic remedies against ticks and fleas in dogs are in most cases not a good choice. This is because they usually contain acaricides which, if used regularly, can have serious consequences for the health of your four-legged friend.
Apart from that, the use of acaricides against ticks can even lead to an increased risk of infection instead of protecting your four-legged friend from borreliosis and other diseases, as desired.
Instead of using chemical tick repellents, we therefore recommend that you always remove existing ticks promptly and prevent parasite infestation in your dog with natural alternatives such as ZEComplete from Bellfor. In this way, you can protect your four-legged friend from ticks without exposing his body to unnecessary stress.
Leave your comment