The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-04-09
PLEAS, TICKS, LICE

No insect is more familiar to the dog owner than the lively flea, and none is more undesirable, and this for two req sons. It causes the dog a deal of annoy ance by it's irritating habit of piercing the flesh with the peculiar mouth organs with
 which it is endowed. Contrary to the gen. orally entertained opinion, the flea does
 not bite, but rather pierces the skin and
 then sucks. Then, again, it has been un-
 Goubtedly shown that the flea is an inter-
 mediary of some of the nose troublesome tapeworms with which the dog is infested,
 The flea is only parasitic upon the dog in
 the form (perfect insecD in which it is
 generally known. In the other stages Of
 it's life history (egg, larva and pupa it
 is concealed in cracks of the kennel, in
 mats, rugs and in dust. Pleas are more
 easily destroyed upon the dog than are
 lice
 The flea of the dog is known as pulex
 serraticeps. It may undergo all the phases
 of it's development on the body of the dog.
 On the other hand, the eggs, which are
 about 20 in number, white and eliptical,
 may drop on the ground. when, if they
 fall into damp and dirty corners, or dusty
 crevices, are matched out in six or seven
 days in the summer time up to a fort
 night in the winter.
 When the egg is matched a white larva
 appears, which is cylindrical and has 13
 segments, head, and no legs, and crawls
 by using long hairs which are directed
 backward. The larva spins a cocoon in
 about 10 or 12 days, casts its skin and
 becomes a nympha with three pairs of
 legs, and by the twentieth day is fully
 developed. In addition to the irritation
 which fleas cause, especially when pres
 ent in large numbers, they are the source
 of further and more serious mischief, be-
 cause they may be the intermediate hosts
 of other parasites-the tapeworm of the
 dog is one of it's undeveloped stages as well as the embryonic form of nematode worms, being found in the abdominal cav ity of the dog flea.
 Dogs whose skins are kept scrupulously clean and who live in equally clean houses or kennels, only become infested with fleas occasionally and accidentally; they
 are easily gotten rid of with suitable in- secticide powders washing in oil or coal tar baths. Kennels should be reg ularly disinfected with boiling water, aft
 erward using lime wash with coal tar preparation added
 Chigoes or Jiggers or Sand Fleas--This I
 dinary flea, and is found throughout the
 tropics in sand, dry rubbish and wood. It is particularly liable to attack dogs, although, unlike the ordinary flea, it will attack almost any animal, whether do- nestle or wild, also man. It penetrates between the epidermis and the true skin, where it remains and often sets up se- rious trouble, causing inflammation of the affected part, then Liberation, then
 gangrene. Some animals lose their toes aud even their limbs by the action of these insects in severe cases.
 Dust is of all things much beloved by the wretched flea, and where it can find a dirty corner, it will lay it's myriad of eggs. Therefore, hunt for dust as = would hunt for gold, and let the watering can be filled with a solution of some good verimin killer, ply vigorously after a thorough sweeping, until no dusty cracks remain unsaturated.
 Beds also need constant and thorough attention. Let old blankets and shawls follow, precede or accompany the hopping fleas into the cremating fire and substi- ute good, clean straw. In summer the dogs are better with no bedding at all in fact they often voluntarily choose the bare boards to lie upon All crew ices in their boxes must be well pow dered with insect powder, for constant washing of sleeping boxes IS attended Wltn flSkS.
 A form of tapeworm that is peculiar to dogs has as it's intermediate host the common flea. The eggs of the segment of the tapeworm get on the coats of dogs
 and are eaten by the fleas. The egg de- velcps in the stomach of the flea just as 1t does in the stomach of a sheep or
 rabbit; the flea annoys the dog, who bites and l.cks his coat and in so doing swal- lows the flea. In few hours tape worm head is turned loose in the dog s stomach, works down into the intestines, and new tapeworm is started.
 Despite every precaution in the kennel. lice will occasionally be found upon the dog. They are of two kinds-biting and sneking-and are very objectionable. as they increase very rapidly. The man, however. who regularly grooms his dog. should not be long in discovering their
 presence. and taking the necessary meas ures to rid the animal of his prosecutors. Unlike the flea, the louse passes the whole of it's life upon the dog. That is to say. the eggs. or nits. are deposited upon the dogs ccat and carefully secured by means of sticky secretion. These are