A healthy Siberian Husky is a flea-and-tick-free Siberian, and it is much less expensive to prevent these pests from infesting your dog than it is to treat the hot spot or tapeworm he can get from fleas, or the host of diseases he can get from ticks. It can be very difficult to see fleas in a Siberian Husky’s dense undercoat, so you will need to watch for scratching and biting and look carefully for flea dirt on his head, at the base of his tail, and at the spot he is scratching.

Ticks can often be felt, so if you feel an unusual bump, or your nail catches on “something” as you’re scratching your dog behind the ears or rubbing his belly, separate the hair and take a look. Although flea and tick sprays, dips, flea collars, and natural remedies are generally ineffective or unsafe for Siberians, a variety of safe and effective products on the market today kill and/or repel fleas, ticks, or both.

Look for products with residual effects lasting one to three months, and be especially careful to read and follow label directions. Products designed for use on adult dogs should not be used on puppies; products designed for other species should not be used on dogs. Topical products typically contain permethrin, imidaloprid, fipronil, or selamectin.

Lufenuron, an oral medication, interrupts the flea’s reproductive cycle once it bites, but does not kill the flea. Nitenpyram, another oral medication, kills the fleas on your dog within half an hour but does not prevent new infestations.

Spinosad is a monthly oral medication that kills fleas quickly and has residual effects that help prevent reinfestation. Most important, remember that not all products are right for all dogs under all circumstances. Experts caution against the indiscriminant use of any parasite-control product, so select products that target only the parasites found in your area and use them only when necessary.

Talk to your veterinarian, use these chemicals only as directed, and rotate products to reduce the chance that fleas will develop a resistance to any one chemical. And if you live, or exercise your Siberian Husky, in tick-infested areas, check him over regularly.

If you find a tick on your Siberian Husky, remove it immediately by grasping the pest as close to the dog’s skin as possible and pulling it straight out. Spraying the tick with insecticide, burning it with a match, or applying oil to smother it is not recommended.

Facts: There are more than 2,000 different species of fleas around the world, and 200 different species in the United States. Although the dog flea, Ctenocephalides canis, is the most common species found on dogs in Europe, the CAT flea, Ctenocephalides felis, is found most often on dogs in the United States.

Skin Problems and Allergies

The most prevalent skin problem in the breed is “hot spots,” also known as acute moist dermatitis or moist eczema. Hot spots tend to occur most often in the summer months, seem to appear spontaneously anywhere on your Siberian’s body, and can spread rapidly. Anything – an insect bite, a scratch, a thorn prick – that irritates or breaks the skin can cause a hot spot.

The body’s natural response is to itch or become inflamed. The itching causes the dog to scratch, chew, and lick the area, further damaging the skin and creating the moist environment needed for bacterial infection to set in. Fortunately, most of the bacteria cultured from hot spots respond to oral and topical antibiotics. Look for incessant scratching, chewing, or licking at one area or a bare spot with red, moist skin and a film of pus, surrounded by hair wet from saliva.

Treatment includes cleaning the area with an antiseptic, stopping the itch, and letting the sore dry out. Check with your veterinarian for recommendations of over-the-counter anti-itch products that can be helpful in breaking the itch-scratch cycle.

For the hot spot to heal, your Siberian Husky must stop licking it, so use an Elizabethan collar (a rigid plastic cone attached to his usual collar) to prevent access. Seek veterinary assistance if necessary to keep the infection from getting out of hand.

Seasonal allergies and food allergies are not common problems found in the Siberian. Flea allergy dermatitis, the most common allergy among dogs in general, is also rarely seen in the breed, but flea bites can cause hot spots, and severe flea infestations can trigger flea bite hypersensitivity in predisposed dogs. Keep fleas and ticks off your Siberian.