External Parasites

External parasites are not common in petshop puppies.  The reason is simple, most external parasites are picked up from the grass and petshop puppies have normally never touched the ground in their short lives.  They are raised in elevated wire cages, away from the common parasites like fleas and ticks.

Most people are aware of fleas and ticks, so I don't think there is much point in discussing these too much.  Just one warning about fleas, they often lead to tapeworms, which is discussed under the heading "internal parasites".  So if your puppy has fleas when you buy it, you will probably see tape worms follow in a few weeks.

Lice is seen in petshop puppies, usually indicative of a very filthy petshop or breeder.  Lice will look like dandruff in most cases. If your puppy has "dandruff" take a black piece of material and rub it down your puppy's back.  Then look at the cloth under a bright light, if it is lice, you will generally see it moving.  Another method is to press a piece of tape on your puppy's back, then examine the tape under a bright light, looking for "legs".  Dog lice is not the same as human lice and you should not have any problems, though you'll probably itch just thinking about it.

Ear mites are the most common external parasite seen in petshop puppies.  A dog should never have buildup in the ears.  If you see a dark black buildup in your puppy's ears, have your vet check it out.  Unlike an ear infection, where the buildup is normally brown and smelly, ear mites produce a very dark blackish build up with no odor.  Ear mites are very contagious to your other pets and are very hard to get rid of.  The reason for this is that the medicine does not kill the eggs.  You usually must follow a very strict schedule set forth by your vet.  Even one egg left in the ear will result in hundreds of mites in a few weeks.  So be diligent and you should knock it out in about a month.