Parasites are a big issue in the basic health care arena, probably accounting for the majority of treatments that your boxer will receive in his life. There are a great many things that you can do to prevent parasites, and since some of these parasites can be transmitted to humans, you are wise to do whatever you can to prevent them.

External Parasites

External parasites live on the outside of your dog's body and use your boxer as their host. These include fleas, ticks, and mites.

Fleas

Fleas are probably the first thing that many people think of when they think of dogs — that's how common they are. The good news is that fleas are relatively easy to get rid of; the bad news is that they're difficult to prevent.

The life cycle of a flea includes four stages — eggs, larvae, pupae or nymphs, and adults. The adult stage is most visible and irritating to the dog in the life of the flea. Most flea-control products concentrate on this cycle of the flea's life. The itchy truth of the matter is that while you can see adult fleas, what you don't see is the twenty to thirty batches of eggs that those fleas lay every day, most of which fall off as your boxer travels through the park, over your furniture, all around the house, and up and down the yard.

Once these eggs have fallen off your boxer, they hatch into larvae in one to ten days. The larvae don't travel except to move away from bright lights. They feed on dead organic matter, including adult flea feces, for about seven days. Around this time, the larvae pupate into protective pupae and change into adult fleas. This takes only a few days, but an unhatched flea can wait inside the pupae for up to two years. Once hatched, the adult fleas must eat within a few days, so they find your boxer. A flea will not leave a host voluntarily. Grooming or bathing is the only way to dislodge it.

Treating fleas takes a multipronged approach. First, the environment needs to be treated as much as the dog. Vacuuming the area daily for about three weeks is a good idea, as is washing the dog's bedding and sleeping area. The most effective thing to do for the areas that cannot be washed or vacuumed is to spray with an insect growth regulator (IGR) and an insecticide to kill the adult fleas. Most IGRs are also effective against eggs and larvae. They mimic the flea's own hormones and stop the eggs from developing into larvae and then into pupae and fleas. While IGRs are generally effective for a few months, most insecticides are only effective for a few days, and they can be very toxic.

Be aware that flea collars and many flea bombs, while toxic to fleas, are also highly toxic to boxer puppies. So tread lightly with the chemicals. Remember, too, that if you've had an infestation of fleas, you will also probably have worms, as the two tend to go together.

Ticks

While not as common as fleas, ticks are still everywhere in nature. They are most efficient at drinking the blood of their host, and they give dogs diseases like Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tick bite paralysis, and sometimes just a nasty infection from the bite site. They are controlled in much the same way as fleas, and many of the same products, insect growth regulators and insecticides, will work on both or either.

Ticks are most often found in wild areas, especially those that are hot and humid. They have a life expectancy of a week to about six months. They can't jump or fly, but they do crawl slowly. They usually get onto you or your boxer by pure luck — your boxer brushes up against something that they were on, and they latch on to the unsuspecting host.

Mites

Mites are microscopic little insects that take up permanent residence whenever they can. There are several different kinds of mites that the dog owner should be aware of, including Demodex mites, Cheyletiellosis mites, Sarcoptes mites, and ear mites (Otodectes cynotis).

Demodex mites: These are probably the most common mites found in dogs. They cause problems when present in larger than normal amounts. After they take up residence in the dog's hair follicles and sebaceous glands, the dog's hair falls out and leaves behind large unsightly patches of red skin. Sometimes called red or demodectic mange, this is generally a sign of a somewhat compromised immune system in the dog. It tends to be an inherited problem.

Cheyletiellosis mites: Also known as hook-mouthed mites, these are responsible for the walking dandruff kind of condition that affects dogs, cats, and rabbits. If the scaly, oily skin is left untreated, the mites are easily transmitted to other animals as well as to humans.

Sarcoptes mites: These cause the highly contagious sarcoptic mange, which is characterized by intense itching. In humans, they can result in scabies. The cycle of the Sarcoptes mite is about three weeks. Scabies is highly contagious and is readily transmitted to humans.

Ear mites (Otodectes cynotis): These affect the outer ear canal of your boxer, although they can affect other areas as well. Boxers with ear mites tend to shake their heads a lot or scratch at their ears. A dark-brown to black waxy discharge confirms the diagnosis of ear mites.

Infestation with any of these mites requires veterinary care. Treatment may also be necessary for any member of the family who has come in contact with the mites.

Internal Parasites

No discussion of dog health would be complete without a discussion of worms, the internal parasites that can infest dogs. Most worm infestations are relatively easy to control. If they are not controlled, they can weaken the dog, and other medical problems can occur. The following sections describe the worms that have the most serious effects. Many types of worms can be transmitted to humans.

Roundworms

These worms live in the dog's intestines and shed eggs continuously. The eggs are everywhere, and can affect humans, so it is generally advised to keep your house and any areas of the house your boxer has access to clean and sanitary. Get your boxer tested for worms regularly. In puppies, roundworms cause bloated bellies, diarrhea, coughing, and vomiting and are passed from the dam (through blood or milk) to the puppies. Affected puppies are more lethargic than normal. The worms look like spaghetti and can be as long as six inches. Since roundworms can kill puppies and severely affect adults if the infestation is bad enough, it is important to regularly examine your boxer's stool and keep an eye out for them.

Hookworms

Hookworm infestations include dark stools, weight loss, general weakness, pale coloration, and anemia, as well as some skin problems. Hookworms can also be passed to humans, so it is important to maintain sanitary conditions around your boxer and your children. Most heartworm preventatives also prevent hookworms, so discuss this with your vet. Hookworms are usually passed through exposure to feces, so be very careful how you dispose of your boxer's feces to avoid the possibility of a hookworm infestation.

Tapeworms

There are many species of tapeworms, which can also affect humans. The most common way that dogs get tapeworms is by eating the fleas that are biting them. The best way for humans to avoid tapeworms is to keep dogs and the house free of fleas (and to refrain from eating any fleas!). While tapeworm infestations are not life threatening to dogs, they can cause serious liver disease in humans.

Whipworms

Common in North America, these worms attach themselves to the dog's lower intestines, where they feed. They may only cause anything from an upset tummy to colic and diarrhea. These worms can live for months or years in the dog with little or no other evidence. Treatment is tricky due to their odd life cycles, and whipworm eggs can live as long as five years in the environment, which makes cleaning up your dog's feces essential. If your dog has occasional bouts of diarrhea that you can't explain by any other means, he may have whipworms.

Heartworms

Heartworms are long thin worms that can grow up to twelve inches in length. They live in the dog's heart and the major blood vessels surrounding the heart. Symptoms of heartworms may be lethargy, loss of appetite, coughing, the development of a potbelly, and anemia. The dog gets heartworms from being stung by a mosquito that has the microfilarie of heartworms in it. Mosquitoes pass the heartworm from dog to dog. However, whether or not your dog gets heartworms also depends upon his own state of health and immune system. Not every dog bitten by a mosquito carrying heartworm develops the disease. And not every mosquito carries the heartworm, even in climates where heartworm is prevalent, such as the South and parts of the Midwest. However, mosquitos carrying heartworms can be found almost anywhere in the United States.