INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Cryotherapy (performed by your family physician, dermatologist or podiatrist) involves destroying warts by freezing them with liquid nitrogen, which is sprayed on directly or applied with a cotton swab. The liquid nitrogen causes a blister to form over the wart, which turns black and falls off a few days later. Cryotherapy may require several sessions in order to get rid of a plantar wart and it's usually not used on young children due to the pain involved. As such, your doctor may have to numb the area before applying liquid nitrogen.  Cryotherapy, if done correctly, should leave no scarring. Normal skin grows and fills in the void left by the destroyed wart. Never attempt to apply liquid nitrogen to your skin at home — only under the care or supervision of a doctor. However, there are various "freeze-off" compounds available over-the-counter that are more appropriate for home use. Prescription medications with salicylic acid work more effectively than over-the-counter products because they are stronger preparations. Your doctor or podiatrist will apply it to your plantar wart at her office initially, but she may suggest you take it home and use it regularly, which removes the layers of the wart little by little. Studies show that salicylic acid is more effective when it's combined with cryotherapy. Because prescription salicylic acid products are more powerful, be careful not to apply too much of it to the healthy skin surrounding the plantar wart, as it might lead to redness and irritation. A very common topical preparation applied to plantar warts is cantharidin, a compound that comes from many species of blister beetles. Cantharidin is a terpenoid — a poisonous blistering agent — that burns the wart off. It's often used in combination with salicylic acid compounds. Your doctor will apply the liquid combination of cantharidin and salicylic acid directly to the plantar wart and cover it with a bandage for a week or so. A blister forms, which eventually peels off, although multiple treatments may be needed to fully get rid of the wart.  Cantharidin is fatal if swallowed and not typically given to patients for home use. The blisters or skin lesions formed by cantharidin typically heal without scarring. The advancement of new technologies have enabled doctors to use a variety of lasers in efforts to destroy plantar warts. For example, pulsed-dye laser treatment involves burning and destroying (or cauterizing) the tiny blood vessels that surround and nourish the wart, which causes it to die and eventually flake off. Some lasers can also burn the wart off directly, although topical anesthesia is required.  Laser therapy tends to be expensive, although the evidence for its effectiveness on plantar warts is somewhat limited and not well proven. Laser therapy can be painful and cause scarring on the foot. If home remedies, alternative therapies and various medical treatments fail to get rid of your plantar wart, then talk to your doctor about removing it surgically. Wart removal is considered minor surgery and involves your doctor either cutting away the wart with a scalpel or destroying it by using an electrical or ultrasonic device (called electrodesiccation and curettage). Desiccation is the destruction of the wart tissue and curettage is the scraping away of the dead tissue with a little metal curette. This procedure is painful, so topical anesthesia is given first.  Surgical wart removal techniques invariably leave a scar, and it's not unusual for warts to return in the scar tissue at a later time. Cutting into the tissue around a plantar wart sometimes causes the wart to spread to other areas of the foot, particularly in people who are immune-compromised.

SUMMARY: Consider cryotherapy. Consider a stronger peeling medicine. Ask about other topical treatments. Try laser treatments. Talk to your doctor about surgery.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Fleas and their eggs can easily hide in the grass and in areas of your yard where debris (e.g. leaves, etc.) has built up. To prevent fleas from being able to make a long-term home in these areas, keep your yard clean and your grass cut short. This is especially important in the areas of your yard where you dog hangs out the most. Diatomaceous earth (DE) is a calcium dust that’s ground from single-cell ocean organisms. Only use DE that’s been certified as “food grade.” You can mix some DE in water (in a watering can if you have one) and sprinkle the mixture on your grass, sidewalks, decks, paving stones, and even in your flower beds. Focus on areas of your yard where your dog hangs out the most.  This mixture dries out flea eggs and makes it impossible for adult fleas to breathe, therefore killing them off. If you live in a moist and humid climate, you may need to apply this mixture every two months. If you live in a dry climate, you won’t need to apply as often, maybe once every three to four months. Make sure to wear a protective mask when handling the DE dust as it can irritate your lungs. You can buy DE online at shops like Amazon or at hardware/garden stores. Pest control companies may also sell it, as it’s used extensively to kill other types of pests as well. Water drowns fleas and flea eggs. You can use a garden hose to drown fleas and their eggs in your yard in areas where your dog frequents (e.g. kennel, dog run, favourite nap area, etc.). Just spray water in the area until it’s practically flooded. In order to kill fleas and their eggs inside your house, you need to keep up a regular cleaning routine around your house. Start by washing hard floors (e.g. wood, tile, etc.) as often as you can. Pay special attention to the cracks and gaps in the floors where fleas can hide. You should also vacuum your rugs and carpets every day to remove any fleas or eggs that may fall off you or your dog.  To help keep fleas at bay, and to prevent you from needing to do too much work, it may be easier to simply remove and store away your area carpets or rugs during flea season. Give them a good cleaning before you store them and when you take them back out again. When doing your daily vacuuming routine on carpets and rugs, you may also want to run the vacuum over any furniture in the same rooms (e.g. couches, ottomans, pillows, etc.). If you use a vacuum with a bag, you can freeze the bag in-between uses to kill the fleas you vacuum up. Note that the fleas will stay alive inside the bag between vacuuming if you simply store the vacuum between uses. If small enough, wash your dog’s bedding in your washing machine every week with hot water and mild laundry detergent. If the bedding is too big for the washing machine, you can always soak it in a tub of water mixed with vinegar or hydrogen peroxide. Worst case scenario, if your dog’s bedding is too big for either washing method, make sure to vacuum it thoroughly. If the flea infestation is really bad, or if it’s over but you want to make sure you got every last flea, consider hiring a steam cleaning company to come to your home. Ask them to use just hot water to steam clean your floors, furniture, and your dog’s bedding. Make sure you move furniture in order to steam clean underneath too.

SUMMARY:
Keep your yard clean. Sprinkle a water-diatomaceous earth mixture in your yard. Use a garden hose to flood areas your dog frequents. Wash and vacuum your floors often. Give your dog’s bedding a good cleaning at least once a week. Hire a professional steam cleaner.