NEWS & INFO

As a loving pet owner, you'd do anything to prevent your cat or dog from suffering. After all, they're part of the family. Yet every year when flea season begins, the suffering sets in. It's like an old broken record. Fleas bite, and the scratching and chewing starts again. It's a painful and irritating routine for you and your pet. But that's just the beginning.

Adult fleas jump on your cat or dog. They bite them to feed on the blood. Then the fleas produce eggs. Eggs drop from your pet to the ground or carpet. The eggs develop over time into adult fleas. And the cycle starts all over again.

An Invisible Threat

The adult fleas on your pet can actually cause serious medical problems -- like flea allergy dermatitis or tapeworms, and in some extreme cases, anemia. Flea-related diseases account for more than 50 percent of dermatologic cases presented to veterinarians and more then 35 percent of the total small animal veterinary effort.

Flea Basics

Fleas thrive when the weather is warm and humid. Depending on your climate, fleas may be a seasonal or year-round problem. Your pet can pick up fleas wherever an infestation exists, often in areas frequented by other cats and dogs. Adult fleas are dark brown, no bigger than a sesame seed, and able to move rapidly over your pet's skin.

Adult fleas live their entire lives on your pet. Female fleas begin laying eggs within 24 hours of selecting your pet as a host, producing up to 50 eggs each day. These eggs fall from your pet onto the floor or furniture, including your pet's bed, or onto any other indoor or outdoor area where your pet happens to be. Tiny worm-like larvae hatch from the eggs and, to avoid sunlight, burrow into carpets, under furniture, or into soil before spinning a cocoon. The cocooned flea pupae can lie dormant for weeks before emerging as adults, ready to infest your pet. This gives fleas a life cycle of anywhere from 12 days to 6 months. Knowing where fleas develop helps you to efficiently break their life cycle.

Risks and Consequences

You might not even know that your pet has fleas until their number increases to the point that your pet is visibly uncomfortable. Signs of flea problems range from mild irritation to severe itching that can lead to open sores and skin infection. One of the first things you might notice on a pet with fleas is "flea dirt," the black flea droppings left on your pet's coat.

Some pets develop an allergy to flea saliva and this condition requires management. Also, pets can become infected with tapeworms if they ingest fleas carrying tapeworm eggs. Young or small pets with heavy flea infestations may become anemic, and in areas with moderate to severe flea infestations, people may experience flea bites. Fleas are capable of transmitting a few other infectious diseases to pets and people, but this is rare.

Flea allergy dermatitis

Flea allergy is the most common allergy in dogs and cats. It only takes ONE flea bite to have a very bad skin reaction.

Flea allergy dermatitis has existed as long as the dog has. It is now more prevalent because we have more fleas. It has no pure genetic basis. Any animal can become allergic to fleas. Dogs with an allergic predisposition from their parents will develop allergies younger. There is a variable animal magnetism. Some dogs are more attractive to fleas than others. One dog can be virtually flea free while one next to it can be riddles with them. Different dogs also have a variable tolerance to exposure. Some can tolerate more fleas than others, often with little or no apparent discomfort. With age some get better due to autoimmune response.

Often there is no genetic basis for flea allergy dermatitis, but dogs with a topic disease are very prone to flea allergy dermatitis.

Flea allergy dermatitis typically starts easy and gets worse with time. The typical allergic phenomenon is progressive & non-curable.

Flea allergy dermatitis is a tail-head-tummy disease. These areas are the primary feeding areas and the areas where the dog itches and consequently scratches. Flea allergy is a back end disease and if you don't have this pattern you don't have flea allergy dermatitis. Cats may develop small scabs on the skin.

The allergen is the saliva of the flea. When the flea bites for its blood meal saliva is injected into the skin to prevent blood clotting. The saliva from the flea bite will persist in the animal's body for up to a week. Thus itching can last for up to a week afterwards. There are many types of fleas, such as the dog flea, cat flea, rat flea, etc. but all are very similar. An adult flea if given a choice will never leave the dog's body. Why would it want to leave its food supply ?.

When to Start Treating?

Ideally, flea control should begin as flea prevention -- before flea season starts. Depending on which part of the country you live in, your flea season can last for four months or it can be a year-long problem. 

If you know you have fleas it is recommended that you treat your environment as well as your pet. Treat the environment once and repeat in 3 weeks. 

You may still see fleas after you dosing your pet. The flea preventative  does not keep the fleas from jumping on your pet, but it will kill them once they do.

CURIOUS DOGS/ CATS

Dogs and cats curiosity can sometimes get them into trouble. Even a simple household object, if ingested, can become a serious and expensive health threat. Your veterinarian plays a key role in educating about the importance of keeping your pet’s environment safe. A clean environment is a safe environment. Recognizing clinical signs associated with foreign-body ingestion may include (but is not limited to) lethargy, persistent vomiting and dry heaving, drooling, refusal to eat, and restlessness. You are urged to contact your veterinarian if your pet exhibits discomfort or unusual behavior, or if you suspect he/she has ingested an object.  Here's a few items that top the list; The top 10 items ingested by pets; Socks Underwear Pantyhose Rocks Balls Chew toys Corncobs Bones Hair ties/ribbons Sticks