Parasites

The warmer weather provides the perfect breeding conditions for fleas and ticks. Breeding requires energy and energy requires food and that food is BLOOD. Fleas and ticks bite animals (and sometimes humans) and secrete saliva into the bite site to allow easy extraction of blood. This saliva can cause allergic reactions and sometimes more complicated conditions as discussed below. Prevention of fleas and ticks is the best treatment.

Fleas
Cat and dog fleas particularly like to feed from cats and dogs but can bite people if the opportunity arises. Rabbit fleas prefer rabbits but will also attach to the ears of cats. 

Fleas will lay eggs on their host but spend most of their time in the environment developing from eggs into larvae, then pupae and then into adults. 

This means that the fleas you see on your pet are only about 10% of the problem! Often times the only indication you will get that your pet has/had fleas is the flea dirt (poo) they leave behind – usually large pieces of black dirt or little squiggles which dissolve into red/brown blood if wet.

Fleas can take a lot of blood from an animal if there is enough of them. This can lead to anaemia. They are also responsible for spreading intestinal tapeworm to your dog or cat. 

The most common problem that we see with fleas is the intense itch that they can cause in some cats and dogs. The saliva that they inject into the skin when feeding can cause a dramatic allergic reaction in some pets. One flea bite can cause a dreadful itch-scratch cycle and leave some pets with broken/raw/infected skin. We call this Flea Allergy Dermatitis. 
The only completely successful treatment for Flea Allergy Dermatitis is to remove all fleas from your pet’s environment. This is best achieved with a combination of pet flea control and environmental flea control. 

Continual treatment is required. Additional therapy may be required to control secondary infections and to help with itch and pain. There are many options available to both cats and dogs for the treatment and prevention of fleas. Spot-on medications or tablets can provide from 1 to 6 months protection from a single treatment. 

Environmental control will be gradually achieved through keeping your pet flea-free but will be hastened with frequent vacuuming of the house/furniture, frequent washing of bedding in high temperatures along with flea bombing/pest control spraying. 

We have a detailed handout available at the clinic giving information about fleas, flea treatments and environmental control. Come and talk to us if you or your pet is having trouble.