Spring Brings the Creepy Crawlies out of Hiding – Part 1: Fleas

FINALLY some nicer weather! It’s been one loooong and cold winter but it seems like Mother Nature is finally ready to give us a break. As nice it will be to get back outside, it’s that time of year where we have to start getting ready for fleas, ticks, mosquitoes carrying heartworm infection, and gastrointestinal parasite transmission.  

 

 

FLEAS

If any of you have ever had to deal with a flea infestation, you have my sympathies. They are nasty, persistent little creatures and just the mention of them will make most people start scratching all over. “Flea season” is not a set time, it depends on our weather patterns.  They like hot, humid weather but we start seeing them around April/May and they can last into October, and sometimes later depending on how warm the fall is. Peak season, where they are generally at their best (or worst, depending on how you look at it) is in September/October.  

 

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Microscope photo of a common flea

 

The Good

          •  Prevention and treatment are fairly easy these days.

                  –  Advantage, Advantix, and Advantage Multi all have excellent effectiveness against fleas. They are all easily applied as a once a month topical solution and both treat and prevent infestations. Fleas are discouraged from jumping onto treated dogs, but even if they do hitch a ride home, 1 bite of a treated dog will paralyze and kill the flea making sure that they can’t reproduce in your home

          •  Treating an infestation takes at least 3 applications (3 months) on all pets in the house

          •  As annoying and horrible as they are to think about, in most cases they are just that – an annoyance.

 

Just to show how tiny they really are, check out this flea sitting on someone's nail!

Just to show how tiny they really are, check out this flea sitting on someone’s nail!

 

The Bad

          •  They are a bother to your pets, and can feed off of both cats and dogs.They aren’t picky – they will bite humans as well, and those bites are itchy!

               –  Example – You have a strictly indoor cat.  You take your dog to the beach or out to the dog park and it picks up a few fleas that hitch a ride home with you. Once fleas enter the house, both animals will be infested and both need treatment.  

          •  They can carry tapeworms.

               –  Certain species of tapeworm use the flea as a host for their younger growth stage. If your pet eats a flea (because of chewing when the flea bites) they will ingest the tapeworm and it completes its life cycle by setting up shop in your pet’s intestines and shedding those classic “rice shaped” tapeworm segments in the stool.

          •  Only adult fleas live on pets

               –  Adult fleas lay eggs on pets after a blood meal. These eggs aren’t sticky though, and they roll off pets into the environment (aka. your home). They accumulate in quiet, low traffic areas like behind doorways, baseboards, under beds/couches and around the dog bed. These eggs are incredibly strong and no environmental flea treatment will kill them. An entire flea life cycle from hatching to maturity and laying eggs of their own can be as quick as 16 days! On the other hand, the eggs can stay in the environment for up to 3 months before hatching and exposing the larvae. The adults, larvae, and pupa are susceptible to environmental sprays. You can encourage eggs to hatch by vacuuming frequently – the vibrations will encourage the flea larva to come out of their egg and then they are susceptible to treatments.

 

Tapeworm

Tapeworm

 

The Ugly

          •  Some dogs and cats are actually allergic to flea bites (Flea Allergy Dermatitis)

               –  These animals get horribly itchy when bitten by a flea and commonly end up with horrible looking sores and scabs all over from the itch and excessive scratching.

               –  If you know your pet has a flea allergy it is even more important to give preventative doses of a flea product to prevent the pain and discomfort that accompanies an allergic reaction

          •  Fleas can carry and transmit Yersina pestis (otherwise known as the Bubonic Plague!).

               –  It is a treatable disease these days, and rare, but fleas can pick up the bacteria from an infected animal and spread it to another animal when they get their next snack.

          •  Fleas encourage the transmission of Bartonella henselae (the bacteria that causes Cat Scratch Fever). 

               –  Cats can be carriers of the bacteria and it doesn’t affect them. It circulates in the blood and can be transmitted through blood contact. It is rare that most people would come into contact with cat blood, however, if fleas feed on a cat carrying the bacteria, they can shed the bacteria in their feces (flea dirt). Cats pick up the flea dirt in their nails while scratching themselves and then if they scratch their owner, the bacteria can be introduced into their owner’s blood stream. This is less of a concern for healthy individuals, but is a true threat for people with compromised immune systems.