Flea Season Starts Now!

Spring is here and so is flea season in the Pacific Northwest. I talk to a lot of pet owners who truly believe that their pet does not and never has had fleas. But fleas, and ticks, can be a problem in Western Washington. And it is a problem that should not be ignored.

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Fleas are tiny insects that live on our dogs and cats and suck blood for their meals. They can be difficult to identify, especially on a long haired pet. Grooming by our pets may remove low numbers of fleas before they are even seen. Do not assume that means they are not there. We must be careful not to dismiss fleas just because we don’t always see them.

Fleas can KILL!

In small or debilitated animals, fleas can cause enough blood loss to several debilitate or kill an animal. They can also transmit Feline Infectious Anemia, which is a blood parasite transmitted by flea bites. Flea bites can also transmit Cat Scratch Fever to your pet which will not cause your pet to become ill but can make you very sick if you were to have receive a bite from your pet.

Most commonly we diagnose fleas because of Flea Allergy Dermatitis. This allergy to flea bites results in a red inflamed skin that becomes secondarily infected with bacteria and yeast. Animals suffering from this condition are extremely itchy and uncomfortable. They will often loose hair, especially from the back half of their body and may develop open sores.

We also see a lot of tapeworm infestations. Tapeworms are spread through the ingestion of an infected flea. We see the results of this when cats or dogs poop out small, white sesame seed shaped worms. This preventable with good flea control.

Here is the good news. Fleas are preventable, if you stay on a regular maintenance schedule. There are multiple products available either from your veterinarian or over the counter to help with this. It is best to choose a product after discussion with your veterinarian about the risk factors for fleas, ticks and other internal parasites that may be

treated by various products.

A note about flea products. There are some over the counter flea products available at pet stores that can be toxic when used improperly. Always read the instructions. Never put a dog product on a cat. Never buy a larger dose hoping to split it into multiple doses for smaller animals. Properly used, flea medications are safe. But when improperly used flea product toxicities can lead to tremors, seizures, paralysis and death in extreme cases. If you have any questions contact your veterinarian before applying a product.

Think your indoor cat can’t have fleas? Surprise, fleas love the well controlled environment of our homes. They can live in our carpets, cracks in our hardwood floors or corners. They can be tracked in by other animals or even us before transferring to our pets or laying their eggs.

If you would like more information about fleas, flea life cycles and the products available to treat fleas visit www.veterinarypartner.com and search for fleas. There is a lot of good information on this site written and reviewed veterinary professionals.

Topical flea and tick preventatives-are they safe?

I initially planned to make this first blog post a little background information on me. But I want to address some recent news out from the EPA regarding the safety of topical flea and tick preventatives.

EPA recently reviewed all the reports of adverse effects of topical flea and tick preventatives. There has been an increase in incidents reported in the last year evaluated (2008). EPA has concluded that all topical preventatives can potential cause a toxic reaction. However, out of 2 million plus doses sold last year only 44,000 caused problems (less than 1 in 6,000). And most of these problems were minor (itching, redness, localized hair loss).

This is balanced with the potential risks from flea and tick bites. Fleas and ticks are not just a nuisance. Even in WA we can see flea and tick transmitted diseases. Tapeworms, Lyme disease and other blood borne fevers can be devastating not just to your pets, but to you as well.

Just like any medication, flea and tick preventatives should be used after careful discussion with your veterinarian. To ensure safety when using these medications please read the packaging carefully. NEVER apply a dog product to a cat. Do not allow animals to lick the product off themselves or other pets. Be sure you know the weight of your dog or cat to ensure you are using an appropriate dose of preventative. And as always if you have any questions or are concerned you are seeing an adverse reaction, contact your veterinarian.

I personally will continue to apply a monthly flea and tick preventative to my pets. I feel that the risks of problems are low compared to the risks of other diseases. Also one of my dogs, Lexi, has some skin allergies that are severely worsened by even a low number of flea bites. She is miserable even if I am just a few days late with her preventative! I am happy to see that EPA will be working with the various manufactures to make packaging and instructions more clear and also to improve dosing especially for small dogs. Hopefully, further research will also help us to determine what exactly is causing these adverse reactions, especially the most severe reactions.