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.

Spring is coming! And I don't know about you but I am looking forward to spending more time outside, sprucing up my yard, planting new plants and spending some time out in the sun. As I spend more time outside, my dogs also spend more time outside. I am sure many pet owners are the same. So I am taking this opportunity to remind pet owners of some of the common toxins to be aware of as you work and play in your yard with your pets.

Fertilizers and insecticides are usually well recognized as potential toxins. While it is a good idea to keep your animals away from freshly applied fertilizer or insecticide, we rarely see toxicity from animals just walking around on freshly applied fertilizer. Toxicity occurs more commonly when dogs or cats find whole bags of fertilizers and decide to take a taste.

For those of us in the Pacific Northwest, one of the most common toxicities especially in the spring is from slug and snail bait containing metaldehyde. These baits are molasses flavored to attract the snails and slugs. Unfortunately, they are also attractive to dogs and children. If you have children or pets in your yard do not use these products. There are safer alternatives, such as Sluggo.

Various mulches and barks used in planting beds can potentially cause problems as well. The most well publicized is probably cocoa bean mulch. This mulch is a by-product of chocolate production and uses the hulls of processed cocoa beans. Depending on the processing and source of the cocoa beans the level of toxic theobromine is variable in each bag of cocoa mulch. It can be difficult to predict what is a toxic level because of this variability. And the mulch is particularly yummy to many dogs because it smells like chocolate for the first week or two after application. In general I would recommend avoiding these mulches even if they are labeled safe for dogs. However, if you do choose to use it try and keep it away from areas your dogs spend time or be sure to carefully supervise your dogs when they are outside to be sure they are not eating any of the mulch.

There are many toxic plants, some of which we grow indoors and others we may have planted in our yards. There are too many to list here so instead I would recommend checking out the ASPCA's website where they have a searchable list of poisonous plants. http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison-control/plants/

The ASPCA also has an excellent summary of various dangers (other than just toxins) in your garden. Check it out at http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/pet-care-tips/pet-safe-gardening.html

The most important thing to remember is that if you have any concerns that your dog or cat may have eaten or chewed on something potentially toxic see your veterinarian immediately. Timely intervention is often the most important aspect of successful treatment. Better to err on the side of caution in any case of possible poisonings!