Fleas In The Fall

By Clifford Mardinger, The Animal Clinic

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With temperatures being unseasonably warm, not only are we happy about it, but so are the fleas who thrive in this weather. Yikes, yet an-other consequence of global warming...

Fleas can survive on dogs and cats year-round, however the adults comprise but five percent of the flea population. That means that eggs, lar-vae, and pupae make up the remaining ninety-five percent. Gross. These are found in the environment while the latter are resis-tant to dessication and more extreme tempera-tures. If your pet has fleas, rest assured your house has them, too.

Looking for fleas is easy if you know what to look for. Purchase a flea comb (a fine-tooth comb) for a few bucks at your lo-cal pet store, comb your pet, and have a look at the hair caught in it. Are there live fleas? Is there flea poop? Flea “dirt” looks like tiny commas, just like this comma (,)! Just wet your finger and drag this dirt down a white sheet of paper. See a red line? If yes, then that’s flea poop. (above, a flea comb)

Good flea control means treating all stages of the flea, not just the live ones we see on our pets. There are various effective flea products on the market today that control most of the flea stages. I strongly recommended that you do not purchase these from your local pet store but from your veterinarian. Not only are these prod-ucts at best ineffective, but those containing per-methrins can cause trem-ors and seizures in cats (permethrins kill fleas but they also kill cats - don’t use them on cats!). I rec-ommend using one or a combination of these vet-erinary products: Advan-tage© , Revolution© , and Capstar© (which is taken orally and kills adults al-most immediately). These have a very wide safety margin, and require dis-pensing by a veterinarian.

Sprays such as Knockout© or FleaBusters© are effective at treating the stages found in the household. Minor infesta-tions, especially in house-holds without carpets, rarely require the treat-ment of the entire house. However, the application of safe flea products to your pet every 3-4 weeks for 2-3 months will help rid both pet and house of fleas completely.

Fleas cannot live on us but we can be bitten by them, especially on or around the ankles and shins. Not only are fleas itchy from their move-ment and bites but our pets can also be allergic to the bite of the flea (allergy to the flea’s saliva). This causes intense itching, redness of the skin, hair-loss, and scabbing, often all along the pet’s back.

Please remember: many skin conditions can cause itchy skin, including allergies (seasonal and food), scabies and other skin mites, bacterial infec-tions, and ringworm. If your dog or cat is itchy, make an appointment with your vet. Your itchy friend will thank you.

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