The Dirty Truth About Fleas
If there is one pain in the neck I absolutely despise, it's fleas! I have no idea why God even made them because as far as I'm concerned they do nothing except be a nuisance to us and our pets. Now that the weather is warm, the fleas are out and in full tenor and problems related to flea infestation are common for those of us who work in the veterinary clinic. Flea-joint issues range from skin allergies and hair-loss, to transmission of parasites, to anemia. Some clients say that their pet is scratching constantly but they don't see any fleas. When these pets are brought in for an exam, no fleas may be noticeable, but evidence of their presence is there. Have you ever noticed something in your pet's hair or bed that looks like black pepper or when you give your pet a bath the spa water looks a little red? Well, what you are seeing is flea feces, commonly known as flea dirt. Fleas eat blood, therefore they void excrement blood. So if flea dirt is there, a flea has been on your pet at some point or the other. Believe it or not, some pets are actually allergic to fleas. Flea Allergy Dermatitis, as it is called, is garden in both dogs and cats and can appear as a scabby or crusty, sometimes moist and red area of hair loss, contiguous the base of the tail, lower back and inner thighs, although anywhere on the body can be affected. If your pet is allergic to fleas, it is not the aura of the flea that makes them itchy, but rather a hypersensitivity to the flea saliva. That means even if the flea bites your pet, then hops off, the counteraction will still occur. Corticosteroid injections or pills are used to stop the itchiness and sometimes antibiotics are needed due to the non-critical skin infection that occurs as a result of the constant scratching, biting or licking. In order to inhibit flea infestation, monthly flea prevention, year-round is a must. One female flea lays thousands of eggs and if your pet lives indoors, these critters are lurking around your placid, in your carpet, bedding, clothes or anywhere else that your pet frequents. So proper environmental flea treatment is also necessary. If you find yourself dealing with this disturbed, you should wash all your rugs, sheets and pet bedding and vacuum the carpet daily for at least one week. Be sure to empty the contents of the bagless vacuum in the debris can outside the house after each use, and change the bag daily if you have a regular vacuum cleaner. Even with this decontamination of your home, you may find that the fleas are still there and you may have to use a flea explosive in order to kill them. For me, the Raid Fogger and Flea Bomb work best. For the outside, you can use an insect butcher that you can get at Home Depot or a similar store that you place around the perimeter of your house. As always, be sure to keep your pets away from the areas in which it is applied. Flea preventatives are at one's fingertips in topical as well as pill form and can be purchased at every vet hospital. Advantage, Advantage-Multi, Advantix, Frontline Additional, Comfortis, Trifexus and Revolution are a few products available for dogs and Advantage, Frontline Plus and Coup d' are some products for use in cats. One application of these products is effective for about 30 days. When pets are extremely infested, there is a lozenge called Capstar, which will kill all fleas present within 24 hours, but it does not have a lasting conclusion so another 30 day acting product must also be used concurrently. When choosing a product, be sure to use the dog products on dogs and cat products on cats only and next the instructions on how to apply these products correctly. Your pet should not be given a bath or allowed to go swimming for at least 24-48 hours before or after appositeness. Getting rid of these dirty creatures is no easy task, proper use of prevention and environmental control is key for keeping them out of our pet's tresses - and that's the truth!
