Fleas!! Not just a summer thing anymore!

I have been seeing terrible fleas all summer long and there doesn't appear to be an end in sight.  I have had several pets come in with fleas in the last week.  Many people are under the impression that fleas are only a summer parasite.  And that would be true if we actually had a fall season here in Texas...  But here it is October and the sun is shining and it's in the 80-90's!

Monthly flea prevention is a must for all pets in any month that we are consistently above 60 degrees.(Please note that I underlined and bold-ed this, because it is so darn important) 
Flea eggs incubate best in high humidity(TEXAS!) and between 65-85 degrees!!! 
The terrible thing about fleas is that they multiply like rabbits. 
A female flea can lay up to 40 eggs per day. 
The average amount of time from an egg to an adult flea is about 3 weeks, but can be much longer if the conditions aren't right for hatching.  This means the little suckers can 'hibernate' all winter and then once it warms up and the animals are going outside again, they can start hatching and multiplying like rabbits again!!

There are many safe monthly flea preventions(Advantage, Frontline, etc), but please consult your veterinarian as to what is best for you pet.  Many of the over the counter (i.e. cheaper products)  can cause severe toxicity, even death and usually don't work....



Fleas spread disease!   Many people don't know that fleas can spread disease and even cause death in animals.  These are blood-sucking parasites....  The old and the young are especially susceptible to death from blood loss with a heavy flea burden.  In addition to blood loss there are a few other things that fleas spread.  Gross........

• Tapeworms-usually not life threatening, but they are pretty nasty.  You will see them pass in the stool, they look like white rice, but they move...
• Cat Scratch Fever/Bartonellosis- Doesn't make the cat sick but an infected person can be very sick.
• Feline Infectious Anemia:  This is a blood parasite that is spread by fleas that causes destruction of a cats red blood cells.  This is life threatening if left untreated.

Identifying Fleas:
There are a few things I look for when I suspect fleas.

1.  The actual Flea

2.   Flea dirt:  Which is actually flea poop/digested blood

3.  Skin irritation, on the back where the tail meets the back and often extending around the rectal area.

-This picture is a severe case of flea allergy, it is usually not this bad.

Myths Veterinarians Hear Nearly Every Day

FYI:  If I say your dog has fleas, I in no way mean this as an insult to your cleanliness or your pets cleanliness.  I am just stating the facts.  I do not get a 'kick-back' for all the flea products I sell.  I simply want to help you and your pet.  I personally can not stand fleas, I get the 'creepy-crawlies' when I see a flea at 50 yards(just a joke they are too small to see at that distance).  I just want to help you get rid of them!!  Ok, that being said, here are those myths we hear.

• My pet cannot have fleas because he lives entirely indoors.

Fleas thrive particularly well in the well-regulated temperatures in the home.

• My pet cannot have fleas because if there were any fleas they would be biting (insert name of a person in the family reportedly sensitive to flea bites). Since this person is not being bitten, there must not be any fleas.

Despite Ctenocephalides felis’ ability to feed of a wide variety of hosts, this flea definitely does not prefer human blood and won’t eat it unless absolutely necessary. A newly emerged adult flea is hungry and may well take a blood meal from the first warm body it finds. An adult flea knocked off its normal host will also be desperate to find a new host and may feed on the nearest warm body it can find. In general, adult fleas regard human blood as a last choice and humans tend not to be bitten unless flea population numbers are high.

• We do not have fleas because we have only hard wood floors.

Fleas love to develop in the cracks between the boards of hard wood floors.

• My pet cannot have fleas because I would see them.

You cannot expect to see fleas as many animals are adept at licking them away. Sometimes all that is seen is the characteristic skin disease.

So, for all who have read this you are armed with some powerful knowledge about fleas!!  Go out and spread in the info!