Her first article is timely as spring is here and flea season is just around the corner.
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As spring progresses, your household flea population can explode due to the parasite's increase in breeding frequency. Higher temperatures and humidity can quickly lead to serious flea infestation in and around your beautiful home.
Did you know that one single flea can lay 40-50 eggs per
day, all while biting your furry family member (or even you...) up to 400 times
per day? Or that one female flea consumes 15 times its
body weigh in blood each and every day? Or that the average flea life cycle in a
home is about 21 days? Scary,
isn't it...
The adult fleas you may see on your pet are only the tip of the infestation iceberg. Immature stages (eggs, larvae and pupae) may lurk in and around your home. They may thrive unseen in many areas of your house, such as carpets, bedding and cracks in flooring, while their parents can reproduce indoors year-round. Nylon carpet fibers absorb water from the air and block light, creating an optimal environment for larvae development. The pupae (last developmental stage before becoming an adult flea) can even survive up to 6 months!!!
On the medical side, a flea infestation can cause an iron-deficiency anemia in your pet. Fleas can also be carriers of tapeworms, gastro-intestinal parasites that can cause diarrhea, weight loss, anorexia and vomiting. The tapeworm larva can also migrate through the brain producing neurological clinical signs (seizures, blindness, circling, abnormal consciousness, weakness and paralysis) as a result of tissue destruction and inflammation. While dogs with fleas usually scratch, cats often lick and groom themselves in an attempt to rid their coats of fleas. Fleas can also be responsible for allergic and / or moist dermatitis (commonly known as hotspot) associated with your pet's constant licking in a vain effort to reduce generalized itching and discomfort. Medical intervention may be necessary to treat any secondary skin infection.
The most popular flea control remains a topical monthly application of a product used to kill fleas upon their contact with the treated skin. Some other monthly systemic products aim at inhibiting the flea development and preventing its growth. An oral tablet can also be used as a fast acting agent in order to kill adult fleas on your pet, but without any residual protection beyond 24 hours. Environmental products can also be used for the backyard and surroundings. To bring the flea population under control, all animals in a household, even indoor cat must be treated for fleas at the correct manufacturer's dosage. Because of the flea's life cycle, it can take 6-8 weeks for a flea infestation to become established in a home, and at least that long for all life stages to be exhausted once treatment begins. Therefore, the successful control of an infestation may take up to 4 months to achieve!
Whatever avenue you choose,
be sure to treat wisely, thoroughly and for an appropriate length of time
before calling it a success. A
flea infestation is much easier to prevent
than to treat...Remember: for every 5 adult fleas you see on your pet, another 95 are developing though different life cycles in your
environment... And that's a battle
you don't want to lose! At Pet
Medical Center, we truly value the health of your pet as well as the flea-free
environment you both should live in...
