Evergreen Animal Hospital

 

Home
Location and Hours
About Us
Meet our staff
Emergency Info
Pet Care Tips
Employment
Letter to clients
Articles 

 

6225 Wollochet Drive NW

Gig Harbor, WA

Phone: (253) 851-9195

Fax: (253) 851-9137

 

Contact the Doctors!

evergreenpethospitaldoctor

@yahoo.com 

 

Flea and Tick Season

Text Box:   With the warmer spring and summer months upon us we tend to see an increase in the presence of fleas and ticks.  These parasites are not just a nuisance they can also cause many health problems.

 dogscratching1.jpg

 

Fleas:   Cats and dogs can be allergic to flea saliva and develop an intense allergic reaction to flea bites called flea allergy dermatitis.  This type of reaction can cause a great deal of discomfort for your pet and they will often need other medications in addition to starting preventative flea control.

                   Fleas can carry tapeworm larvae.   When your pet grooms, they may ingest the occasional flea and thereby become infected with tapeworms.  Tapeworms are easily treated but have been known to lead to weight loss in some animals.

                 Fleas can also carry an organism called Mycoplasma haemofelis, which can infect red blood cells in cats and lead to a form of infectious anemia.  This is a serious but treatable condition if caught early.

Ticks:  Ticks can also be a serious and not to uncommon problem in Western Washington.  There are several tick species that we tend to see in this area.  1) The American dog tick, responsible for Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Tick Paralysis.  2) Deer tick (Ixodes), responsible for Lymes disease.  3) Brown dog tick, known to carry the rickettsial organism that causes Ehrlichiosis (a disease that attacks the white blood cells and platelets).

                  Every year we see cases of tick borne disease here at Evergreen Animal Hospital.  Go to our “Interesting Cases” section to read about Spencer, a patient of ours that was just recently diagnosed and treated for Erhlichiosis. 

Warning Signs: Does your pet have a flea or tick problem?

·         Irritated skin                                                                

·         Scratching

·         Tiny black dots that look like dirt- they may actually be flea dirt (a.k.a. flea excrement)

·         Small bites on yourself

·         Visible live fleas

·         Fever

·         Decreased appetite

·         Lameness or joint pain

·         Lethargy

·         Bruising or nose bleeds

·         Vomiting (rarely)

Did you know?

 

·         Fleas typically congregate on the rump and thighs in dogs, but more often affect the face, neck, and back in cats.

·         Even if your pet is indoors, fleas and ticks can be brought inside by other pets or on your clothing.

·         Even in the winter, fleas can survive inside your home, causing problems for your pets.    

·         The best and safest flea/tick products are available through your veterinarian.     

·         Be sure to use ONLY cat products on cats.  Cats are very susceptible to toxicity with many products.  Some topical and oral products for use in dogs can be harmful or fatal to cats.  If you are not sure about a particular flea or tick product, just give us a call.

·         The two areas most overlooked on your pet when searching for ticks are the ear and between the toes.

·         The visible fleas on your pet represent only 5% of your pet’s flea problem.  95% of fleas will be in the egg, larval or pupae stage, and not all flea products are effective for these other stages.

Product Recommendations 

There are numerous flea and tick products available, here are our recommendations of what we believe is best suited for our patients and our regional environment.

1.      Frontline Plus   A once a month broad spectrum topical insecticide that is absorbed through the hair follicles by the sebaceous glands.  It kills adult fleas as well as the eggs and larval stages.  It is also affective against the three ticks that we see in Western Washington as well as chewing lice.  Frontline Plus is safe to use on dogs and cats 8 weeks and older.

2.      Revolution    A once a month topical flea and heartworm preventative.  It can also be used to treat sarcoptic mange, ear mites, certain intestinal parasites, and has some efficacy towards the American Dog tick.  Safe for dogs and cats 6 weeks and older.

3.      Comfortis   A monthly tablet for flea control.  Comfortis represents a completely new class of drug in the battle against fleas and is a great alternative for those who do not like topical products.  It can begin to kill fleas within 30 minutes of ingestion.  It is available for use on dogs 14 weeks and older.  It is NOT available for cats and does not kill ticks.

4.      Program Injectable   This is a 6 month injectable for cats that inhibits egg production in the fleas in order to control flea populations.  A female flea can lay as many as 2,000 eggs in her lifetime.  Program does not kill adult fleas and so it is better for those cats that do not have flea allergies.   It can be used in conjunction with other flea products to help insure that an infestation does not develop in your local environment.

 

All of us here at EVERGREEN ANIMAL HOSPITAL hope that you and your pets have a fun and safe summer!

 

Send mail to info@evergreenpethospital.com with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified: 05/07/09