“What’s with all the scratching?”  This is one of the leading questions asked by exasperated pet owners to veterinarians every day, especially here in the midsouth.  Fortunately, in more than half the cases, it is an easy question to answer. 

Living in the humid mid-south presents some with a very ‘small’ problem.  Fleas!  Not bigger than the tip of your pinky finger, fleas have been waging war on pet owners for as long as we can remember, and these little combatants are as fierce as Napoleon.  They can invade your home stealthily, you never suspecting they have ambushed your shoe or your pet’s tail.  Once inside, they act quickly using carpet, crevices, or even bedding as their hideouts, and thriving in warm, moist environments and climates.

After feeding, one adult female flea is capable of laying eggs of about 15-20 per day and up to 600 in her lifetime.  Hatching in as little as two days and as long as two weeks, tiny larvae emerge, keeping to dark places until they have completed three larval stages after which the pupa continues on to mature within a silken cocoon.  The adult flea is formed in about 5 to fourteen days later, but may lay ‘resting’ within that cocoon until vibration (movement of pets or people, or even a vacuum cleaner), heat, noise or carbon dioxide awaken them. 

A flea population is unevenly distributed, with 50 percent eggs, 35 percent larvae, 10 percent pupae, and 5 percent biting adults.  And the total flea life cycle can range anywhere from two weeks to two years depending on environmental conditions.  Now pair their life cycle with the amount of eggs just one adult flea can hatch and that gives you a lot of little Napoleons running around attempting to conquer ‘your’house!

Unfortunately, these miniature emperors are not only a nuisance, but their presence on your pet can lead to various medical problems if left untreated.  

Flea Allergy Dermatitis-  or flea bite hypersensitivity, is the most common dermatologic disease of domestic dogs in the USA. Cats are also afflicted with FAD, which is one of the major causes of feline miliary dermatitis.  It is caused by the saliva that the flea leaves when biting your pet.  It is a very itchy disease and predisposes to the development of secondary skin infections.  Oddly enough, most animals with flea allergy have very few fleas – because they are so itchy, they groom themselves excessively, eliminating any evidence of fleas. However, a couple of flea bites every two weeks are sufficient to make a flea allergic dog or cat itchy all the time. Any animal can become allergic to fleas, although some pets are more attractive to fleas than others.

Tapeworms- The tapeworm is a parasite found in the intestines of dogs and cats and their appearance is most commonly caused by ingesting a flea.  It consists of a head and a long flat body made up of segments.  Segments are passed in the animal’s feces, leaving the head still attached to the animal’s intestinal lining, where it produces new segments.  Tapeworm infection may not cause noticeable illness in your pet, or it may produce digestive upsets, poor appetite, poor haircoat and skin, weight loss, and vague signs of abdominal discomfort.  Tapeworm infection is diagnosed by finding the segments in your pet’s feces, in its bed or clinging to the hair around the anus.  The eggs may not be found on microscopic examination of the feces.  When first passed, segments are yellowish to white, about ¼ inch long and may expand and contract.  When dry, the segments resemble cucumber seeds or grains of rice.   Tapeworms are not passed directly from pet to pet, but require an intermediate host in which to develop.  Whereas the flea is the most common intermediate host, your pet can also contract tapeworms from small animals, such as mice, rats, squirrels and rabbits.  Fish are also the intermediate host for one type of tapeworm. 

            Anemia-  In rare cases, an extreme infestation of fleas can cause your pet to become anemic.  Most commonly found in very young kittens and puppies who are too young to effectively groom themselves and remove their own fleas, it can also pose a risk to your older pets as well as neither are able to stand on going blood loss.  The affected animal will have pale gums and in advanced cases they can become listless and even cold.  If you see this, please call your veterinarian immediately. 

Treatment

            The good news is that these diseases can be prevented with monthly flea control that involves all areas of infestation.  This means killing the fleas on your pet and in your house and yard.  Treating only once kills the adults and some preadults but results in recurrence of infestation when the resistant eggs hatch or pupae leave their cocoons.  Adequate flea control involves a three-pronged attach.  All aspects of this attack must be maintained or the flea will break through your lines of defense.  These recommendations will assist you in control, but you should remember that they are simply guidelines to follow.  The flea control program you use must be tailored to your individual situation. 

Flea Control of Your Environment

            House Treatments need to be concentrated on “source points,” which are areas where your pets spend most of their time.  If you choose to utilize professional exterminators, they should use a combination of an adulticide to kill the adult fleas and an insect growth regulator for the juvenile stages.  If you choose to perform your own environmental control, please contact your veterinarian for suggestions. 

            Like your home, when dealing with flea control of your yard, it is important to focus on areas where your pets spend most of their time and where immature fleas may develop.  Typically, fleas survive and reproduce in shaded, moist areas that contain plant, sand, or organic debris (e.g., under decks and bushes).  Either a professional exterminator or you yourself must treat for fleas in your yard.  You can treat the yard yourself by purchasing a premise product, such as malathion, from your local hardware store.  These chemicals can be purchased in a container that you connect to your garden hose for easy spraying of the focal areas where fleas may accumulate.  These yard treatments should be performed as instructed on the product label. 

Flea Control on Your Pet

Dogs- 

An adulticide product for flea-allergic pets or households with flea allergic pets is recommended.  Several ‘spot-on’ and tablet formulations are available that are safe and offer great convenience of application.  These products have been shown to be effective when used as instructed by your veterinarian.  Frontline Plus, Comfortis, Advantage and Advantix are some of such products and are most often applied or taken once a month. 

Cats-  

            If you own cats, they too must be involved in the flea control program.  Even if they are not exhibiting any problems, they can carry the fleas to your house, yard, or dogs.  Cats are more sensitive to the chemicals in flea preparations, and some products used on dogs cannot be used on cats.  Advantage, Frontline Plus and Revolution in the cat formulations are safe and easy to use.  They are applied in a similar fashion as dogs. 

Note that all flea products are potentially toxic and may produce unexpected side effects.  Toxicity may result from accidental overdose or unexpected sensitivity.  If you suspect that your pet is reacting adversely to a flea control product, stop using the product and consult your veterinarian immediately.