Fleas are common to all parts of the globe, present in over 2000 varieties. The most common varieties in the United States are the cat flea and the dog flea. Don?t let the names fool you, though. Most fleas will feed on any warm-blooded animal, including humans.

These external parasites eat the blood of their hosts, resulting in painful and itchy bites along the skin. They are very talented jumpers, springing distances over a foot in order to attach to a host. While they most often cause incredibly annoying itching, they can also transmit other undesirable organisms like tapeworms and the bacteria responsible for the plague.

How to Recognize an Infestation

The best way to detect an infestation is not by looking for the fleas themselves, but rather their feces and bites. Flea feces look a lot like pepper or dirt sprinkled through your dog?s hair and bedding. The identity of this pepper can be tested by squishing some of it between a paper towel. Flea feces contain dried blood and therefore look red when spread out.

Where to Look and What to Look For

Fleas can make their home on almost any part of your pets, but they prefer the skin of the bottom and thighs. If you see your dog scratching or biting these areas, fleas are a reasonable suspicion. Also look for bite marks as other conditions including dry skin and mange mites can cause itching.

Risks Associated With a Flea Infestation

Fleas can reproduce incredibly fast (a female flea can lay up to 50 eggs a day: that?s over 1000 eggs a month, from just one flea). If a flea infestation is allowed to flourish, eventually the swelling population will seek out new hosts, humans if possible. Itching can break skin, increasing the likelihood of a secondary infection.

Fleas can also transmit tapeworms if eaten (accidentally, of course). While tapeworms aren?t particularly dangerous, they can cause mild intestinal discomfort, not to mention being mentally unsettling to consider.

Fleas are also particularly hungry creatures, capable of biting approximately 350 times per day. And unlike humans, dogs can feel fleas moving around in their hair, adding to the extreme irritation of an infestation. Itching and biting can cause obvious damage to a dog?s skin. Dogs will often become obsessed with keeping clean, which can result in bald spots. Tapeworms can also be transmitted to dogs if a flea is eaten (much easier in dogs since they relieve their itching by biting). If your dog can?t seem to maintain a constant weight, he/she may have a tapeworm.

Treatment

An infestation of fleas can be very difficult to clear as fleas have multiple parts to their life cycle, some of which (eggs in particular) are harder than others to eradicate. Several treatment methods as well as repetition of treatments are necessary to successfully kill a flea infestation.

A combination of topical treatments, oral medications and flea shampooing should be used to rid your dog of fleas. Repeat this treatment every week to 10 days, several times to make sure all life cycles have been eliminated. Also be sure to treat the areas where your dog sleeps/relaxes. Fleas will often leave their hosts and lay their eggs in rugs or on furniture. Foggers, powders/dusts, or sprays are all good ways to kill an indoor flea infestation. Repeat home treatment along with re-treatment of your pet.

Fleas are incredibly successful breeders and are unlikely to ever be completely eradicated. Due to the exploratory nature of most pets, it can also be very difficult to prevent flea infestations. Being aware of the signs and consistently monitoring your dog?s behavior can help avoid irritating and frustrating flea infestations.

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In North America, ticks are the most common vector for transmitting infectious diseases and second only to mosquitoes worldwide. Many tick-borne diseases are dangerous simply because they can be difficult to diagnose and are therefore allowed a longer period to ravage an organism. While these diseases can be frightening, they are also relatively simple to avoid with proper tick-bite prevention.

Tick-Borne Diseases

The wide variety of viruses, bacteria, and other microorganisms spread by ticks are transmitted via tick saliva. Statistically, ticks that have been attached to a host less than 36 hours are unlikely to have transmitted a pathogen. However, ticks are nimble creatures and can easily attach to a host without being felt.

Tick Prevention

By far, the most effective method for preventing tick-borne diseases is by avoiding those areas which harbor tick populations. Ticks are most likely to be found during the warm and somewhat humid times of the year (May-August for most locations). They are usually picked up in grassy areas, often on the edge of fields. However, they can be found in denser forests as well.

Ticks usually attach to a host through what?s called questing: climbing up a blade of grass, anchoring with back legs, front legs open wide and ready for attachment. Ticks sense an approaching host through vibrations, shadows, and changes in carbon dioxide (which we exhale). Destroying tick habitat required for questing ? keeping grasses short ? is one way prevent ticks from inhabiting an area.

What to Wear

If this isn?t an option due to recreational or occupational commitments (construction, hunting, etc), there are still many ways to prevent tick attachment. Wear long sleeves and long pants, tucking pant legs into white socks. Wearing light-colored clothing can make ticks more noticeable when examining clothes for attached ticks. Repellants containing DEET or Permethrin can help mask odors which attract ticks as well as killing them upon exposure. (Note: High concentrations aren?t necessarily more effective).

Protecting Your Pet

Since dogs don?t usually wear clothing and don?t know to avoid tick-prone areas, it?s best to examine your pet after traversing these areas. Ticks often take their time to find the best location on an animal. If you check your pet?s hair immediately after being in a tick-laden area, chances are the tick will not have settled yet and can be removed with a tick brush. Dispose of ticks by drowning them in rubbing alcohol or high-proof liquor.

If a tick has attached to your pet?s skin, it can be removed with special tick tweezers by carefully and slowly pulling the tick out at a 90 degree angle to the skin. Grab the tick as close to the skin as possible to prevent the head from detaching from the body. If the head is left in your pet?s skin, it will likely develop an infection if it isn?t removed. The best way to remove a tick head is by taking a trip to the vet.

Outdoor Pets

If your dog spends a lot of time rummaging through forests, tick collars containing an insecticide can be very helpful to protect against tick attachment. These collars are toxic, however, and should be carefully monitored when on your pet. If your pet becomes irritable or uncharacteristically lethargic, remove the collar immediately.

Ticks are capable of transmitting a vast array of infectious diseases, but being aware of the risks and knowing how to avoid them can help you to be worry-free when you or your pet are walking through tick-infested areas.

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Fleas are amazing little creatures. Sure, they may be irritating, but they?ve certainly got some skills to brag about: able to jump over 200 times the length of their body, capable of producing over a trillion eggs in 9 months, surviving as cocoons for over a year without feeding. They?re also capable of some massive destruction when in large quantities because of their sole food source: blood.

Flea Food

That?s right; fleas eat blood, and lots of it. Female fleas require blood to reproduce, baby fleas need blood to grow, and adult fleas need blood to survive. In a flea infestation, that?s a lot of fleas to feed. This can result in anemia ? or a low red blood cell count ? in smaller animals or with larger animals when severely infested.

Blood Basics

In mammals, red blood cells are required to transport oxygen throughout the body. On average dogs have about 66 milliliters (one hundredth of a liter) per kilogram of weight. That?s about 3 liters of blood in the average large dog. Considering a single flea can bite 350 times a day, you can see why a flea population could consume a lot of blood very quickly.

Anemia

When pets experience anemia, the most common signs are pale gums, listless or lethargic behavior, or a colder temperature in severe cases. If fleas are not removed and anemia is allowed to progress, pets can die from lack of oxygen to crucial organs and tissues. Even more frightening is the fact that animals rarely itch from a flea infestation unless they are allergic to the fleas, meaning a pet could have a substantial flea infestation and show no symptoms.

Some pets are at a greater risk than others for developing anemia. Kittens or puppies raised outdoors and elderly animals are the most likely to become anemic during a flea infestation.

How Will I Know If My Pet Has Fleas?

If your pet is allergic to fleas, it will most likely scratch incessantly or even bite places like the rear and back legs to soothe itching. If you pet is not allergic to fleas and doesn?t scratch as a result, you can still detect a flea infestation from the appearance of flea feces. Flea feces looks like dirt or pepper and can be found both on your pet and in the areas it sleeps or relaxes (like a rug or on furniture). The best way to identify flea feces is to squeeze some between paper towels. If little red smears result (flea feces contain blood), you?re dealing with fleas.

Flea Treatment

Because fleas can survive for long periods unattached to a host, it can be very difficult to rid both your pet and house of fleas. The best methods are thorough and repetitive. To rid your pet of fleas, a series of flea shampooing, topical treatments, and even oral medications should be administered. Repeat treatment up to three times every 10 days, also carefully monitoring your pet?s behavior as treatments are toxic in high doses.

To prevent your pet from re-infection, you must treat any areas your pet inhabits at the same time your pet is being treated. If this includes places within your home, you can use things like sprays, powders/dusts, or foggers to kill fleas. Just like your pet?s treatment, repeat this regimen two or three times, each 10 days apart, to be sure you kill all fleas in all life cycles.

Being aware of changes in your pet?s behavior as well as periodically checking areas where your pet relaxes for signs of fleas is the most effective way to prevent a flea infestation and the anemia that can result from one.

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Ixodes Scapularis, also known as the deer tick, is the most common carrier of Lyme disease. Lyme disease was first diagnosed in 1975, but has existed long before the 1900?s. Today it?s found mostly in the eastern coastal states and in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Some cases of Lyme disease occur elsewhere, but infrequently.

What is Lyme Disease?

Lyme disease is caused by a parasite known as Borrelia, which infects the tick and is then transmitted to the mammal on which it is feeding.

What Role Do Ticks Play in Transmitting Lyme Disease?

Ticks feed off of mammals and lay eggs of their bodies. A tick can contract Lyme disease at any point in its life cycle. A tick?s life begins as an egg, it hatches into larvae, then a nymph and then it reaches adulthood and begins laying its own eggs. The tick bites its mammalian host and stays attached until it has had a full meal. It will not bite another mammal after that. The tick must stay attached for two days in order to transmit or contract Lyme disease. A tick can give the disease to its host, and can contract it from its host.

Lyme Disease on Dogs

Studies have shown that only 10% of dogs exposed to ticks carrying Lyme disease have contracted it. The dog may not contract the disease if the tick has been attached less than two days. An infected dog cannot infect other members of the household unless the tick or eggs become dislodged and reattach to another mammal.

Symptoms of Lyme Disease

Lyme disease doesn?t show up in dogs until two to five months after being infected. Symptoms may vary with different forms of Lyme disease, but often include fever, lameness, swelling of the joints, lethargy or lack of appetite. Dogs rarely may develop arthritis or kidney failure. The sooner the dog is treated, the easier treatment should be.

Treating Lyme Disease

Treating Lyme disease usually involves the aggressive use of antibiotics for two to three weeks. Your veterinarian will take a blood test, although some differ of the effectiveness of these tests. Some animals may never rid themselves of Lyme disease, but the symptoms can be eradicated.

Preventing Lyme Disease

There are vaccinations against Lyme disease available for dogs, but experts debate their effectiveness. Some dogs can be infected with Lyme disease prior to vaccination, rendering the treatment ineffective. There are also a number of strains of the bacteria causing Lyme disease, and one strain in the vaccination may not be able to kill other strains. Vaccinated dogs can still contract Lyme disease, though at less of a frequency than their unvaccinated counterparts.

The best thing you can do to protect your dog against Lyme disease is to notice when your dog is feeling lethargic, or having any other changes in its behavior. The sooner you pick up on your pet?s illness, the better.

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Treating and preventing fleas is a constant task that never eases up. Specific steps can ease the frequency of flea treatments and reduce the likelihood of infestations.

5 Easy Steps

The five steps are as follows:

• Treat the pet
• Clean the house
• Treat the outdoor habitat of your pet
• Know your enemies
• Prevent future infestations

Treat Your Pet

There are a huge variety of products you can use to treat your cat’s fleas. You can choose from sprays, creams, collars, shampoos, pills and injections. A fine toothed comb, similar to what we use to treat human lice, can also be used. Take care when choosing a product to treat you pet; certain chemicals that are okay for dogs can be toxic to cats.

Clean the House

Regular house cleanings can prevent future infestations. Vacuum thoroughly, as vacuuming is known to reduce flea levels dramatically. Use a product to wash other surfaces that will kill adult fleas and eggs. Be sure to wash curtains often, and pet’s bedding at least once a week. Consider where else your pet may go: your bedroom, car, carrier, etc.

Treat the Outdoor Environment

Fleas can live outdoors and re-attach themselves to your pet if you’re not careful. Fleas like moist, warm and shady spots and as a result enjoy living where your pet defecates. If there are areas your pet especially enjoys outdoors, be sure to treat those areas. Consider the dog house, garage, under the porch and where your pet defecates. There are a number of sprays that can be used, although you may need to spray every couple of weeks.

Know Your Enemy

Get smart about fleas. Determine where you pet may have got them from, and what you can do to prevent it in the future. Examine the places in your home where fleas could be living and treat those areas.

Prevention is the Best Medicine

The easiest way to deal with fleas is to prevent them. Maintained regularly, the above steps can go a long way to reducing your pets exposure to fleas. Regularly inspect your pet with a fine comb; if you notice fleas, take appropriate steps immediately. Make sure your pet has a flea collar and be sure to wash your hands after you inspect your pet.

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