Blood Suckers: How to Protect Your Pet

Each week, Dr. Kane will discuss health and environmental issues that affect your pet. If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Kane by clicking "email the author," and he will try to answer them right here in this column.

There are many organisms in the environment that can affect our pets, often in more ways than one. Among them are external and internal parasites. These can be found in many areas, and the severity of disease they cause varies from pet to pet and organism to organism. While keeping your pets completely safe from these problems is not really possible, there are ways to try to help prevent, reduce severity, and treat your pet if they do become affected.

Some of the most common problems are caused by those organisms we will call 'blood suckers.' The name is quite telling, as all of these following organisms do indeed suck blood, which can sometimes lead to serious blood loss. However, some also carry and transmit other organisms, which then lead to other, sometimes even more serious problems.  In the next few articles, we will focus on these little blood suckers, including fleas, ticks, mosquitoes, and hookworms.

FLEAS:  

The most common external parasite we deal with, these wingless insects hang out and run around on your pet, sucking their blood for their nutrition. While the blood loss is usually not serious, in severe cases, your pet could lose enough blood to require a transfusion to survive.  If your pet goes outside, comes into contact with other pet, or goes into an environment where fleas have been, they can become the next meal!

Adult fleas suck your pets' blood, and females lay eggs that fall into the surrounding environment. In optimal flea conditions, these eggs hatch and larvae eventually pupate and develop into adults. The adult emerges, finds your pet and hops on. Adult fleas on other pets can jump onto your pet, too. In addition to the varying amounts of blood loss, these adults fleas can cause, they also:

• Can carry and transmit TAPEWORMS - internal intestinal worms that cause diarrhea, vomiting, weight loss, inappetence (not usually serious; treatable with a pill or injection, repeated in 2-3 weeks)                             

• Can carry and transmit the organism responsible for FLEA INFECTIOUS ANEMIA - a microscopic parasite in cats that destroys red blood cells, leading to lethargy, weakness, yellow tissue (icterus) and collapse. (may require transfusion to survive–otherwise can be successfully treated with antibiotics)

• Can cause FLEA DERMATITIS (non-allergy) from the flea bites themselves, leading to mild itching and chewing (tail base, back end, neck, belly), and little bumps/crusts (tail base and neck usually). This is usually treatable by eliminating the fleas, shampoos and antihistamines.

• Can cause FLEA 'ALLERGY' DERMATITIS in those pets allergic to the flea's saliva–this can either be a mild or sometimes very severe skin inflammation with secondary bacterial and yeast infections, leading to signs of mild to intense itching and chewing (tail base, back end, neck, belly), hair loss, raw areas called hot spots, and a variety of strange skin and mouth changes in cats (lip ulcers, chin swelling, mouth granulomas, red bumps and plaques on the skin) *can be treatable by a variety of methods (a whole other article); however, can also be a very frustrating, ongoing problem that can be difficult to cure

• Can carry and transmit other less common organisms that we do not commonly see, like the organism responsible for plaque.

PREVENTION:

The best advice is preventing the fleas from ever affecting your pet. This is a tall order, as there is no way to 100 percent prevent fleas (in this area); however, there are things to consider when trying to reduce the risk to your pet:

• remember where your pet gets the fleas, and try to reduce exposure (outside, contact with other pets, previous flea areas)

• monthly 'spot on' liquids/oral pill products to kill fleas and/or prevent flea reproduction–recommend talking to your veterinarian about the best product for your pet

• bathing (regular bath and/or 'flea bath') to physically remove fleas and apply insecticide to kill fleas

CAUTION: I recommend not using over-the-counter flea control for your pet. We see more 'reactions' in pets (allergic, local skin) when using these often less effective, non-FDA controlled products. While they may be less expensive, they may also be more dangerous and less effective. Be advised:

• keep temperature cool and humidity low (fleas love 70-90 degrees F and higher, and love humidity)

• vacuum, vacuum, vacuum (fleas lay eggs that are likely in your environment–before they hatch and get on your pet, get rid of them!)

• clean couches, upholstery, rugs, carpets

• use environmental foggers containing insect growth regulators to kill eggs and larvae