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Dog Fleas |
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Dog Fleas and Treatment Options in Naples | ||
Fleas are a year round problem in sunny Florida. Fleas are a biting, bloodsucking external parasite that can cause secondary skin infections and or allergies if left untreated. Fleas also can transmit tapeworm. Simple monthly application of preventative topical medications can keep your pet free of fleas and ticks. | ||
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Fleas do not live on your pet. Fleas inhabit the environment and hitch a ride on your pet spreading the fleas' environment and population from outside to inside your home. Fleas excrete on your pet and lay their eggs in your home. One female flea can lay thousands of eggs in her lifetime. The flea eggs don't hatch all at one time. The flea eggs of one female will hatch over a period of three months provided no preventative products are used. There are some stages of flea development that are resistant to insecticides. Fleas can cause itchy skin allergies, skin infections and tapeworms. Flea prevention is available at All Animals Clinic. Flea allergy treatment can be started quickly and effectively depending on your pets' particular needs. | ||
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Flea saliva can cause the symptoms associated with flea allergies. Fleas use chemicals in their saliva to penetrate your pets' skin. Pets usually do not become allergic to the flea on them as much as the fleabite. Itching, biting and hair loss can be periodic or constant are common symptoms of a worsening flea infestation.. The pet's chewing and biting can be severe enough to cause infections and open sores. Fleas can carry tapeworm. By chewing and grooming at its hair coat your pet may ingest fleas resulting in tapeworm infestation. After a pet in infested with tapeworms "rice" like pieces may be seen in the stool. These segments are the reproductive tapeworm segments and can also continue the lifecycle of fleas by becoming food for flea larvae. Flea prevention is much easier than treatment for two parasitic infestations. | ||
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Fleas because they live in the environment, have the ability to jump on any animal walking through their territory. Fleas prey on wild and domestic animals, and perhaps even you. The natural environment of fleas would be the great outdoors, but because many of us live with our pets, we have expanded the environment of the fleas to our home. Furniture, carpeting, baseboards, curtains reaching the floor, all provide an ideal jumping off point for fleas once the have had a blood meal from your pet. That's right, the fleas don't stay on your pet after they have obtained their nutrition they move to a more suitable habitat for egg laying. In the deep dark pile of your carpet, furniture trim and base boards the female flea may lay up to five thousand eggs at once. This makes it easy for contagion of fleas by sheer numbers. Another factor allowing for easy transmission of fleas throughout the environment is they don't all hatch at once. There is a time related hatching methodology to fleas' reproduction. So they hatch in One thousand strong waves. | ||
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The detection of fleas can be done by lifting the hair over the base of the tail, and looking for black specks and the scurrying or jumping fleas. The black specs are known as flea dirt and are actually the fecal matter of fleas. Fleas feed on the blood of their host and the excrement is this flea dirt. When bathing your pet if a flea infestation is present the shampoo and rinse water will runoff a reddish color. Teaching your pet to allow you to look them over from head to tail regularly will enable you to easily detect any abnormalities with your pet, including a flea infestation. | ||
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The treatment of fleas can be achieved by the use of soothing oatmeal baths to relieve itching, topical products like Vectra 3D we find works great in killing the fleas eggs and larvae. Pest control sprays applied to your home and yard will be necessary to break the life cycle of the flea. Oral fleas preventatives are available to kill off any mild reinfestation. We find Capstar safe and effective for pets of any age. In some cases of flea infestation where the body has become so reactive to the flea saliva and prolonged itching and scratching has occurred secondary skin infections may occur. If your pet has open sores, a veterinarian may prescribe appropriate antibiotics and antihistamines. Other problems associated with flea infestations can be discussed with All Animals Clinic Doctor and friendly staff. | ||
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Consult a Qualified pest control company and stick with the program to rid your home from fleas. | ||
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| Consult a Qualified pest control company and stick with the program to rid your yard from fleas. | ||
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| Prevention of fleas is in warm climates is a year round affair. Most flea infestation's cycle can be broken in three months. Treating your home your pet and the outdoor area they stay in can be helpful in breaking this cycle. Fleas prefer the low humidity and in southern climates may be worse in the winter months than in the summer when heavy rain and high humidity reduce the fleas reproductively. | ||
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The Doctor's and staff would be happy to discuss any of your concerns or questions. |
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