Fleas are the most common external parasite of companion
animals. Flea allergy dermatitis is the most common skin disease of dogs and
cats! Flea control has always been a challenge for veterinarians and pet owners
because the adult fleas cause the clinical signs, yet the majority of the flea
population (eggs, larvae and pupae) are to be found off the pet in and around
the home. The ideal flea control
program utilizes products that target the various stages of the flea life
cycle, not only the adult fleas on the pet. In order to help you to select the
most appropriate products to achieve a flea-free existence for an allergic pet,
we will start by telling you about the life cycle of the flea.
The Life Cycle of the Flea (Ctenocephalides felis)
Eggs are laid in the hair coat and are designed to fall off
the host. They are resistant to insecticides, but susceptible to various insect
growth regulators. Larvae develop in the host’s environment and feed on adult
flea feces (blood) that fall out of the hair coat of the pet. Larvae are
susceptible to traditional insecticides, borates and insect growth regulators.
Larvae eventually spin cocoons (often within carpet fibers) for pupation. Pupae
are resistant to freezing, desiccation, and insecticides. Pupae can lie dormant
for many months; they are stimulated to expupate as emergent adults by
vibration, warming and increased carbon dioxide. Normally, expupation occurs
when a host is near and the new flea finds the pet within seconds of emergence.
Emergent fleas are fairly mobile and can survive a few days without a host, if
in a suitable environment. New fleas begin feeding within hours of finding a
dog or cat. Once a blood meal has been taken, the flea can survive only a short
time if it is dislodged from the host. New fleas experience very high mortality
on healthy adult hosts. Most fleas do not survive 72 hours on an animal that is
itching and able to groom itself. Unfortunately, limited egg production does
occur even on allergic animals. The entire life cycle of C. felis can be
completed in as few as 16 days!
Flea Control Recommendations
For the flea allergic patient 100% flea control is required to remain symptom-free. Even very minimal exposure may be sufficient to perpetuate itching in a hypersensitive patient (one or 2 bites per week are enough!).
Ticks are skin parasites that feed on the blood of their hosts. Ticks like motion, warm temperatures from body heat, and the carbon dioxide exhaled by mammals, which is why they are attracted to such hosts as dogs, cats, rodents, rabbits, cattle, small mammals, etc. The bite itself is not usually painful, but the parasite can transmit diseases and cause tick paralysis, which is why tick control is so important. (Removing the ticks leads to rapid improvement of the paralysis.)
?It takes several hours for an attached tick to transmit
disease, so owners can usually prevent disease transmission to their pets by
following a regular schedule to look for and remove ticks.
Tick Life Cycle
Most types of ticks require three hosts during a two-year
lifespan. Each tick stage requires
a blood meal before it can reach the next stage. Hard ticks have four life stages: egg, larva, nymph, and
adult. Larvae and nymphs must feed
before they detach and molt. Adult
female ticks can engorge, increasing their weight by more than 100 fold. After
detaching, an adult female tick can lay approximately 3,000 eggs.
?During the egg-laying stage, ticks lay eggs in secluded areas with dense vegetation. The eggs hatch within two weeks. Some species of ticks lay 100 eggs at a time, others lay 3,000 to 6,000 per batch. Once the eggs hatch, the ticks are in the larval stage, during which time the larvae move into grass and search for their first blood meal. At this stage, they will attach themselves for several days to their first host, usually a bird or rodent, and then fall onto the ground. The nymph stage begins after the first blood meal is completed. Nymphs remain inactive during winter and start moving again in spring. Nymphs find a host, usually a rodent, pet, or human. Nymphs are generally about the size of a freckle. After this blood meal, ticks fall off the host and move into the adult stage. Throughout the autumn, male and female adults find a host, which is again usually a rodent, pet, or human. The adult female feeds for 8 to 12 days. The female mates while still attached to her host. Both ticks fall off, and the males die. The female remains inactive through the winter and in the spring lays her eggs in a secluded place. If adults cannot find a host animal in the fall, they can survive in leaf litter until the spring.
Prevent Ticks from Attaching
If your pet goes outside regularly, you can use some type of
residual insecticide. Frontline (fipronil) is a liquid applied to the skin
between a dog’s shoulders that discourages ticks from staying or
implanting. Revolution
(selamectin) is labeled for one kind of tick. A permethrin spray can be used on dogs (but not in cats, for
whom it can be fatal) as a tick repellent and killer.
If you use a liquid spray treatment, cats and skittish dogs
typically prefer a pump bottle because of the noise from aerosol cans. Avoid
topical powders if your pet has a respiratory condition. Powders are fairly
easy to apply, but they can make a real mess, and they often contain
permethrin. Shampoos are useful only for ticks that are already on your pet. An
amitraz collar, such as PreventicO`, has some efectiveness against ticks. Like Frontline, amitraz cannot keep all
ticks off your pet, but it discourages ticks from implanting or staying
on. The collar might be somewhat
more water resistant than a residual insecticide, so if your dog likes to swim,
the collar might be a better choice.
Flea combs can be used to help remove ticks. Wash your pet’s bed
frequently.
Some people use a topical spray, but don’t realize they should not use more than one insecticide or repellent. Doubling the amount of anti-tick product, or using two at once, may cause toxicity problems. DEET, found in many over-the-counter insecticides, is toxic to pets. Any spray insecticide labeled for use on clothing should not be sprayed directly on pets.
The best way to find ticks on your pet is to run your hands
over the whole body. Check for
ticks every time your pet comes back from an area you know is inhabited by
ticks. Ticks attach most
frequently around the pet's head, ears, neck, and feet, but are by no means
restricted to those areas.
The safest way to remove a tick is to use rubbing alcohol and a pair of tweezers. Dab rubbing alcohol on the tick, and then use the tweezers to take hold of the tick as close to the dog’s skin as you can; pull slowly and steadily. Try not to leave the tick’s head embedded in the dog’s skin. Don’t squeeze the tick because it might inject some disease-causing organisms, such as bacteria, viruses, protozoa, or other agents, into the animal during the process. Risk of disease transmission to you, while removing ticks, is low but you should wear gloves if you wish to be perfectly safe. Do not apply hot matches, petroleum jelly, turpentine, nail polish, or alcohol to ticks, because these methods do not remove the ticks and they are not safe for your pet.
Once you have removed a live tick, don’t dispose of it until you have killed it. Put the tick in alcohol or insecticide to kill it.
Watch for Infection and Diseases
After you pull a tick off, there will be a local area of inflammation that could look red, crusty, or scabby. The tick’s attachment causes irritation. The site can get infected; if the pet is scratching at it, it is more apt to get infected. A mild antibiotic, such as over-the-counter triple antibiotic ointment can help, but usually is not necessary. The inflammation should go down within a week. If it stays crusty and inflamed longer than a week, it might have become infected.
?Ticks can transmit diseases to pets and humans that the ticks contract from a previous host. Ticks can parasitize many different mammal species, birds, and reptiles. Lyme disease is one that most people have heard about, but ehrlichiosis is a possibility; it is a rickettsial disease, and its progression from an acute to a chronic stage can be prevented by early treatment. Babesiosis causes red blood cell destruction and anemia. Rocky Mountain spotted fever is the most prevalent rickettsial disease in humans.
?Although ticks can transmit diseases, they are usually nothing more than a nuisance. The best approach is to prevent them from embedding, and once embedded, to remove them quickly. As long as you stay on top of the situation, your pets should cruise right through the tick season with no problem.
Sarcoptic mange is a very itchy disease caused by a small mite not visible to the naked eye. Areas where the mites tend to burrow under the skin include the tips of the ears, elbows, hocks, chest and belly. However, in a severe infestation, mites can cause problems on the animal's entire body.
Diagnosis is made by performing several skin scrapings and examining the debris under a microscope. Unfortunately, in many dogs that have sarcoptic mange, no mites can be seen on skin scrapings. If sarcoptic mange is suspected, treatment may be the only way to diagnose and cure your dog.
This disease is highly contagious and can spread from pet to pet or from pet to human. Other dogs in the household should be treated whether or not they have symptoms. If any members of the family have red itchy bumps on their skin, they should consult their physician. Mites can only survive a short time off the dog; however, to ensure that there is no reinfection, your dog's living quarters should be thoroughly cleaned and bedding washed or thrown away.
No matter which treatment is chosen, your dog may remain contagious for the next 2 to 4 weeks. Please keep him/her confined and away from other dogs and unexposed persons until you re-check appointment.
Treatment
Treatment sometimes includes clipping your dog's hair coat. This will depend upon length of the hair coat and severity of the disease. If a dip is used, a good shampoo to remove all the scales and crust before dipping is recommended.
Several medicines can be used to kill the mites. These are in the form of dips, oral/injectable medications, or spot-on products.