MEMBER of the POD

MEMBER of the POD

We've been taking care of your pet's needs for years now. Questions about the care of canaries, proper requirements for keeping pond fish, to dietary protocols of your dog and cat are some of the aspects we can help you with. So just get in touch with us if you have any question and we will be happy to assist you.

                
                         FLEAS!  FLEAS!  FLEAS!

Spring is just around the corner, and along with it come some uninvited guests.  Fleas!!!
When not taken care of, fleas can be a burden to your pets and to you as the owner.  Fleas 
are considered external parasites.  They live on your pet, and in the environment that surround
your pets.  It is amazing how fast fleas can spread through your home.  A female flea can lay
as many as 40 eggs per day (or as much as 2,000 in her lifetime).

Besides being a burden to your pets, they can also cause serious medical conditions.  These
include allergic reactions on the skin of pets and humans.  Some pets are very allergic to the
fleas saliva and show an extreme skin reaction known as "Flea Allergic Dermatitis" or FAD. This
is characterized by itching and scratching, and loss of hair.  The loss of hair can especially
be seen in the area of the tail head looking like a triangular area of hair loss.  Fleas can
also transmit tapeworms, and sometimes cause anemia due to excessive blood sucking.

The best way to detect fleas is to search your pet's skin.  Look in areas where it would be 
difficult for your pet to groom themselves.  Areas like the back, legs, the face can be places
where fleas can be located.  Cats are usually good groomers, so you may not see fleas on them.
However, if you look carefully you will see specks of dirt all over your cat.  These is not
really dirt, but digested blood that the fleas have defecated.  This is a good indicator that
your cat is infested with fleas even though you cannot see the fleas.

There are a few good treatment protocols to effectively treat your pets against fleas.  Some
them are products available through you veterinarian like Frontline, Program, and Advantage.
They all work well if used as directed.  However, you may find one work better than another
due to reasons which I will not get into at the moment.  Another method that will work well
in conjunction with the chemical products is environmental control.  Use of foggers in the
areas where your pet resides helps reduce the number, and many time eliminate, of flea larvae
that are developing in areas like rugs, furniture, and crevices in wooden floors. It is very
important to treat the environment as well as the pet because fleas can live as long as 2 years
without feeding.  This is especially true if the environment is adequate for their survival.

Don't forget to consult you local veterinarian for a proper protocol of treatment in accordance
to the area where you live.

           


Other topics of interest!

 Dealing with Euthanasia!

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