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Pet Health and Safety Widget
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If you have pets, fleas are a fact of life. Nearly half of all dogs and cats become infested with them at some point—despite the over $1 billion Americans spend annually on products to control the pesky critters. Once your pet has them (those that play outdoors are especially susceptible), you’ll find that fleas can rapidly take over your house. They can also cause your animal serious illness, including hair loss, dermatitis, and tapeworms (because they’re hosts to the worms’ eggs). Fleas may even carry bacteria that are contagious to humans. But you can keep fleas at bay—or prevent them in the first place—with these three easy steps: Prevent an infestation Save yourself a lot of trouble by using a topical or oral flea preventative every 30 days (but especially during warm-weather months). Not all flea and tick preventatives are created equal, (i.e., only a few products have the added benefit of tick or even mosquito preventatives too), so check with you vet about what type your pet might need! Most of these medications are typically topical spot-on liquids that are applied between a cat or dog’s shoulder blades. Some flea and tick preventatives kill adult parasites, while others are insect-growth inhibitors (keeping those infant fleas from developing into full-blown adults). Sometimes, these insect-growth inhibitors are already combined in with your pet's monthly heartworm medication. Spot them—and destroy them—fast Sometimes an infestation occurs despite your best efforts, so if you notice early symptoms (such as your pet’s excessive scratching or small, itchy flea bites on you, the owner!), here’s what to look for: The pesky critters are the size of the tip of a pencil, so if you separate your animal’s hair to look for them, they’re visible to the naked eye. They most commonly hide on or around your pet’s lower back, tail, belly, inner thighs, and neck. A flea comb, which has fine teeth, will snag both the bugs and flea dirt: small, black specks of dried blood that turn red when you sprinkle them on a wet paper towel. Get rid of them for good If you find evidence of an infestation, consult your veterinarian about an appropriate flea and tick regimen that will rid your pet of adult fleas once and for all. You want to find the fastest, safest, and most effective way of eliminating them. Your pet gets relief in 5 minutes and could be flea-free in as little as 12 hours. Get rid of fleas hopping around your home by vacuuming frequently to suck up adults and eggs lying on the carpet, furniture, and pet beds. Throw away the vacuum bag away immediately, or fleas will crawl back out, re-infesting your house. Biography: Justine Lee, DVM, DACVECC is a veterinary emergency critical-care specialist and the associate director of veterinary services at Pet Poison Helpline. She is the author of It’s a Cat’s World…You Just Live in It and It’s a Dog’s Life… but It’s Your Carpet. Modified from Prevention magazine, August 2009. Copyright Prevention.  |
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