|
Fleas, lice and ticks are all insect parasites found living on dogs and cats. If you find them on your pet, but you are unsure of what they are, please contact us for advice. As well as the problems they cause on the surface, some diseases can be spread by their method of feeding on the animals’ blood. ( E.g. Lyme disease, tapeworms ).
Ticks are mainly parasites of sheep, cattle and wildlife. Both the eggs and two larval stages require to live on the ground for a year before feeding for a short time on a suitable animal (or human) . They require damp, poor quality ground to survive the winter, so you or your pet can only pick them up on walks in the countryside. When you find an adult tick, do not pull it off without killing it first, as they are very firmly attached to the skin. The best way to do this is an insecticidal spray, followed by grasping the tick and pulling gently, or you can use PRO-TICK®, a small metal device for removing ticks. Ticks can be identified easily as the are attached firmly to the skin, and they have a large body with small legs at the front. (See Diagram 1.) Ticks are not as common on cats.You cannot ‘catch’ ticks from your dog, and prevention is fairly easy - Simply apply FRONTLINE® once a month if your dog is prone to ticks.
Lice live and lay eggs (Nits) on your pet , and no part of their life cycle is spent off the animal - your pet can only catch lice by coming in contact with another infected pet. Lice are also species specific, which means that you can’t catch lice from your pet, and a dog cannot catch cat lice or vice versa.. Lice are small, oblong, light reddish brown in colour and are slow moving. (See diagram 1.) The eggs are laid by being ‘glued’ to individual hairs. These are very difficult to kill, which means that repeat treatments are necessary to eliminate the newly hatched lice larvae. Most insecticidal treatments are suitable - Shampoos, Powders and FRONTLINE® are all effective, but it is important to repeat the treatment to eliminate the hatched eggs.
Adult fleas live on dogs and cats and lay eggs which drop to the ground. The life cycle is shown in Diagram 2. Only the adult fleas live on dogs and cats - they then lay eggs which fall to the ground where they can hatch and develop into larvae (young fleas). These develop into adults through a pupal stage, then jump onto your dog, cat or even human and feed by sucking blood. Thus, it is essential in the control of fleas to treat the areas where your dog or cat lives as well as treating your pet. Fleas will bite humans but most are unlikely to breed without a dog or a cat in the house. There are many options available for the control of fleas on pets, and the choice will vary depending on the age and health of your pet and whether it is a dog or a cat, and various treatments can be excluded if your pet is pregnant, young, old or in ill health.
1. Spot treatments - These are applied to the skin at the back of the neck and last for approximately 28 days. Different types suit different animals - ask for advice specific to your pet’s circumstance. They include FRONTLINE®, ADVANTAGE®, and STRONGHOLD®, a new product that also controls roundworms.
2. Insecticidal Shampoos - these will kill all the fleas present on the body, but most have a short effect. Some dogs and most cats object to baths . DEFENCARE® is one example of a shampoo.
3. Insecticidal Sprays - These also kill fleas but have little residual effect. Some animals object strongly to aerosol sprays. The spray we use is NUVAN TOP®.
4. Insecticidal Powders - Similar to sprays and shampoos, easier to apply but can be messy. Be careful not to breathe in the powder. We stock EXELPET®.
5. Oral flea control products - These are substances given by mouth to your pet every month . When a flea sucks some blood it is then prevented from breeding, thus eliminating contamination of the environment with flea eggs. The only product of this type on the market is PROGRAM®.
6. Long acting injections - PROGRAM® injection for cats lasts 6 months and works exactly the same way as oral PROGRAM®.
7. Long acting foams and sprays - these work in a similar way to the spot treatments but they are applied in a different way. They include DEFENCAT® and FRONTLINE®.
8. Environmental treatments - Aerosols and powders which are applied to floorings and upholstery. These are ‘residual’ in action - they stay around to kill hatching larvae or prevent them developing. They can last for up to 6 months. STAYKILL® is recommended
.
A combination of treatments may be required to eliminate or prevent an infection of fleas - if your pet has a heavy infestation of fleas, or has been infected for a while, it is advisable to treat your pet and also treat floors and bedding.Please note that most products will take up to 36 hours to kill off all fleas.After you have eliminated fleas , it is important to keep checking your pet on a regular basis and treating infections as they arise. The alternative is to use a preventative strategy by giving a regular treatment to prevent your pet becoming infected with fleas.
|
