Medical: Flea and Tick Control

Fleas are the leading cause of scratching and itching in dogs. They feed on the blood of dogs. Scratching is caused by a hypersensitivity to the flea's saliva. Parasites, such as the tapeworm can be passed on to the dog if the fleas that infest him are carriers of the tapeworm parasite.

When checking your dog for fleas look for black and white grains or the actual fleas. The black grains are flea feces and the white grains are flea eggs. Be sure to check the dog's back, groin, hindquarters and tail region.

The Flea Life Cycle

Fleas require a warm humid environment and the more humid and warm it is the more efficient they are at reproducing. Adult fleas can live up to 115 days on a dog, but only a few days when off of a dog. Female fleas can lay up to 2,000 eggs in their 4 month life span. After the flea eggs have been laid, they go through a metamorphosis to become adult fleas. Since at any given time the flea population is composed of 1% adult fleas and 99% eggs and immature fleas in their various stages of development, it is important to use products which address all stages that the fleas may be in.

Here are some common flea control agents and how they work:
Product
Program
Route of Administration:
Orally (Tablet) Monthly
*Can't be given to puppies younger than 6 weeks.		 How it works:
Fleas must bite the dog to work; inhibits flea eggs from growing and hatching; can take 30 - 60 days or more for adult fleas to die.
For best results, you may need to use insecticides in the premises to kill eggs laid before using Program.
Sentinel Orally (Tablet) Monthly Combines Program and Heartworm Preventative Interceptor; not only controls fleas but also protects against heartworms, escairds, hookworms, and whipworms.
Advantage Topically - Monthly
Lasts 30 days

*One drawback is it loses its effectiveness if the coat becomes wet more often than once a week.

* Not for use on puppies less than 7 weeks old or pregnant or lactating females.		 Kills fleas by direct contact. Fleas do not have to bite the dog for it to work. Adult fleas are killed within 12 hours. Usually new fleas die before they have a chance to lay eggs.
Frontline Spot On and
Frontline Spray		 Topically - Monthly
Lasts 90 days

Spot On - Should not be used on puppies younger than 10 weeks

Spray - Can be used on puppies as early as 8 weeks, but should not be used on pregnant or lactating females.

Acts on contact within 24 - 48 hours. Fleas don't need to bite the dog to work. Effectiveness does not lessen if the dog's coat gets wet.

*Also effective in killing ticks as well.
Information Regarding Ticks

Ticks are prevalent in the spring and fall. They attach themselves to your dog as he/she walks through tall grasses or rubs against bushes. They can be found anywhere on the dog, but most commonly are found around the ears and between the toes. Male ticks are flat and are about the size of a match head. Females are pea sized and it is the female which feeds on the dog's blood. It is usually between 5 and 20 hours after the dog has picked up the female tick that she begins to feed on its blood. Ticks often carry organisms in their saliva which can cause secondary illnesses if the tick is not found and removed properly in time such as Lyme Disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. These illnesses can also be transmitted to humans, so take care when handling the tick after it has been removed from your pet.

Treatment: Always examine your dog after hiking in tick infested areas. As a preventative measure, use products such as Paramite or Frontline Spot On prior to going where ticks might be found. If you find only one or two ticks, the easiest thing to do is to remove them. A blood tick with its head buried in the skin should not be pulled loose since the head may detach from its body and remain behind. Before removing the tick, apply nail polish remover, rubbing alcohol, or commercial tick spray directly to the tick with a saturated cotton ball. In less than a minute the tick should begin to back out. When the tick is out of the skin, remove it from the fur with a pair of tweezers and dispose of it. If the head or mouth parts happen to remain in the skin the area may become red and swollen. This should clear up in two to three days. If it doesn't or it gets worse, see your veterinarian.

This was an excerpt from the book, "Dog Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook"  3rd Edition by James M. Giffin MD & Liisa D. Carlson, DVM.

Fleas and ticks are dangerous pests that live part of their lives in your pet's fur and feed on its blood. In addition to irritating your pet, they can cause serious allergies and transmit disease. If your pet becomes allergic to the flea, he will scratch incessantly even if he has few or no fleas on him at that particular moment. Since fleas spend 90% of their time off the dog, you may not actually see them on your pet when you examine him. The flea will however, have left its calling card, in the form of exereta. These specs of brownish, black debris are undeniable evidence that your dog has a flea problem.

 

Out of doors, fleas and ticks are less of a problem in the winter, but in the home, where the temperature is controlled, or in the south where it is warm all year long, these pests are active all year.

 

While fleas are wingless, they have an enormous capacity to jump. This gives the adult flea the ability to jump on a pet very quickly as it moves through an area of infestation.

 

The flea has four basic stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Depending on the temperature and humidity, and whether these stages occur in an indoor environment, the complete life cycle can take as little as three weeks or as much as a year. Only the adult flea bites your pet. Once this insect lays its eggs, there is enough food with the egg to allow it to hatch and bring it through the larva stage. The larva will spend up to eight days feeding on debris until it spins a cocoon, bringing it to the pupal stage. The pupal period may last between a week and a year before changing into an adult flea. At that point, the adult develops and the cycle starts all over again.

 

Ticks differ substantially from fleas. These insects get around by crawling; they go through four life stages; egg,larva,nymph (juvenile stage), and adult. Ticks differ from fleas in all stages except the egg, they require a host animal to feed on in order to develop into the next stage. This means that the tin, almost invisible early stages, as well as the larger, easy to spot, adult can infest the pet. Depending upon environmental conditions, the life cycle of a tick can be anywhere from one month to two years. They usually hide in shrubbery or concealed places in the home, waiting for their next meal from your pet.


Solutions

 

Effective flea control requires a dual attack - the animal and your home. Anything less than this is doomed. If your animal has an allergic reaction, veterinarian intervention is required, then the following must be adhered to. THE DOG: Bathe your dog in an approved shampoo or have him professionally dipped. When dry, apply a barrier type product that will help keep the fleas at bay. Depending on the type of product chosen, it will have to be reapplied every 3 - 7 days.

 

Flea collars and oral preparations can be used as an extra precaution.

The household

 

 

Originally appeared as Ask the Vet by Dr. Shawn Ashley in Pug Talk Magazine (Pug Talk July/Aug/92)

 

Depending on where you live fleas can be a constant year long battle. In Southern states fleas have evolved to be resistant to most known home remedies; however, once the population is under siege there are a few natural way to control these pests. In the northern regions there is a true flea season when the grass shows from under the snow, in which the owner can prepare for the short-lived battle and here is where many of these sure-fire remedies have proven effective --if there really was a problem.

 

Back in the dark ages back in the woods motor oil was thought to control fleas --it does, but so much for a healthy haircoat, not to mention a happy healthy dog! (It's like Granny's lye soap; we now have kinder and gentler ways of getting clean.) There is no one product that will magically keep fleas off your pet, only keeping the pet's immediate environment free of these pests will keep them off. Fleas only spend five percent of their time on their host. The rest of the time they are hopping around, mating, and each female is happily laying up to two thousand eggs.

 

This joyful cycle takes place every 21 days. Therefore, the environment must be treated and then retreated in 14 - 21 days to break this cycle. If the problem is big EPA approved chemicals (dursban, diazianon, and other organic phosphate compounds) will be the fastest and most effective. A new natural product of diatomatious earth (crushed seashells) has grown in popularity. It may be effective on the lawn, but it is not recommended inside on the carpets due to irritation. The lawn should be retreated in 14 - 21 days.

 

If there is a problem inside the house, again organic phosphate or pyrethrins will render the most effective in the least amount of time. Whatever product is used be sure it contains an Insect Growth Regulator (ex.Precor), as this ingredient is effective on immature stages of the flea as well as the adults. Regardless how long the can says the product is effective, retreat in 14 - 21 days for nothing is effective on the pupal stage -- they are invisible!

 

Out of concern of polluting the home with harsh chemicals many have tried boric acid (Borax, Borateem, RXFleas) compounds on their carpets. These compounds are caustic irritants to toddlers and pets and should be pounded deep into the carpet or allowed to let set, then vacuumed. Don't forget to throw the vacuum bay away after post house treatment cleaning or buy an extra flea collar and place it in the bag.

 

Now for the pet; once again, if there is an immediate need to rid your pet of fleas pyrethrins and organic phosphate chemicals are the most effective products. They are safe if directions are followed. Always contact your veterinarian PRIOR to bathing, dipping, spraying, and collaring your pet as many products cannot be used with other products without additive and severe life threatening interactions.

 

After bathing there are many maintenance alternatives. Proban is a tablet containing a cyanide derivative which kills the flea after it ingests the dog's blood. Prospot is a spotton that delivers an organic phosphate to the flea via the dog's bloodstream. Flea collars and dips work in this way as well. Defend is a newer product that is absorbed only into the dog's skin layer; therefore, the fleas do not have to bit the dog in order to pick up the insecticide. This may prove helpful in those dogs with flea bite dermatitis. There are many effective sprays that are safe to use daily on your pet.

 

Some find sulphur powders effective. It is recommended to contact your veterinarian before spraying with a bargain supermarket brand. Natural products often given to pets include brewer's yeast or garlic tablets. It is the B vitamins in the yeast and tablets that repel some fleas ---the garlic repels everyone else! Avon Skin So Soft is a household product with 101 uses from oiling squeaky door knobs to insect repellant. Researchers believe that it is the pleasant woodland's fragrance that repels the fleas, flies, mosquitos, and gnats. Many fisherman use it as a spray-on mist for pest control.

 

In summary, there are many methods to aid in the control of fleas, but not one single quick fix. The key is to treat the environment as well as the pet. Treating one without the other renders the battle lost.

 

 

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