|
The
adult flea will spend most of its life
on a host (usually an animal), biting as
often as 400 times a day. Fleas can make
life miserable for your pet and they can
transmit diseases and cause serious
illnesses. Although rare, fleas can
transmit bubonic plague and murine
typhus, which can be deadly to you and
your pet. Fleas can also cause anemia,
allergies, and carry tapeworms.
What illnesses do animals get from
fleas?
Anemia
While on your pet, an adult flea will
bite often. With each bite the flea
sucks out a small portion of blood. If a
small pet is severely infested with
fleas, the pet can lose a considerable
amount of blood. Depending on the
infestation and how long the infestation
continues, small pets, puppies, and
kittens can develop anemia. Treatment
for anemia often requires
hospitalization with treatments of iron
supplements or a blood transfusion. Some
pets do not survive severe cases of
anemia.
Fleabite dermatitis
The saliva from a flea can cause an
allergic reaction in your pet. The
allergy becomes apparent when your pet
begins to scratch excessively. To
prevent a blood clot while feeding, a
flea injects saliva into its host before
sucking out blood. The saliva creates an
allergic reaction—itching. The severity
of itching depends on the severity of
the allergy. Just like people, your pet
can have a minor reaction (a little
itchy), or a major reaction, scratching
until it bleeds.
If your dog or cat can’t seem to stop
scratching it may be experiencing an
allergic reaction to fleas. Your pet can
scratch to the point it has no hair in a
particular area and the skin can become
red, swollen, or raw and bleeding. A
skin or blood test can determine if your
pet is allergic to fleas. If your pet is
allergic to fleabites, then simply
getting rid of the fleas will cure your
pet.
Tapeworms
Fleas aid the development of tapeworms
by becoming the host of the developing
tapeworm eggs. The amazing life cycle of
a tapeworm begins when a flea larva
feeds on the tapeworm eggs. Instead of
the egg being destroyed, it actually
develops inside the flea larva, and
continues to grow through the flea’s
pupa stage, and in the adult flea. When
the flea matures as an adult, it bites
its host, irritating your dog or cat. If
your pet eats the flea while grooming or
through biting at the flea, it is
swallowed. Again, the tapeworm is
unharmed and it begins to grow and
reproduce inside the pet’s intestines,
starting another cycle. The mature
tapeworm develops eggs that are passed
out of the rectum of the pet, supplying
new eggs for the flea larva to feed
upon.
Treatment & Prevention
The complete life cycle of a flea
includes the egg, larva, pupa, and adult
stages. The clear-to-white eggs can be
seen along with the adult flea feces
when your dog or cat scratches. The eggs
resemble salt and the feces looks like
black specks of dirt. Each stage of the
fleas’ life cycle relies upon another
state for survival. For example, the
larva feeds upon the feces of the adult
and the pupa does not emerge into an
adult until the environment is adequate
for the adult flea to survive. The
fleas’ ability to adapt to the
environment makes it very difficult to
get rid of fleas.
If you have an infestation, the yard
should be spot treated, paying special
attention to areas of shade or under
decks where animals rest. The interior
of the house should be treated with
residual materials such as an adulticide
and with an Insect Growth Regulator. To
rid the pet of the adult fleas, wash,
comb and then put on a treatment for the
best results.
Some pest control companies offer flea
pest kits to help you treat your home,
yard, and pet. Flea kits are convenient
and are often more economical because
the products are sold as a package
instead of being individually priced.
You may want to take your pet to a
veterinarian instead of treating your
pet yourself, especially if this is the
first time you have treated your pet for
fleas. Some over-the-counter pet
products can cause serious illnesses
such as seizures or allergic reactions
causing loss of hair, bleeding wounds,
and sometimes death. Go see the vet;
your pet will be treated with loving
care and with the healthiest medications
on the market today.
Fleas can transmit serious diseases and
an infestation puts you, your family,
and your pet at risk. Get rid of the
fleas and eliminate the danger.
For products on getting rid of fleas in
your home or on your pet, please contact
http://www.pestproductsonline.com
| About The Author
Dennise Brogdon is
the managing editor
of the Hughston
Health Alert, a
quarterly,
patient-information
newsletter, and she
is an editorial
assistant for the
National Athletic
Trainers’
Association’s
scientific journal,
the Journal of
Athletic Training.
Dennise is a Web
site copywriter and
editor. She has
experience writing
and editing SEO copy
and META tags,
brochures,
advertorials, video
scripts, and other
technical and
promotional
material, as well.
Dennise earned a BA
in English with
professional writing
as an emphasis at
Columbus State
University. She is a
member of the
American Medical
Writers Association
and the Georgia
Writers Association.
|
|
Back
Home
|
