There are many bugs prevalent this time of the year, but this article still focuses on fleas and
ticks.
Fleas and ticks are a major source of problems to pets and humans. Fleas are small
insects that survive by ingesting blood from your pets or yourself. They typically use animals as a host but utilize people when animals are unavailable. The female can produce several
thousand eggs in their 2–3-month life span. These bites can cause skin irritation, hair loss,
scratching, allergic reactions, and internal parasites. Some diseases caused by fleas that also
affect humans include plaque, murine typhus, cat scratch fever, and tapeworms.
Ticks are blood sucking parasites that are responsible for transmitting 15 different devastating diseases in pets. Some of these transmitted diseases include Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Ehrlichia, Babesia, and Anaplasma. Treatment of these diseases can be costly as well as complicated for pet owners. Every disease listed above is transmissible to humans.
Symptoms of tickborne diseases include fever, joint pain, lameness, lethargic, decrease
appetite, enlarged lymph nodes, neurologic problems, kidney problems, weight loss, anemia, and bleeding issues. Due to the fact that these symptoms are nonspecific, it can be hard to diagnose tickborne diseases in pets.
A comprehensive year-round flea and tick prevention protocol is important to implement. This treatment should include environment, indoor, and outdoor as well as treating the pet. Environmental treatment can include but not limited to exterminator, nematode treatment, flea bombs, and flea buster powder. The pets can be treated with Bravecto, Nexgard, Simprico Trio, Advantix Multicare, and Frontline to name a few.
Always contact your local vet for a treatment plan to help protect your fur babies from the
devastation of these bugs.
Dr. G
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