The Preventive Vet

Information and advice on pet safety and emergency prevention from an experienced emergency room veterinarian. I may not always tell you what you want to hear, but I will always tell you what you need to know. See the website for more information and advice (www.ThePreventiveVet.com), and don't forget to follow along on Facebook and Twitter too.

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Posts tagged "fleas"

MORE Good Day Oregon Segment: Flea prevention and treatment

Fleas! Why you should fear them, and what you can do to treat & prevent them

If you have pets, you’ve likely experienced fleas at some point. They’re miserable little buggers, aren’t they! Thing is, they’re even worse then you’re likely aware.

Sure, fleas cause your dog or cat to chew, scratch, roll, and otherwise feel miserable, but did you know that fleas also transmit disease - both to your pets, and to you and your family? Indeed they do… and some of these diseases can have very significant health consequences too. This is especially true if you or someone else in your home has a suppressed immune system.

People and pets wind up with a suppressed immune system typically either from a disease (HIV/AIDS, diabetes, certain cancers, and others) or from medications (certain chemotherapy drugs, and immunosuppressive drugs used following organ transplant or for treating rheumatoid arthritis & other immune-mediated diseases). Young children also have a degree of immune compromise until their immune system fully matures, and immune function typically decreases with advanced age - meaning that young children and the elderly are also at increased risk of the significant consequences from flea-transmitted diseases too.

Here’s a sampling of diseases that fleas can transmit to or cause in your pets:

Flea allergic dermatitis - severe itchiness
Anemia - low red blood cell count (fleas suck blood, thats what they live off of)
Bartonellosis
Plague
Tapeworms

And here’s a sampling of the conditions that fleas can transmit to or cause in you and your family:

Bartonellosis (a.k.a. ‘Cat Scratch Fever’, and no - I’m not talking about the Ted Nugent song!)
Plague - Yup, THAT Plague!
Murine Typhus

As you’re now hopefully appreciating, the prevention and eradication of fleas on your pet and in your environment really isn’t just about your pet’s comfort - though that should be reason enough. It’s also about your general health and safety, as well as that of your family and your pets too. Interested in finding out what you need to know to prevent or eradicate a flea infestation on your pets and/or in your environment? Then read on…