Focus on Fleas and Pets

What’s worse than listening to your dog scratching through all hours of the night? Listening to your dog scratching through all hours of the night and having a flea infestation in your home!

Fleas and pets are not for the faint of heart, but luckily Beverly Hills Veterinary Associates has all the information that you need to be sure your pets don’t have this problem.

The Problems with Fleas

Fleas are small but troublesome creatures. Measuring only about 1-2 mm in length, these formidable little foes can reproduce quickly (one female can lay 50 eggs in a single day) and wreak havoc on us mammals.

Besides being an annoying parasite, fleas can have some detrimental effects on overall health. An average flea infestation may keep you and your pet up at night, but more serious consequences can occur. These might include:

Flea allergic dermatitis — For some pets allergies to flea saliva lead to serious skin conditions related to flea bites. These typically need a veterinary visit to resolve.

Flea anemia  — Fleas feed on blood, so it only makes sense that a severe flea infestation could lead to enough blood loss to cause anemia and even death. This is a particular concern in very tiny patients.

Tapeworm infestation  — Certain species of tapeworm larvae can reside inside of the flea. When a pet ingests one of these fleas, usually during self-grooming, the tapeworm makes its home within the digestive tract.

Bartonella  — This bacteria that resides in the bloodstream of infected animals can be transmitted by the flea. It is also contagious to people. Cat scratch fever anyone?

Mycoplasma infection — This blood-borne parasite of the red blood cell is the culprit involved in feline infectious anemia.

Keeping Fleas and Pets Separate

In this day and age we are very lucky to have effective, safe, and accessible flea control available to us.

There are many products such as flea collars, dips, and even topical spot-ons still on the market. Many of these products are less effective than our more modern options, and most of them carry with them a higher risk of side effects for our pet patients. Many do-it-yourself home remedies also exist, but they are not typically very effective.

Please talk to us so that we can guide you through selecting the best product for your pet. Modern topical spot-ons, chewables, and collars make it so that there is likely a great product for keeping fleas and pets two separate entities. Sometimes we may also recommend products for premise control if an infestation is already present.

Year Round Prevention Is Key

Fleas can sneak in on our clothing and shoes, and it doesn’t take long for one flea to turn into thousands. In fact, by the time that you notice a problem, you are likely way behind in treating an infestation.

We recommend treating all pets in the home with a recommended preventative year round. Even in the winter, a short thaw can lead to reactivation of dormant fleas. Unless you keep your home below freezing, even one winter stowaway can cause a huge issue.

Fleas and pets don’t belong together. Join us today in helping to stop flea infestations before they start.