Flea And Tick Treatment
What is a flea?
Fleas are the most commonly encountered parasite in pets. The most common flea
found in British homes is the cat flea, which can affect most common pets. Fleas
are blood-sucking parasites which jump from animal to animal to feed. The number
of fleas found on an animal is only a small percentage of the total fleas within the
house, many found within carpets/bedding or as eggs and larvae. An adult flea can
lay 50 eggs a day within the carpets, which hatch into larvae. These larvae feed
upon the skin flakes and dander that falls onto the floor then mature into the adult
fleas that we can see.
What is a tick?
Ticks are small parasites that latch onto an animal’s (or human’s) skin using
inverting hook mouth parts and feed upon blood until full. They are found widely
distributed in the countryside and parkland and sit on low vegetation sensing
vibrations, carbon dioxide, warmth and humidity of passing animals. Their bite
contains a local anaesthetic so that the animal won’t feel the bite.
Why are they a worry?
Fleas and ticks can cause serious and sometimes fatal problems to dogs and
cats, even humans. The flea bite itself can be incredibly itchy and for sensitive
animals, can cause distress, eruptions, infections and the animal to harm itself
with scratching (flea allergic dermatitis). Fleas can also pass on worms through
their saliva and can cause diseases in humans such as cat scratch fever. Large
numbers on small animals can cause anaemia due to iron deficiency and can
result in the death of the animal.
Ticks also spread disease, and as external parasites are second only to the
mosquito in terms of public health importance. Lyme disease can affect dogs,
horses and humans and causes lameness, fever, anorexia, lethargy and painful
joints. In humans it causes flu like symptoms and rashes and can progress
further to heart and nervous problems. Babesiosis is caused by a microscopic
parasite passed from tick to host, which invades the red blood cells of animals
causing fever, lethargy anaemia and sometimes death.
Does my animal have fleas or ticks?
Scratching is usually the first sign of flea infestations in dogs and cats. Some
animals over groom and usually fleas will congregate along the back and belly. A
fine-toothed comb can sometimes reveal fleas but more often flea dirt will be
revealed. To tell the difference between flea dirt and dirt, place onto a wet paper
towel. Flea dirt will leave a red smear due to the blood fleas consume.
Ticks usually are first found around the head and muzzle of animals. They start
very small so may only be identified when they have been attached for a couple
of days. They may appear as a small skin tag but legs are identifiable on closer
inspection. The skin will not always appear red and inflamed.
What do I do if I find a tick?
Do not pull of the tick via the body, this may leave the mouthparts in place and
can cause a painful infection. Special tick hook removers are available from us,
which slides underneath the tick and twists off removing the mouth from the skin.
How do I stop getting fleas and ticks?
Prevention is far better than treatment when it comes to fleas and ticks. Once
fleas have become established within the house, it can be very difficult to
remove all due to the eggs and larvae in the carpets. There are many different
techniques and products on the market, we sell a range of flea and tick products
that we are confident work, unfortunately not all treatments bought through
shops can be relied upon. Combined flea and tick spot-on and tablet products
are available through ourselves.