Year Round Preventives Target Fleas and Ticks
In the northern part of the country, the chill of winter gives way to the warming temperatures of spring. The outside world comes alive as trees begin to bud and flowers start to bloom. Birds are returning from their southern sojourn, and the animal world is stirring. Rabbits are hopping about, opossums are emerging from their burrows, and raccoons are becoming fully active again.
This is the time of year when we wish to be outside again for long walks with our pets. Unfortunately, besides the pleasant buzzing of honeybees and ladybugs, other insects reappear. Along with a bloom of flies, wasps, hornets, and spiders, fleas and ticks are multiplying as well. These external parasites can make life extremely miserable and transmit serious diseases to our pets and ourselves. Although fleas and ticks thrive in warmer weather, these pests can survive year-round in all parts of the country, a fact that pet owners in the southern states are well aware of!
KNOWING THE ENEMY
Several tick species bother dogs and cats in the United States, including the brown dog tick. This particular species has adapted to survive in houses and kennels and is found just about anywhere dogs reside. It can turn a domestic residence into a tick-infested misery. Other ticks that live outside aren’t any less troubling to pet owners and can also cause an unpleasant shock when they hitch a ride inside with a pet.
The fleas that typically bother pets are also well suited to living indoors. Particularly in the more humid months, flea numbers can multiply quickly.
THE LIFE CYCLES OF FLEAS AND TICKS
Fleas have six life stages: egg, three larval stages, the pupal stage, and the adult stage. With near-perfect conditions, the larvae can hatch from the egg and develop to the adult stage in just over a week.
Metamorphosis during the pupal stage leads to the adult stage, which is familiar to most pet owners. The adult flea waits to emerge until it senses the heat of a passing host. The flea will then jump onto the host, where it feeds and continues the life cycle.
A female flea can produce up to 50 eggs per day; these fall off the fur or hair of the host and drop to the ground, typically in the area where the pet rests. The large number of eggs produced by a female is the reason flea numbers can become massive in a short time. Ten female fleas can produce 3,500 eggs in a week.
Flea and tick control products are tested for safety, with the knowledge that they will be applied repeatedly throughout the life of a pet.
The life cycle of ticks differs from that of fleas in that ticks have only four life stages: egg, larva, nymph, and adult. The larval and nymphal ticks look very similar to the adult, with the major observable difference being the larger size of the adult. In addition, the larval tick has six legs, while the nymph and adult both have eight legs.
Most tick life stages prefer smaller hosts (larvae feed on rodents; nymphs feed on rabbits and opossums); adults tend to feed on larger hosts, such as dogs, cats, and deer. However, ticks are notoriously nonselective in their host choice and will often feed on whatever makes the mistake of wandering within range. Interestingly, all life stages of the brown dog tick now prefer the dog as the host on which they feed.
After a female tick finishes feeding on a host, she drops off and lays her eggs (hundreds to thousands) in the environment; these eggs will hatch to produce larvae and continue the cycle.
FLEAS, TICKS, AND DISEASE
Fleas can cause great damage to a pet’s skin because of the irritation that results from repeated feeding and the potential for allergic reactions. Also, because people are often affected by the bites as well, flea infestation in a home can be highly damaging to the human–animal bond.
The flea-associated disease that is most commonly transmitted from a cat to a person is cat-scratch disease. Found in cats’ blood, the organism that causes cat scratch disease can be transmitted to fleas when they feed and is present in dried flea feces. Unfortunately, cats’ claws may be contaminated with flea feces. If a cat with contaminated claws scratches a person, it can cause a bacterial infection at the site of the scratch as well as systemic complications.
Ticks can also transmit various diseases that can make pets ill and, in the worst cases, can be fatal. The brown dog tick tends to transmit canine-specific diseases (such as anaplasmosis and canine babesiosis) between dogs. Other tick species that tend to feed on rodents and wildlife can transmit various diseases to cats and dogs. Ticks can also transmit diseases that can be acquired by people, including Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
CONTROLLING FLEAS AND TICKS
Most fleas in a given environment are usually those developing in the carpet or soil as eggs, larvae, and pupae. Adult fleas typically only make up about 5% of a flea population, leaving the other 95% laying in wait to mature and feed on your pet.
The goal of flea control is to reduce or eliminate fleas from the home environment. For fleas to survive and continue their life cycle inside a home, adults need to feed frequently. Most flea control products work at the site where fleas obtain their major food source—on the dog or cat—and some are even effective against the egg and larval stages, which is why these products are so effective in helping to minimize the number of fleas within a household.
In recent years, flea control products have improved markedly, and veterinarians can devise control programs that will offer most pets a flea-free existence. The products are extremely effective and are designed to be administered to the pet topically or orally. Some products kill on contact, some kill after the flea ingests them while feeding, and some kill by interrupting the flea life cycle.
Ticks are basically parasites of the animals surrounding the area in which a pet lives and therefore cannot be fully controlled by applying a product to the pet. Except in the case of the brown dog tick (which can infest houses), the goal, unlike with fleas, is not to destroy all the ticks within the environment. Rather, the goals are to:
- Prevent ticks from getting onto a pet
- Prevent them from attaching to or feeding on the pet
- Kill them before they have had time to transmit disease or take a complete blood meal
The tick control products for dogs and cats are currently all topical formulations. They differ in their ability to prevent ticks from attaching and in the speed at which they kill attached ticks. However, most products sold through veterinarians are remarkably successful in keeping ticks off pets and preventing them from being able to transmit disease. Any tick that manages to get onto a dog or cat that is on a tick control product will not be able to survive once they leave the host due to the damage these products cause to the ticks’ nervous system.
The Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC) recommends that dogs and cats be placed on year-round flea and tick control. This is because fleas survive the winter’s colder, drier months by feeding on unprotected dogs and cats and ticks are active whenever it is warm enough outside for them to crawl about in the environment.
KEEPING FLEAS AND TICKS AT BAY
Fleas and ticks can be very damaging to the relationships people have with their pets, particularly when flea populations get out of control or when ticks hitch a ride inside with a dog or cat. Even the presence of a few fleas in a household can be damaging to the pet and the owner. By preventing infestations, the diseases these parasites transmit to pets and people can also be minimized or prevented. Consult your veterinarian about the best way to prevent and treat flea and tick problems in your dog or cat.
Where Can You Turn to Keep Your Pet Safe from Fleas and Ticks?
Your veterinarian is the best source for help in developing an individual flea and tick control regimen for your pet or pets. He or she is the person most familiar with the season of greatest flea and tick activity in your area, as well as common ticks and diseases that are being transmitted. Your veterinarian will also be familiar with new and existing products for flea and tick prevention and treatment.
Once a year, make sure you and your veterinarian discuss which product or products are best for flea and tick control within your household, based on the specific lifestyle of your pet.
DID YOU KNOW?
Because the dog and cat are essential for the development of large flea numbers in a dwelling, the flea population in a home is often highly susceptible to flea control products because they are being applied to the flea’s only source of sustenance, the pet.
DID YOU KNOW?
Once a tick feeds, it detaches and falls from its host. In contrast, adult fleas stay on the dog or cat until they are killed by treatment, are groomed off, or die. Cat fleas can survive on a host for months.