Pet Tip - Fleas

PET TIP from the SPCA - Fleas:

Tiny Pests, Dangerous to Pets
Like it or not, owning pets in Texas means that at some time or another, you’re likely to have the added experience of owning fleas as well. To ensure your pet doesn’t suffer from a flea infestation, the SPCA of Texas recommends regular flea and tick prevention for all your pets.

Just getting to know more about fleas is enough to give anyone the shivers. Here is some flea trivia to enlighten you.

Adult fleas can lay up to 12 eggs a day
The life cycle of a flea can be as short as three weeks or as long as two years
Fleas are the intermediate host for tapeworms in dogs and cats
Fleas are blood-sucking parasites that can cause anemia and severe allergic reactions in their victims

You can tell if your pet has fleas if:

There are red or reddish brown shapes jumping or moving around in your pet’s fur;
There are black or brown specks in the coat that turn red when exposed to a damp paper towel. These occur especially over the back and tail area
Your pet is scratching or biting intensely.
There is flea dirt, eggs or larvae on your pet’s bedding.

Fleas are annoying to everyone, but especially for pets with flea allergies. When a flea bites a pet, the animal’s immune system can set off a hypersensitive reaction that creates even more severe itching when the pet is bitten again. Therefore, a single flea bite can set off a delayed itch reaction from flea bites received over the past six months. This causes never-ending itching and hive-like lesions. Older pets with flea allergy dermatitis have gray, hairless and thickened patches on their skin, although the itching is not as intense.

The best way to prevent your pet from being infested by fleas is to use a treatment that does not require the flea to bite the animal in order to ingest the insect toxin. These treatments kill fleas on contact with the pet’s skin and kill eggs and larvae. To purchase flea preventative from the SPCA of Texas, give them a call at 214.742.SPCA (7722) to make your appointment (appointments preferred, walk-ins welcome).