Fleas and Your Pet

It is the end of August and fall is approaching (sorry about the reminder!).  Many people think that finally we can stop with all the flea medications soon, because we only do our medications “seasonally”.  You may want to rethink that after reading the following:

• They can jump 10,000 times in a row (the length of three football fields) and up to 2 feet in the air (the length of three football fields)
• The life cycle of the flea is composed of the egg, larval, pupal and adult stages.
• With a complete life cycle ranging anywhere from 16 days to 21 months, depending on environmental conditions
• Fleas are most commonly found at the base of the tail. With heavy infestations, however, fleas can thrive anywhere on the body.
• A female flea can lay hundreds of eggs in a day (1000’s in her lifetime!).  All those eggs are then being dislodged from the pet and being put into the environment, waiting to hatch out into adults.
• Adult fleas (what you see on your pet) make up only about 10% of the flea population, that means the other 90% is in the environment.
• A big misconception is that my cat is indoors so they will not get fleas, or my dog is only outside for a short period of time so they will not get fleas… Fleas can can come in on you, they take a ride on your shoe or pant leg.  They are also small enough to fit through screens on doors or windows.
• In order to treat for fleas, you need to have ALL pets in the house on preventative for a minimum of 3 months.  That will break the lifecycle of the flea.  When a flea bites and starts to lay eggs, those eggs do not hatch out typically 1-2 months later.
• It is important you properly treat your pets with veterinary purchased products.  Over the counter flea and tick medications typically are not as effective and they are most often associated with reactions.  It is also important to apply the medications appropriately (proper species, weight, etc) to avoid a reaction.  If you suspect a reaction, please call the Village Veterinary Clinic of Hamburg immediately.
• The most effective treatment for your house is vacuuming (cushions, rugs, baseboards, any darkened areas, etc).  And continuously washing bedding or wherever your pets like to lay.
• If needed we do have products that we have had success with, a product called Knock-Out spray.  It is a premise spray, but you must use it with no pets in the area.  Please consult with one the of the veterinarians before use.

As a final note, fleas are not killed by our winters.  They find a place to protect themselves from the elements.  In fact there have been many reports that insects (such as fleas and ticks) became hardier over winters like the one we had last year.  It is ideal to keep your pets on medications YEAR ROUND!