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This week a dying cat was brought into our hospital. She was about 10 years old, owned by a couple that had never taken her to the vet before. She was dehydrated and extremely pale, lying curled up on her side, unresponsive and breathing very shallow breaths, and her temperature was very low. The gentleman said to his wife, "Dont worry the vet will save her." Unfortunately we could not. Tears were shed. She had to be humanely euthanized. It was heartbreaking.

The saddest part about this cats death is that it was most likely preventable. This kitty was crawling with fleas. After she died, fleas were jumping off her like sailors off a sinking ship. They knew her lifeblood and their next meal was not flowing anymore. We had to perform an emergency flea clean up to prevent the hospital from becoming infested.

Fleas infest and bite mammals to obtain a blood meal. They defecate flea dirt," which looks like black coffee grounds all over the skin. Since one female flea lays 2,000 eggs and the flea eggs hatch in less than two weeks, you can have millions of fleas infesting a home by the end of the summer. The fleas living outside die in the frost that usually occurs in October, but indoors fleas live on. Fleas will usually parasitize your pets first. If the animal leaves the household they will then start biting humans. If you have flea bites you will notice little red itchy bumps usually around your legs and ankles, but they could be anywhere on your body if fleas are in your bed.

Fleas may transmit a few diseases to people and animals. Fleas carry tapeworm larvae. If a pet chewing its fur ingests a flea, it will get tapeworms. Fleas also transmit disease through biting. Bubonic plague, which is the bacteria Yersinia pestis, can be transmitted to pets and humans via a flea bite.

Cat scratch fever, or Bartonella henselae, is transmitted when a flea bites a cat. Some cats will have symptoms of inflammation at the back of their mouths or inflamed eyes and severe skin lesions. Many cats exhibit no symptoms but the bug can be found in their hearts, lymph nodes, kidneys and liver. Cats can in turn infect their owners with cat scratch fever via scratches, sometimes while exhibiting absolutely no sign of infection. People can develop severe skin lesions.

The best way to prevent these diseases is to keep your cat or dog parasite free. We no longer prevent or treat fleas with baths and dips. Topical and oral medications are used to fight fleas these days.

There are some flea and tick topical products sold in pet stores that are 30-year-old technology and are very ineffective. Other flea and tick products have the active ingredient fipronil, but do not have the chemical that allows that flea preventative to be carried transdermally into the fat layer throughout the body. This makes them much less effective. There are products on the shelf that can cause cats and small dogs to have severe reactions and seizures. Consult your veterinarian about which flea and tick preventative she recommends. Your veterinarian will recommend a safe product based on your individual pets lifestyle.

Purchasing a quality flea product from your veterinarian is often less expensive per dose than the same products from the big-box stores. The complimentary doses and the large coupon savings offered only by your veterinarian make the pricing very competitive.

If you already use flea preventative medicine, it is almost unimaginable that fleas could cause a cat to die. I have rarely seen that in my practice life and I hope to never see it again. Your veterinarian is dedicated to preventing disease from entering your household. That is why the veterinary hospital team discusses flea medication during your pets wellness appointment.

Dr. Elizabeth Bradt is a veterinarian and owner of a veterinary hospital on the North Shore. Email your pet questions to docliz@creaturehealth.com, with "Vet Connection" in the subject line.

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Read this article:
VET CONNECTION: Flea season is upon us - The Salem News

This entry was posted on September 7, 2017 at 11:44 pm and is filed under Preventative Medicine. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |