Flea Bites

Flea Bites on Humans and Pets

Flea and Pets

Can Fleas Transmit Diseases to Humans?

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Fleas do not have diseases on their own, just like humans they can get infected also. When fleas feed on disease stricken animals, they are infected but they become vectors instead transmitting those diseases when they feed on hosts.

So in a way yes, they can transmit diseases such as Bartonellosis (cat scratch fever) Plague and Marine Typhus. These arthropods are commonly found on dogs and cats. Some of these animals are allergic to flea saliva which leads to an allergic reaction called Flea Allergy Dermatitis (FAD). According to veterinary reports, half of the dermatological cases results from FAD.

Fleas are ectoparasites; which means they live and feed on their hosts throughout their lives. Another insect similar in feeding habit to fleas are Ticks. Ticks are ectoparasites that act as a vector for Lyme disease, the same way mosquitoes transmits malaria. In order to eradicate the threat of Lyme disease and other toxic effects of Ticks, it is important to take preventive measures against them.

What are Vector Transmitted Diseases?

Vector diseases are carried by organisms or people but they are not affected by it and in the same way, fleas and ticks are important vectors of various diseases which are not harmful to them in any way. Rather, they transmit these ailments to susceptible humans especially in North America where they are most common.

There are organizations created to take care parasitic attacks on animals, you can consult these group of professionals on the suitable methods to apply on your cats or dogs.

CAPC- Companion Animal Parasite Council

This organization is made up of veterinarians and other health professionals working independently to map out guidelines for the maximum control of external and internal parasites that pose a threat to humans and animals. It combines the expertise in internal medicine, public health, parasitology, veterinary law, association leadership, human health care to bring out the best results.

Annual Prevention

In your fight against external and internal parasites, it is important to be in close contact with your veterinarian. He/she will recommend the suitable products you can use to prevent the infestation or control it. Parasites don’t have a particular time of the year to feast on their hosts, they are annoyingly resilient even in extreme weather conditions. So, yearly application of preventive measure should never be swept aside even when it seems your environment is free from parasites.

FAQ’s about Ticks and fleas – Can an infested pet pose a threat to my family?

That’s a resounding YES. One infected flea is enough to wreak havoc in your family. One flea can transmit diseases to just about everyone in the family if left uncontrolled. Now, fleas reproduce at a fast rate, so that definitely multiplies the problem. Remember the Plague?

What are the diseases caused by Ticks?

There are many diseases transmitted by Ticks in North Africa alone, some of such diseases include Rocky Mountain fever, Ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, Tick Paralysis and Tularemia. Your family and pet will suffer from these diseases if you don’t keep Tick and Flea infestation under control.

What if my Cat does not play Outdoors?

If your pet does not wander outside, they probably stand a lesser risk of being infested. However, rodents can carry parasites into your home and suddenly your ‘petless’ house is overrun by tiny little beasts feeding away.

Consequently, every unhygienic home with or without pets can be infested.

How to Protect your Home from Parasites

  • Watch your toddlers closely, inspect everything they try to put in their mouth, it could turn out to be dirt even worse, flea dirt.
  • Keep your home sandboxes covered, this should prevent it from getting contaminated with fecal matter.
  • Pick up after your pet if they defecate, do not leave it lying around in the yard where your kids play, probably.
  • If you come in contact with an animal, ensure that you wash your hands properly.
  • Be sure to test your pet at least once a month in order to nip an infestation in the bud. Preventatives are effective at keeping ectoparasites away from your pets, administer them as advised by your veterinarian monthly.  

Can a Flea Take Flight?

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The size and shape of a flea makes it difficult to notice that they do not actually have wings; they are flat and narrow so without knowing you might assume there are wings hidden underneath.

On the other hand, years ago flea ancestors actually had wings to fly but they lost that ability along with their wings because they rarely made use of them.

How Fleas Move

Since they do not have wings, they have another more efficient method of getting around and on their hosts bodies. Fleas have long, strong hind legs which allow them to leap as far as seven inches high. This is over hundred times their body size.

Effective Flea Control and Prevention

It is essential to control the infestation of these tiny parasitic insects as they can spread diseases around and cause the skin to be irritated when they feed on the blood of their hosts.

Now, to prevent fleas from infesting pets, their owners should purchase and make use of recommended pet care product that can treat and also prevent flea infestation.

While it is good to take care of pets personally, it is better and more advisable to keep in contact with a veterinarian who will give more professional advice on how to go about preventing and treating flea issues.

Also, once you notice that your house in infested with fleas, ensure that you contact a professional exterminator to get rid of fleas.

The Spread of Fleas and Other Parasitic Insects

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The spread of fleas and other parasitic insects have been rampant in recent years. Only three years ago, the government recorded a total of 96,075 insect borne diseases compared to the 2004 report of 27,388, the difference is enormous. This statistical record is the first one ever carried out on insect borne diseases by CDC. Diseases such as Chikungunya, West Nile, Plague, Lyme, Dengue and Zika were discovered.

Out of the three major insect parasites, Ticks has the lead in causing diseases, it accounts for at least 640,000 ailments. The number has doubled over thirteen years and within that time seven new germs has been discovered.

Flea

There are several contributing reasons why the number of illnesses has kept on increasing from 2015 to 2016. It could be because ticks and mosquitoes are growing and spreading every day.

Fighting These Pests

Fighting the numerous problems caused by insects requires additional assistance by the government for all local agencies and states to successfully diagnose the diseases, control ticks, mosquitoes and Zika. If care is not taken, ailments result to a fatality. Zika for instance, currently has no vaccine but causes headaches, birth defects, rashes, fever and eventually death.

As a precaution, the Central Agency for Disease Control recommends the use of EPA approved insect repellents, putting on long pants and shirts to bed (pajamas) and most importantly search for ticks and fleas in your environment, remove them. Then, put screens in all windows to prevent fleas, mosquitoes or ticks from getting in. It is important to know about the spread of fleas and other parasitic insects to best protect yourself and your home.

How to treat your puppy of flea infestation

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Fleas attack any mammal available, if there is blood they will feed. This means that your tiny little dog is not an exception. It will fall prey to any flea around.

For people who consider dogs family it can be heartbreaking to see your precious puppy suffering from painful itchiness and in severe cases anemia, you are left with no choice but to look for the best treatment options available that will bring relief to your pet fast.

You cannot administer just any drug; remember the weight and age of your puppy matters.

Appropriate age for a puppy to get treated for fleas

If your puppy is younger than six weeks, the only thing you can do is to use a flea comb to pick out the insects from its fur. If the puppy is older than six weeks, there are some drugs you can administer that will not end up being fatal.

Ensure that the bedding and surroundings are treated also otherwise your puppy will keep on suffering from fleas.

Fleas don’t just cause itching, their bites can transmit diseases to your pet, so while you remove fleas inspect its stool for rice-like tapeworms and check if the puppy’s gum is pale. Paleness means that it has become anemic due to the feeding habits of fleas. Rush your pet to the veterinarian if it becomes anemic for immediate treatment.

Categories of flea treatment products for puppies

  • Products that affect larvae and eggs. (Insect growth regulators)
  • Products that eliminate adult fleas.

When you kill off adult fleas, chances are that they will leave behind larvae and eggs, IGRs will take care of that problem permanently cutting short their life cycle and prevent re-infestation.

Products for 6 – 7 week old puppies

Revolution is a professionally recommended product for six week old puppies, their weight does not matter.

Seven week old puppies can be treated with Advantage II but make sure that your pet weighs at least three pounds.

K9 Advantix II is suitable for puppies weighing four pounds.

Also available are flea collars, but the most popular product is the Seresto Collar suitable for seven week old puppies.

Products for eight-thirteen week old puppies

There are more products available for older puppies obviously because they are bigger. Frontline plus and Activyl are the recommended topical treatments and you can administer Trifexis or Nexgard orally.

Products for fourteen week old puppies

If your puppy is fourteen weeks old and a little above three pounds, you can administer Comfort is, a preventative that it can chew monthly.

Once your pet clocks six months, you can start treating with Simparica or Bravecto.

How Fleas Reproduce – Water Fleas

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Have you ever wondered how fleas reproduce – water fleas especially? Do you also wonder how they turn from just one insect to millions in a matter of weeks? The truth is that flea reproduction process is hugely dependent on environmental conditions.

Fleas Life Cycle per CDC

Different Flea Species Breeding Methods

The various species breed in different ways, for instance, water fleas breed asexually and produce more females than males only when the condition is right, but when the conditions are harsh and food is limited, they will produce more males asexually, then they sexually reproduce with females.

The females under such harsh conditions will lay eggs covered with protective coatings able to withstand the bad environment.

Fleas Reproduction Life Cycle

First the female will lay their eggs in what they consider ideal environments. It is important to know how fleas reproduce. Once the eggs have been laid, they will eventually hatch into larvae. From the larvae stage they form pupae, and the final stage is the pupae hatching into an adult flea. Once the adult flea is hatched, they will then go on to feed and repeat the cycle which can cause rapid infestations especially when conditions are right for them.

It is important to ensure you are getting rid of not only adult fleas, but fleas during all stages of their lifecycle to ensure you, your pets, and your home are all free from these pesky critters.

How to Administer Tick and Flea Medication

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  • Ensure that the applicator stick touches your pets’ skin not just its fur. The fur cannot absorb the product to commence treatment.
  • Ensure that you apply the medication where your pet cannot reach; they may rub off the medicine.
  • Carefully apply the drug above and beyond the collar.
  • Some animals are extremely flexible so to prevent them from rubbing it off apply it at the base of the head instead of the back. Anywhere they cannot lick off.
  • Try not to rub the product into the skin.
  • Do not touch the tip of your applicator stick so you will not tamper with the dosage.
  • Before you stop, be sure that the tube is completely empty.
  • Shower praises on your cat or dog. It is not every day you can get them to sit still to take the medication.

Read this carefully before you administer any medication at all.

Products for tick and flea control to treat cats and dogs are best when the animal has no open sore and wounds. If the skin is not healthy, the product will not be utilized properly. Add canned dog food to your dogs ‘kibble’ only diet. For cats, canned foods are perfect. It will prevent them from developing urinary tract issues. Additionally, feed your cats with flaxseed oil and omega 3 fatty acids, this should make their coat shiny and skin healthy.

Flea Control Products applied orally

There are products that you can administer orally without the stress of coercing your pet to remain steady for skin application. They are, CapStar, Trifexis and Comfortis. Consult your veterinarian for the appropriate product suitable for your pet. If this seems a bit farfetched visit Flea Prevention types and use the compare and select option to find out the advantages of three or more products.

Flea Borne Diseases in Pets and Humans

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Flea Diseases Transmitted to Pets

Pets in the home suffer from a range of diseases as a result of fleas feasting on their blood. Some of such diseases are;

  • Murine typhus from an infected flea.
  • Bartonellosis also known as Cat Scratch Disease transmitted by cat fleas.
  • Allergic reaction to the flea’s saliva leading to Parasitic Dermatitis.  Rounded bumps appear on the animal’s skin, they scratch them until they become inflamed. If the situation is not controlled the animal will lose its hair and secondary infections will arise.
  • Pets may feed on plague infested rodents and contract the plague also.
  • Since fleas live on the blood of their host animal, that loss of blood can lead to iron deficiency and anemia especially in cases where the flea population is high.
  •    Dipylidium caninum is a form of tapeworm that is transmitted by fleas to cats when they eat an infested flea.

Flea Diseases Transmitted to Humans

Fleas are confirmed to be the cause of worldwide sicknesses, CDC reported that flea transmitted diseases skyrocketed between 2004 and 2016, plagues being the most commonly transmitted. Fleas continue to a big concern because exterminating them completely is proven to be a difficult task.

They transmit diseases from contaminated fecal matter to the human when they feed or suck their blood. These are some of the diseases people suffer from as a result of flea infestation;

  • Cat Scratch disease is passed to humans from an oriental cat flea.
  • Flea tapeworm; children are prone to contact this disease when they accidently ingest a contaminated flea feces.
  • Murine typhus is passed to humans from an infected cat flea feces. When the bacteria-infested feces comes in contact with an open and untreated flea bite.
  • Tungiasis arises when Chigoe flea pierces the skin, enters inside the body to feed. This flea bite causes the affected area to itch, leading to secondary infections.

Note that any bite that is left untreated and scratched repeatedly until the wound bleeds will develop into a serious ailment, especially when it starts to excrete puss.

Pet Allergic Reaction to Fleas

It is not every pet that suffers from minor itches and irritation, some suffer severe allergic reactions from flea infestation. The condition is termed Flea Allergy Dermatitis (FAD)

This skin disease arises due to the animals allergic reaction to a cat flea’s saliva. It reaches its peak in summer when the temperature is high. This is the perfect time for fleas to infest homes and attach themselves to pets playing outside the house.

Effects of The Itching

An animal suffering from Flea Allergy Dermatitis will itch excessively, when they scratch that itch they will lose large tufts of hair in the affected area.

 A pet owner may notice that they emit bad odors, this occurs because the wounds are open and there is a bacterial infection.

Dogs suffering from FAD will eventually develop lesions on their inner thighs and lower backs and if left untreated those infested areas will be pigmented.

Cats are show signs of infestation on their hind legs and around their tails while dogs are affected first on the tip of their tails and rumps. Dogs are seen to scratch their thighs and flanks excessively because those are the area they are most sensitive to.

Treatment for Flea Allergic Reaction

  • Bath and groom the pet thoroughly with shampoos recommended by professionals. There are many choices available and they come with different application methods.
  • Purchase medications recommended by a veterinarian and administer orally to the ailing pets. This is to ensure that you do not confuse the treatment for cats with dogs because they differ.
  • If you notice that there is a secondary infection on the open wounds and scabs, obtain antifungal and antibiotic from your vet and administer to the pets.

Be aware that if the pets are rid of fleas and are brought back to the same flea infested environment, they will still suffer from the attacks. Therefore, before they are brought home ensure that their surrounding is completely free from flea infestation.

Contact a professional exterminator to make sure that every flea is removed, then clean your beddings and floors properly.

Exterminate fleas from kittens?

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Cats are not exempt from fleas neither is their offspring. Kittens stand the risk of getting fleas from their infested mothers. On the other hand, the same treatments for an adult cat cannot be used for the kittens. If you want to pick fleas out from their fur, make use of flea combs or a pair of tweezers. Keep in mind that, no treatment will work if you do not clean out your entire environment.

The mother cat’s bedding should be kept clean, soaked in very hot water and washed.

Anemia is a serious problem caused by fleas feeding on animals, on newly born kittens, anemia can quickly lead to death. So, inspect their gums to see if they are still pink – which means they still have enough blood – but if you notice that they have turned pale, take them immediately to a veterinarian for treatment.

Next thing to watch out for is their excrement, disgusting as that is, it is the only way to find out if your kittens are infected with tapeworms.  If they are, you will see dried out rice-like tapeworms in their stool.

 Flea treatments for kittens

There are two products available for getting rid of fleas in kittens, they are;

  • Products that kill flea larvae and eggs (Insect growth regulators)
  • Products that get rid of adult fleas.

IGRs are used to clean out fleas from the environment making it a lot safer for kittens and other animals in the house. You can decide on topical or oral treatments after giving due consideration to your pets age and weight. This information will help you determine which product to give to your pet.

Ensure that you never confuse treatments meant for dogs for cats, this can be fatal as dogs are much larger than cats.

Treatments for 4 – week old kittens

There is one product that works very fast in killing fleas on kittens; CapStar will take just 6 hours to get rid of 90% of the fleas. The kitten has to weigh at least two pounds and four weeks.

Capstar will kill off adult fleas for twenty-four hours before wearing off. Before this happens, make sure that your house is free from flea larvae and eggs to prevent re-infestation.

Treatments for eight week old kittens

Eight week old kittens have a lot more products that can kill fleas because they are big enough to withstand the effects of these drugs.

These are some topical products which you can use to treat your flea problem.

Frontline Plus: for kittens older than eight weeks, it has no weight requirement.

Advantage II: kitten has to weigh at least two pounds to withstand the effects.

Revolution: it does not have any weight requirement either.

Treatments for 14-week old kittens

 The best treatment for this age is Comfortis, it is administered orally.

Types of Fleas

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Flocks of Fleas

There several types of fleas found in the United States. These fleas feed on humans and are capable of transmitting diseases. The different species of fleas include:

Dog fleas: this is a rare species of fleas that prey on dogs alone like the name indicates.

Cat fleas: this is a very common species and it preys on dogs, cats, humans and even wild animals.

Human fleas: These types of fleas love to feed on pigs and human beings.

Sticktight fleas: these fleas live on birds, likes squirrels and domestic poultry.

Chigoe fleas: commonly known as sand fleas, they feed on people living close to tropical beaches.

Rat fleas: known to spread very serious disease, they feed on roof rats and northern species feed.

All variety of fleas can transmit different types of infections, from murine typhus to plague and cat-scratch disease to mention a few. They bite humans and animals mostly pets and these bites can trigger reactions. They also have the ability to lay plenty eggs which means the flea infestation sometimes could become uncontrollable.

Popular Cat Fleas

Cat fleas are the most common species of fleas that cause the most problem for house owners. They can live on a large variety of host compared to other types of fleas. Asides domestic animals such as cats, dogs, and human beings, they can live on wild animals like opossums, raccoons, and foxes.

Also different from other species of fleas, cat fleas reside on their hosts even after feeding, laying eggs and mating. These eggs then fall off pets and move on to carpets, beds and furniture.

Flea Control

Vacuuming and deep cleaning can help to get rid of these pests and their eggs. Using washing machine to wash your fabrics with hot water can also help to get rid of these fleas. In addition you should endeavor to dispose of contaminated bedding and other materials from the house. Visit a vet for help if your pets are infested.

Topical Flea Preventatives

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Suitable Flea Preventative

Topical flea preventatives have been useful in protecting pets from the unwanted pests. Fleas are parasitic insects that can be found everywhere, and they reproduce very fast making infestation easy. It can increase from one flea to millions in a matter of weeks. Their sheer number makes it extremely difficult to completely eliminate them from an environment. The only way to be a hundred percent certain that your pets remain free from fleas is by administering preventatives monthly. They are capable of preventing a flea’s survival when they attack the animal.

It’s easier to stop fleas from using pets for hosts but harder to kill them. These topical flea preventatives are very effective in doing this.

Topical Flea Treatments Help Protect Your Pets

Topical Treatment Administration

These treatments are administered according to a pet’s lifestyle, some tend to spend most of their time outside and others are found indoors all the time and as such their treatments will differ. Dogs or cats that spend a lot of time in water should be given treatment that will not wash of in water and will last for a month.

Tick and flea preventatives can also exterminate the parasites and repel them from coming back on that animal. Some of the treatments can prevent parasitic worm from the animal’s intestinal tract and repel mosquitoes. Again, it is important to know your pet especially the products it is allergic to, knowing this will prevent you from accidentally poisoning your pet.