{"id":5426,"date":"2010-09-13T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2010-09-13T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lbpost.com\/articles\/life\/pets\/tips-tricks-for-your-pets-to-avoid-flea-season\/"},"modified":"2010-09-13T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2010-09-13T12:00:00","slug":"tips-tricks-for-your-pets-to-avoid-flea-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/hi-lo\/pets\/tips-tricks-for-your-pets-to-avoid-flea-season","title":{"rendered":"Tips & Tricks For Your Pets To Avoid Flea Season"},"content":{"rendered":"

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No Fleas, Please<\/strong>
We\u2019ve been itching to take on this topic for some time\u2014okay, we\u2019re sorry. But, summer or winter, rain or shine, it\u2019s always flea time in Southern California, and we wanted to exterminate some of the myths about them as well as put a bug in your ear about some of the products available. This may be an extensive article, even for us, but we wanted to do more than just scratch the surface of this important topic.<\/p>\n

Feeling up to scratch?<\/strong>
Know first that there\u2019s no \u201cflea season\u201d here. Back east, we both used to get the powders and potions out as soon as hot weather came upon us, and some of the pet owners and product manufacturers we spoke to said that they put repellent on their dogs and cats during \u201cflea-heavy\u201d months and don\u2019t treat indoor-only animals at all. But the veterinarians we spoke to said that fleas are year-round residents of California\u2014they like the weather, too\u2014and that there\u2019s a good chance that your pet has them even if you can\u2019t see them. The little buggers travel on your clothes or shoes or hop in uninvited, looking for a warm place with lots of nice, fresh blood. Even if you named your dog Bella Swan, it\u2019s still parasite hell for both of you; fleas not only cause itchy welts but also transmit disease. According to Dr. Catherine Anne Outerbridge, DVM. MVSc, assistant professor of clinical dermatology at UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine<\/a>, fatal anemia from blood loss can occur in both cats and dogs if the infestation is severe enough. If you don\u2019t see any fleas on your pet, run a comb through his or her fur. You\u2019ll see more small black dots that don\u2019t move. That\u2019s because what you\u2019ve combed out are flea feces, and they\u2019re all over your precious baby.<\/p>\n

Scabs, scratching, skin infections, bald patches and \u201chot spots,\u201d can signal a problem called flea-allergy dermatitis, the most common allergic skin disease in dogs and cats. It\u2019s caused by sensitivity to substances in the flea\u2019s saliva.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’m not sure which\u00a0cat flea product I was using, but my Jan would jump like he was on fire, and then he had scabs,\u201d said Merrilee Adler of San Pedro. \u201cI thought\u00a0it was from fighting, but when I started taking him to the vet to get the injectable flea product, his condition cleared up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adler now uses topical, or \u201cspot-on,\u201d products now and says that Jan hasn\u2019t had any more scabbing, but that the cat runs when he smells the stuff. <\/p>\n

Fleas furthermore are prolific, laying eggs all over the animal\u2019s body, from where they fall off and are distributed in areas where the pet spends the most time. This can result in infestation and a miserable struggle with welts and sores and misery.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor one adult flea found on your pet, there are at least one hundred immature fleas in the animal\u2019s environment,\u201d Dr. Outerbridge said. \u201cIt may seem confusing to you to be told that your dog or cat has flea allergy dermatitis if you never see fleas. This is mainly due to the fact that your pet has a remarkable capacity to chase and subsequently eat the fleas.\u201d Yum.<\/p>\n

So, fleas are nasty parasitical grungy disease-bearing pests that multiply faster than Albert Einstein and are considerably more annoying. Now, we\u2019ll tell you how to get rid of them. There are a number of products on the market that have varying degrees of effectiveness and risk. Some involve chemicals, others are composed of sweet-scented herbs and flowers, and some combine both. None of them, not even the most delicate floweret, should be administered without the advice of a vet or doing considerable research. And if your pet is ill, call your vet before giving him or her any flea treatment.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no universal flea control product!\u201d Dr. Outerbridge said. \u201cFlea control programs need to be custom-tailored to each patient.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whatever you use, give your home and your pet\u2019s bedding (especially if it\u2019s also your bedding) a good cleaning before and after the flea treatment. Vacuum the carpets and toss the bag, and apply a vet-approved pet-safe insecticide indoor and outdoors. Follow your vet\u2019s instructions for application, and keep your pet away while using the insecticide. As long as all the animals in the household are kept on a continuous, effective flea program, the pets will no longer be reproducing and you\u2019ll see an immediate improvement.<\/p>\n

Spot-on<\/strong>
Topical insecticides have seen an increase in popularity since the development of such products as Frontline, K9Advantix and Advantage. Advantage is the trade name for Bayer’s insecticide Imidacloprid and is classified as a neonicotinoid, a class of neuroactive insecticides modeled after nicotine that work by paralyzing the insect’s nervous system, which is different from that of mammals. The biggest side effect may be running into the cat in a cigar lounge after repeated use of the product; however, all the vets we spoke to assured us that the products will not harm animals if used correctly.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy friend Madeline, who tends multiple stray cats as well as her personal\u2014now elderly\u2014cat, lives in Brooklyn, and her neighborhood is afflicted with fleas,\u201d Ellen Cannel said. \u201cShe and her tenant use Frontline on all of them. Madeline\u2019s daughter, who lives in southern Florida, has used Advantage on her cats and big dog\u2014no side effects from anyone.\u201d Cannel said that the preferences of the two spot-ons vary because the Brooklyn resident said that Frontline also takes care of ticks, and the woman who lives in Florida feels that the beneficial effects of Advantage seem to last longer than those of Frontline.<\/p>\n

Advantix has repellant properties as well as insecticides and is safe, although unnecessary, to use weekly, but it should be used only on dogs. None of the products mentioned have been tested safe for use on rabbits; if you own rabbits, consult with your vet before doing anything. And, despite the safety of the new products, Dr. Outerbridge says that because cats are much more sensitive to the chemicals in flea preparations, many insecticides cannot be used on them. For felines, she recommends Revolution, Frontline Plus, and Advantage. Capstar, an oral product, may be administered as a \u201cquick kill\u201d in the event that fleas are seen on the cat.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlways remember to read the label\u2014if it says dog on it, do not put it on your cats,\u201d said Dr. John Kuttel of Huntington Harbour Veterinary Clinic [disclosure: Dr. Kuttel tends to Kate\u2019s cats]. \u201cI have people coming in saying, I bought this at Wal-Mart and it worked on the dog so I put a couple of drops on the cat.\u201d

Flea market<\/strong>
Knowing what\u2019s in any flea product and how it will affect your pet is extremely important, which is why we repeat that a veterinarian should always be consulted before using any product. Former Long Beach resident Kevin Downey began using Advantage on his dog, Pogo, with no ill effects after a bad experience with a store-bought product.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of the inexpensive store brands are extremely harsh,\u201d Downey said. \u201cWe put a tube on Pogo a year or so ago, and it was a nightmare. It was so strong. We couldn’t breathe well\u2014Pogo was being tortured, and I’m not exaggerating. He was salivating; he couldn’t sleep. It was as if he and we were being poisoned. We couldn’t wash that stuff off him fast enough. It was a horror story. Back to vet-issued brands!\u201d<\/p>\n

In most of the big-box pet stores, you\u2019ll find all the artillery: herbal sprays, carpet cleaner for your vacuum, bedding spray, carpet spray (with and without poison warning), foggers. A vast array of \u201cnatural\u201d products flanks the old-school Hartz label that\u2019s been around since the 1930; there\u2019s green tea, lime, citronella, clove, peppermint, cinnamon, cedar, lauryl sulfate (which is actually a foaming chemical), parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. The buzzword green is omnipresent whether the product consists only of herbs or has a listing of unpronounceable chemicals at the end of the ingredients label. There are a few flea collars, which we don\u2019t recommend because children may chew or suck on them and because they pretty much don\u2019t work\u2014we once knew a cat that had several little buggers nestled under the collar when it was removed. Pet owner Carol Cornwall further noted that she cannot keep a collar on her dog because his head\u2019s smaller than his neck.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome OTC [over-the-counter] products do not kill fleas, some do, and some are toxic if applied to the wrong species or wrong aged animal,\u201d Dr. Outerbridge said. \u201cThis latter statement is also true of some of the veterinary prescription products as well. Flea control is an important part of preventative veterinary health, and owners should discuss it with their veterinarian to be sure that what they are using is both safe and effective for their particular pet.\u201d

Nettle fleas, and they\u2019ll rue the day<\/strong>
Indeed, reports about the safety of chemical solutions can seem to be at odds with the label warnings. This brings us to the category of naturopathic remedies. A good number of pet owners will not put anything chemical on their pets. The fumes are noisome, and statements such as \u201cnot for use on\u2026\u201d and caveats from veterinarians will understandably put some people off.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince Sebastian is indoor only, he\u2019s\u00a0had fleas once, when I brought them in from outside on my shoes or socks,\u201d said cat owner Gaye Funk. \u201cI got rid of them the old-fashioned way\u2014with a pair of tweezers and my fingernails. I wouldn’t think of using a product like those poisons you put between their shoulder blades.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dog owner Stacie Cardena also does not want to put any chemicals on her pets. She bathes her boys weekly, lets them dry, and sprays on Neem \u201cProtect\u201d Spray from Ark Naturals http:\/\/www.arknaturals.com natural products for pets, available at Mothers Market. Neem is a tree native to Southeast Asia, India and Africa that has many medicinal uses, much like the tea tree, except that every part of the neem is used to cure something\u2014the Ark Naturals folks use it in all their flea products. According to Ark Naturals founder and owner Susan Weiss, the leaves of the neem are not palatable to biting insects and have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.<\/p>\n

Cardena highly recommends neem products for pet parents who also want to avoid chemical flea treatments, saying that her two canines have not been bothered with fleas since using it. She also concocts a lovely sounding, heavenly smelling mixture of apple cider vinegar, essential oils of lavender, peppermint and oregano, utilizing pure oils from Mountain Rose Herbs http:\/\/www.mountainroseherbs.com\/animal\/animal.html, generally insect-repelling citronella, lemongrass and rosemary. As always, if you decide to put together any herbal concoction, do your research first and then test a small area of your pet for reaction.<\/p>\n

\u201cUsing organic herbs to help heal and nourish animals and keep pests away is wonderfully empowering for pet owners and beneficial to our critters,\u201d said Erin McIntosh, communications manager for the aforementioned Mountain Rose Herbs. \u201cIf it\u2019s possible to treat common health problems with organic herbs and oils, then it is definitely my preferred method over toxic commercial products that are hard for our pets\u2019 bodies to process and [that] have a negative impact on the earth.\u201d<\/p>\n

But even proponents of naturopathic remedies admit that there are times that stronger methods may be called for in extreme cases.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes, heroic pharmaceutical medicines are necessary, but often we can strengthen our own natural defenses and encourage health with the medicinal plants that grow around us,\u201d McIntosh said. She recommends echinacea as an example.<\/p>\n

As a caveat, brewer\u2019s yeast and garlic are often used in flea preparations, but the vets we spoke to said that laboratory tests on brewer\u2019s yeast show no flea-toxic or-repellent properties that garlic may cause blood problems in pets.

A question of balance<\/strong>
Dr. Michelle Baccaro, DVM, practices holistic veterinary medicine at Long Beach Animal Hospital<\/a>. Her practice comprises Eastern and Western medicine, which includes a form of chiropractic, and sees flea treatment as balancing peace of mind and comfort with effective treatment.<\/p>\n

\u201cI try to decide for myself what can do no harm,\u201d Dr. Baccaro said. \u201cAnd I don\u2019t tell people \u2018Don\u2019t.\u2019\u201d She said that if people want to start with natural, that\u2019s fine, but she has seen no problem with any of the topical products.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Western products we sell are fine,\u201d Dr. Baccaro said. \u201cAdvantage works on fatty layer and doesn\u2019t internalize into the bloodstream. Things [you read] on the Internet are opinions, not facts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Baccaro directed anyone wanting to check out natural flea remedies and information to visit the Earth Animal Web site<\/a>. Besides the topical products, she recommends Sentinel as an effective oral product, and warns against using any product on rabbits, guinea pigs and other small animals without consulting a veterinarian. For treating the environment, she prefers Fleabuster powder, which is also available at the vet, and as for flea collars\u2014again, forget it.

Final flea lines<\/strong>
Naturally, none of the medicines should be ingested; they need to be applied to areas of the animals that are impossible for them to lick, i.e., the back of the neck. If you have multiple pets, separate them for a few hours after applying spot-on remedies. As with any flea treatment, check with your vet before using it and be sure to test it on a small section of your pet\u2019s fur as well as any bedding or material you wish to treat. If you do your own research on herbs and have questions about whether they will harm your animal companion, visit the plants section of the ASPCA\u2019s poison control page<\/a>. And, of course, if your pet has an adverse reaction to any remedy, stop using it and contact your vet immediately.<\/p>\n

As for us, Kate has used Advantage on her cats for years, with no ill effects, and Judy uses only natural products and will not use chemicals. We should probably close with some expected saw about fleas being part of the eternal Circle of Life and without them we\u2019d have no birdies or flowers and so on. Saved and printed\u2014but no fleas on our pets\u2014or us\u2014please.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fatter the flea, the leaner the dog.\u201d
-German proverb<\/div>\n

Pet Projects<\/span><\/p>\n

Pet Responsibility Act Short of Votes<\/strong>
According to the latest news blast regarding SB 250 for 2010 from Social Compassion In Legislation<\/a> (SCIL), the bill received 34 yes votes from the Assembly floor\u2014not enough to move it to the next committee and then to the governor’s desk for his signature. Mancuso stated in the blast, \u201cWith a limited amount of time to reeducate the lawmakers on the newly amended version of the bill in August, the opposition succeeded in delivering misinformation and alarming legislators into believing that SB 250 was a mandatory sterilization bill for all pet owners.\u201d In the text of the bill, SB 250 would only apply to pets that are not properly licensed and not in compliance with existing laws.<\/p>\n

Mancuso in her closing statement promised to keep everyone updated on SCIL\u2019s legislative goals for 2011. And we know she will!<\/p>\n

$6 Rabies Shots at MLK Jr. Park<\/strong>
It just got a lot easier to vaccinate and license Long Beach cats and dogs. This month, Long Beach Animal Care Services (ACS) is providing a low-cost vaccination and licensing clinic to residents and pets at the Martin Luther King Jr. Park Community Center, 1950 Lemon Ave. (562) 570-7387. No reservation is necessary, but only cash is accepted for vaccinations!<\/p>\n

A State Licensed Veterinarian from the Southern California Veterinary Vaccine Clinic (SCVVC) will be onsite to provide the shots, and residents can process their license renewals onsite. Click here<\/a> for a full listing of prices. Services available include:<\/p>\n