By Dr. Johnathan Pierce
Summertime and the living is FLEAsey… That’s right, it’s the time of year that we see more flea infestations and flea allergic dermatitis cases. Although we don’t have a true seasonality and we have fleas year-round, we do see an uptick in cases during this period. The humidity and warmth favors the fleas’ survival and reproductive cycle. The rainy season keeps our soil moist, providing a better environment for fleas.
So why is this important? Aren’t these pests just annoying creatures that cause us to itch. The answer to this is NO. Fleas can not only cause severe allergic reactions in our pets and in us, but they are vectors for disease.
Vectors are organisms (like fleas, ticks, etc.) that harbor the disease-causing organisms in their bodies. When they bite their victim, they can inject and infect that organism, causing disease.
How bad can this be? Well, fleas have been known to carry Yersinia Pestis which is the bacteria that causes Bubonic Plague. Luckily, we have all but eradicated this disease through control of rat populations and pesticides but there are occasional cases that still occur to this day. More commonly, diseases like bartonellosis (cat scratch fever) and typhus can be transmitted, infecting humans and animals.
Even more common is the flea tapeworm. Typically detected around the rear end of cats and dogs as rice-like white wriggling worms, these patients get these from chewing on themselves when they have fleas and ingesting them. The tapeworm larvae that are in the ingested flea then mature into the larger worms which then release the segments or proglottids which are the rice-like segments. These segments carry the eggs which are then eaten by the flea larva, completing the cycle.
Thankfully we have isoxazoline flea control medications that are very safe for most pets and very highly effective against fleas and ticks (Nexgard, Simparica, and Bravecto, most commonly). For environmental control of fleas, there are pesticides that are safe for our pets. Products like diatomaceous earth have also been known to be effective.
Speak with your veterinarian about effective and safe flea preventions.
Island Life Animal Hospital
Dr. Danielle Gallo & Dr. Johnathan Pierce
5901 Sun Blvd., Suite 107
Saint Petersburg, FL 33715
727-289-3776 • islandlifeanimalhospital.vet