FLEAS- Tiny pests, a BIG deal for your pets

One of my biggest pet peeves as a veterinarian is talking to people about fleas more than once. In my mind, it's a logical progression: fleas are gross little bugs that carry diseases, make your pet incredibly itchy, can invade your house and make you itchy; there are safe preventatives available from my veterinarian for my pet that prevent and kill fleas- I purchase said preventatives so that 1. my home is flea free (therefore I am flea free) 2. my pet is flea free 3. both my pet and I are happier and healthier than if we had fleas on us or lived in a flea den. What I am trying to say is: I purchase safe flea preventatives for my pets because it is valuable to me to be flea free. I use these products as directed- once monthly (or every 3 months for some) year around. Why? Because there are no guarantees that winter will be cold enough to kill fleas and I've personally seen fleas thriving in all seasons.  

One year out in veterinary practice I find that being flea free is apparently not valuable to everyone. I have heard many arguments for not using year around, veterinarian recommended flea prevention for pets including: "my pet is inside only", "the product is expensive, I'll get something over the counter", "I've never seen a flea in my home", and the most creative "they can't get to me I live on the second floor"-which really just underestimates fleas. Of the above-mentioned examples: EVERY SINGLE PET OWNER who said these statements to me had pets with fleas actively crawling around on them. Fact: your indoor pet can (and most likely will) at some point get fleas. HOW? You. You go outside, you invite people over who also go outside and/or are accompanied by their pets who may have fleas or may be carrying one in from...OUTSIDE. Your home is not cold enough to keep fleas from wanting to stick around. If fleas have ever been present in your environment it is possible that they have laid eggs which remain dormant there until the conditions are ideal for them to emerge and wreak havoc on your pets, your home, and you. 

FACT: some over the counter products work, some do not. Some cause severe skin irritation to your pets with sensitive skin- then you get to pay for a veterinary exam, treatment for the skin irritation AND a prescription flea product when you could have saved a lot simply by purchasing the product from your veterinarian or certified pet pharmacy. I often tell people when it comes to flea prevention-"you get what you pay for", this is something I have found to be so very true. Trust me, your vet isn't trying to scam you, they don't get a kickback from you buying flea prevention, they just want your pet to be comfortable. Quite honestly if  none of us ever had to have the "flea talk" ever again I think all of us would be just fine with it. 

FACT: some of you have really poor attention to detail (and that's ok), but just because you have never seen a flea doesn't mean they aren't present-in your carpet, in the cracks in your hardwood floors, even on your pets. As someone who has found many a flea on pets who "couldn't possibly be itching from fleas", I can confirm that fleas can be a problem in your home without you knowing. If fleas are present in your home, then you must treat your environment (call an exterminator or talk to your veterinarian about safe products to use) and you must treat your pet, preferably with a reputable flea preventative available from your veterinarian or by recommendation of your veterinarian. 

One final FACT: fleas can jump 7 inches high and 13 inches long in a single jump, thus I feel that determined fleas can 100% jump up some stairs to get to your pet.

The most convincing reason to listen to your vet and prevent fleas is the comfort and well being of your pet. Think of your poor pets who are bearing the brunt of this decision to do nothing about the fleas. Some pets develop allergies to flea bites-this means that a single flea can bite your pet and set off a chain of inflammatory responses causing your pet to become a miserable, scratching animal in the place of who it used to be. These inflammatory responses can cause a pet to become so itchy that they create areas of secondary infection on their skin because they are scratching their skin raw and transferring particles of what's on the ground to their flanks, head, ears, belly and backsides. Pets can also get tapeworms from swallowing fleas when they're grooming themselves. Tapeworms are gross. Tapeworms also require a special dewormer (available from your veterinarian) to get rid of them but if you do not administer flea prevention your pet will likely continue to get tapeworms. Fleas also carry other diseases like: Bartonella, Typhus, and have historically transmitted plague. None of those sound like fun to me.  

Sad but true, there are many "natural" remedy claims out there. Unfortunately when asked in a survey, 9/10 fleas said they actually enjoy the scents of garlic, coconut oil, and lemon grass (just kidding) but I've seen these concoctions "in action" on pets and found that fleas were also present despite the strong aromas radiating from a pet's collar or homemade shampoo. If you are still going to attempt one of these methods as flea preventative, please consult your veterinarian and make sure at the very least you are not using toxic doses of garlic or any other ingredient that you may not know is toxic to pets in high doses. I might add that there is no data evaluating the safety of these concoctions as flea preventative measures whereas approved flea products have gone through necessary trials to be approved for use. 

Bottom line, fleas are simple pests to prevent and treat with available products. Talk to your vet about the best flea prevention strategy for your pet based on the available products. (There are pills, topicals, and a collar-not all of them require a prescription). If you have had fleas in your house previously, make sure you've washed all of your pet's bedding and at least spot treated surfaces in your home to ensure you are now flea free. Final note: if you choose to order your flea prevention online, make sure it is from a reputable pet pharmacy, there are many scams out there and "knock off" products that appear to be a good deal but do not actually work or are not actually the product you think you are getting.

I dream of a world where one day I don't have to spend time at least once a week talking in depth to people about why administering flea prevention is a necessary part of pet ownership, so tell your friends. Let me know in the comments if there's a topic you'd like to have covered. 

For more information see: https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951999