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Friday, September 23, 2011

Flea Tidbits

I have been in practice for 22+ years. Yet, I always am please when I learn new things. I recently learned that one flea bites your pet about 350 times per day. Isn't it hard to believe that some animals seem hardly bothered by fleas will others go crazy? The latter are flea allergy dogs. About 50% of dogs are flea allergic. This means that every time they are bit their immune system overreacts by producing histamine, leukotrienes and prostaglandins ( to name a few) which are chemicals that last up to 12 hours. If your pet is bit just twice a day , 12 hours apart then your pet would itch around the clock. But, remember the 350 times per day statistic? That spells no relief. Getting fleas under control is not an instant process unless you and your pet leave the house...forever. No, you must treat the pet(all of them) and treat the house with chemical and then vacuum, vacuum , vacuum. The pet products are numerous to choose from . The quick kill tablet Capstar is very effective for short term use (meaning you wouldn't want to use it every day in your pet's system) . Then you can add a longterm products such as Frontline plus, Advantix, Comfortis or Revolution. These are the best. Avoid products containing permethrins. Even using them on your dog can make your cat sick. I recommend pets have year round flea control if they are flea allergic or if you have had high flea counts in your enviroment. One female flea lays 3000+ eggs. So, if any eggs escape the flea insecticide the population quickly restores itself.

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