Fleas!!

Adaptable little critters! They have been around for millions of years and despite Frontline, Promeris and all the other anti flea treatments on the market, they look as if they’ll be around for a good deal longer. That is not to say these preparations are not effective, because they are! These products work against the adult part of the life cycle, and some even work against the larval stage, but when they pupate there is no chemical that can touch them. They can stay in their pupae for many years until conditions are just right, then “bing” off they go again!

Regular flea control is very important to prevent a massive infestation. Temperature and humidity altitude play a role in the amount of fleas. That is why when you go to the coast with your pets, they come back with lots of stowaways!

The most common flea on both cats and dogs is the cat flea – Ctenocephalides Felis. Fleas need a blood meal as an adult to complete their life cycle.

Almost all animals will have fleas at some point in their life. Fleas do not mean a dirty animal or a dirty home. Fleas can cause irritations and many animals are allergic. Just one bite starts up a nasty itch/scratch reaction. It is extremely important to control flea infestations in these animals to prevent suffering.

Test for fleas: Stand your pet over a slightly damp sheet of ordinary white paper and give their fur a good ruffle – The black bits that drop off and make little rust coloured halos are flea dirt (digested blood).This then indicates that your pet does have fleas, and you need to treat them and all the other pets in the house.  

Ticks

Ticks are much easier to see on your pet especially when they are coming to the end of their seven day blood sucking feeding fest! Ticks are from the arachnid family (like spiders) and can cause life threatening disease. There are several types of ticks found in South Africa, and they are of various colours and sizes.

      

Ticks are often found in long grass where they climb to the top of the grass and quest (hang around!) looking for a nice warm blood filled body to feed from. They latch on, crawl to a suitable site, and start feeding.

The Hyaloma tick (with yellow/brown stripy legs) causes serious damage to the tissue around the area of the bite, leaving massive necrotic wounds.

Many other ticks carry parasites that cause disease. Below are a few examples of these:

Babesia

The most common of these diseases is Canine Babesia (Billiary). The Yellow dog tick is infected with the Babesia parasites. It passes on this infection when it takes it’s blood meal from the dog. These parasites enter in to the red blood cells, growing, dividing and killing the red blood cells as they do so.

The clinical signs of billiary vary from lethargy to death! The destruction of the red blood cells leads to anemia, where the most common sign is pale gums. The break down of blood cells in large amounts causes a build up of toxic chemicals in the body, which can lead to icterus, which are yellow gums.

It is important that dogs who are off colour and not eating see the vet ASAP. We can take a small amount of blood to look for the parasites. If the test is positive we can begin treatment immediately before the disease progresses to a serious level.

Ehlichia Canis

Ehlichia is another disease spread by ticks. These parasites infect the white blood cells but the signs of the disease can be similar to Babesia. Both of these diseases can be diagnosed with a simple blood test.

Prevention is better than Cure!

Thankfully there are very effective and easy to apply products on the market to control both flea and tick infestations. In areas of high tick infestations, it may be necessary to use a combination of products. But ask before you do this, as some may cause an over dose when used together. At Valley Farm we recommend Frontline, Promeris Duo and Practic. These are spot-on products. Just part the hair on the back of the pet’s neck and squeeze the liquid on. They spread across the body in the lipid layer of the skin and are not absorbed in to the blood, the liver or the kidneys. They are very safe and very effective when applied to the correct species in the correct amounts.

Capstar is a pill that can be given to cats and dogs to kill fleas immediately. It is most effective used in emergency situations, such as coming back from the beach, after contact with an infested wild animal or when being admitted to hospital or kennels to prevent infecting other animals.
If you do have an infestation of fleas in your home, in conjunction with physically cleaning, Fleago spray can be used to treat carpets, bedding etc.

Ticks and fleas are an all year round problem, with peak activity starting in spring and continuing through to early autumn.

NEW! BABESIA VACCINE

Already this year Valley Farm has seen numerous dogs with Billiary, many of them with one of the complicated forms. These more complicated cases require hospitalization for advanced treatments and monitoring. It is a very sad fact that some of these patients don’t make it.

A Babesia vaccine has recently been released. It does not always prevent dogs from getting Babesia but it will prevent the disease from becoming as serious as it potentially can. Two vaccines need to be given one month apart, and then boosters every six months. We would recommend this vaccine to people who live in a tick infested area or with elderly pets.

Other external Parasites

Mites

There are several types of mites that can infect your pets’ skin or ears. Some ,such as Sarcoptes, live on the skin. Demodex live in the skin, and Otodectes live in the ears.
All mites cause irritation, redness, hair loss, mange and can lead to skin infections. Mites are much less common than fleas or ticks and are usually found in very young or seriously debilitated animals.
Promeris Duo can be used to treat some mite infestations.

Ringworm

Ringworm is a fungal infection not a parasite. It is a zoonosis (can be passed to humans). The usual signs are small bald patches of red slightly crusty skin. If you think your pet has ring worm please bring them in for an examination so that we can dispense the correct treatment.