Fleas and Ticks

Fleas (Ctenocephalides felis) are the most common external parasite of companion animals.  They are blood-sucking parasites that prefer the blood of dogs and cats instead of people.  However, if an animal is not present at feeding time, the flea will bite a human.  The flea season begins around April and continues throughout the summer until freezing weather in autumn.  Your dog or cat is likely to become infested from simply spending time in the backyard.    

Flea prevention is very important to keeping your pet healthy and happy.  Flea allergy dermatitis (FAD) is the most common skin disease of dogs and cats! Additionally, fleas can transmit infectious diseases and tapeworms to your pet.  Once infested, your dog or cat will infest your home and other household pets with these parasites when he/she comes indoors.

The most likely place to find fleas on a dog are the hindquarters, base of tail, abdomen, and groin area.  Fleas can often be found on the front of the chest on cats.   Many times no fleas are seen but only tiny, black granules that resemble black pepper.  This material is flea feces and consists of digested blood.  To distinguish this material from dirt, smudge it on a wet, white paper towel.  If you see a reddish-brown color, your pet has fleas!  A complete flea control program requires the pet(s) and house be treated at the same time and at regular intervals.  There is NO EASY WAY to solve flea infestations.  The flea season is worst in August, September and October and we recommend using preventative from April to the first hard frost (or about November 15th).

**Remember, it is much easier for you to prevent fleas rather than to eliminate an infestation**

Ticks are also common external parasites found in Wisconsin and Illinois.  There are over 850 tick species, about 100 of which are capable of transmitting diseases.  In the U.S., five genera transmit to humans and pets the vast majority of tick-borne diseases.  These are;

Amblyomma (e.g. lone star tick)
Dermacentor (e.g. American dog, Rocky Mountain wood, pacific coast ticks)
Ixodes (e.g. black-legged, Western black-legged ticks)
Ornithodoros    Rhipicephalus (e.g. brown dog tick)

Multiple diseases can be contracted from a single tick bite.  Common tick species found in this area include the American Dog tick, the Black Legged (Deer) tick and the Brown Dog tick.  The Black Legged tick serves as the main carrier for Lyme disease and the American Dog tick serves as the main carrier for Ehrlichiosis and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.

Ticks are blood sucking parasites and have four life stages: egg, larva, nymph, and adult. The egg hatches into a larva. A larva ("seed" tick) has six legs. It feeds and molts into a nymph. A nymph has eight legs.  The nymph feeds and molts into an adult. The adult is differentiated into male or female. The female requires a blood meal in order to lay eggs.

An adult tick seeks a blood meal at, or slightly above, ground level by climbing onto vegetation and using its forelegs to feel and grab for a host. Ticks are usually found from ground level to three feet above the ground. A tick uses carbon dioxide, scent, body heat, and other stimuli to find a host.

Because it takes roughly 48 for a tick to transmit bacteria, it is important to remove ticks as soon as you discover them.

• Using a pair of pointed (fine-tipped) tweezers, grasp the mouthparts of the tick as close to the skin as possible.
• Pull the tick straight out with a firm and steady force.
• Wash the area of the bite thoroughly with soap and water.

DO NOT attempt to remove the tick by touching it with a burnt match or swabbing it with alcohol or petroleum jelly.  This will only aggravate the tick and cause it to release more bacteria into the blood stream.

Clients of Wolf Merrick Animal Hospital will be sent a notice each spring to remind you to start your dog or outdoor cat on flea and tick preventative. We prescribe the following flea preventatives:

 1)             FRONTLINE PLUS a topical liquid applied to one spot on your dog's skin.  This top spot can also help prevent against ticks.  One application lasts up to 2 months for flea control and is water-resistant.

 2)             REVOLUTION a topical liquid applied once a month to one spot on your dog or cat's skin.  This product also prevents against heartworm disease in dogs and cats and treats and prevents ear mites and roundworms in cats.