Fleas, Ticks and other Parasites

If you are experiencing problems with fleas please ring the surgery on 01254 53622 for the best advice. A vet or nurse appointment can be made in which we can prescribe the most appropriate treatments to eliminate the fleas. Read on for more information about fleas and flea treatments. (Click Here For Daisy Street Vets Reviews Page)

We have various prescription only flea treatments, some which can be applied to the skin (spot-on treatments) or tasty tablets which, when used monthly will control fleas, roundworms, ear mites, mange and many other parasites. These are very useful for general parasite control especially for dogs with skin disease.

We have a new flea tablet and a new spot on formula that lasts for three months. See this link for more information MSD.

Fleas live in your home not just on your pets. It is very important to treat the home. This is often neglected and can be a source of reinfestation. Fleas lay eggs on our pets which fall off, into the carpets, furniture, bedding, car, garden etc. One female flea can lay 30-60 eggs. These eggs will develop into new fleas and re-infest your pets. Treat the environment. We have Indorex by virbac, available at the surgery, which is a aerosol spray that treats the environment and one treatment lasts for 12 months.

If you find a flea on your dog and you are not using a reliable flea treatment then there will already be lots of flea eggs about your home - you'll need to:

1. Treat all animals in your home with the appropriate effective flea treatment.
2. Spray Indorex all around your home and vaccuum thoroughly over the next 4 weeks.
3. It may be better to speak to us about which prescription flea treatment is the best for you and your dog first.
4. Remember to worm any affected animals, as fleas can transmit tapeworms.
5. It is important to use regular prescription flea treatment and wormers all year round, as fleas and worms are easily caught by our pets when they go outside. Remember most fleas are caught from the environment, not from other animals.

Flea Prevention - Why?

ONE FLEA CAN PRODUCE 200 FLEAS IN 1 MONTH!

FLEA BITES - Fleas cause skin irritation in dogs & cats, and unpleasant bites in humans.

FLEA ALLERGY - Over 50% of skin disorders in dogs and cats are caused by allergy to flea bites. Flea allergic dermatitis is common. Animals scratch, bite and nibble at their skin. Pets can only become allergic to fleas after being bitten regularly. Prevent fleas and you will dramatically reduce the risk of your pet having skin problems.

FLEAS CAUSE ANAEMIA - Fleas suck blood like mosquitos. They take much more blood than they need and pass large amounts of undigested blood into the dog's coat (these can be seen as black particles in the coat). These drop off the dog onto the floor and feed the tiny flea larvae that have hatched out in the environment. Older dogs, pups and kittens are most at risk from anaemia.

FLEAS TRANSMIT PARASITES - Tapeworms are transmitted by fleas.

Flea Prevention - What NOT to use - Products that fail!

• Most products available at petshops and stores.
• Some pet shop spot-ons don't work well.
• Pet shop flea powders, flea shampoos, flea sprays and most flea collars don't work well.
• Herbal flea treatments.
• Flea combs don't help that much but are usefull for removing some dirt and fleas!
• Bathing your dog just gives you clean fleas!

If you find a tick on your dog

It would be best to make an appointment to see the vet so that the tick can be safely removed. There is a danger if you remove the tick yourself, the head may break off inside your dog's skin leading to infection. Ticks carry infections and an antibiotic injection may be necessary.

You can remove ticks using a Tick Remover (available at the surgery), but you can only remove ticks you can find - there may be many others you can't see, especially on a long-coated dog. So it is better to apply some tick treatment too.

Apply your prescrition flea and tick treatment in the usual way and any unseen ticks will be dead in a few hours and will drop off. Then continue to use all year round. You will normally only find a tick when it has been on your dog for a few days and is full of blood. Using one of our recommended prescription treatments quickly kills and prevents ticks before they can transmit any blood borne diseases.

40 years ago..... (David Higginson MRCVS remembers)

Fleas were very common (and still are!). Treatments were fairly ineffective. We didn't understand the fleas' life cycle properly until it was thoroughly researched in the early 90's. We used all the preparations listed above in the DON'T USE section as we had nothing else. Then in the mid 70's Nuvan Top, an organophosphorus spray, was produced and worked quite well, but it was poisonous, smelt awful and drove pets, especially cats, to distraction when it was applied (weekly)! We knew nothing of flea allergies and thought that scabby cats and dogs had vitamin deficiency. We didn't realise until a decade later just how severe a flea allergy reaction can be; just one flea can cause a severe dermatitis if the pet is allergic to flea saliva. Ticks were not common and not associated with disease transmission in dogs. In the last 10 years they have become much more common and active for longer (March to October, longer if the winter is mild). Ticks are now carrying some nasty diseases that never used to be found in the UK.