Pet Care Tips Archive

Pet Care Tips Archive

March 5, 2010

External and Internal Parasites by the American Animal Hospital Association

What makes pets such a prime target for parasites? Animals provide the perfect living environment. Blood, sweat, and tears isn't just a rock band from the 60's--to the parasite, they're a three-course lunch. Pet hair also is a warm, protective environment and a means of transportation to another host.

Skin deep

The most common unwanted visitors having a party at your pets' expense are ectoparasites--fleas, ticks and mites. They live on or burrow into their hosts' skin. Fleas are particularly pesky, since they can infest your pet and take over your home. The good news is that they're fairly easy to spot--you'll probably notice your pet's discomfort and scratching. The small (a little more than one millimeter), wingless, brown, and fast moving fleas may even be seen in your pet's fur.

Some dogs and cats can be allergic to fleas' saliva, which causes their skin to become inflamed. In addition, if the fleas carry pathogens, cats may easily become infected because they ingest about 50 percent of the fleas on their coats while grooming.

If your pet has fleas, your first thought might be to try an old-fashioned flea dip. But these dips can be highly toxic, inducing severe side effects like vomiting, fever, seizures, coma, and possibly death. Instead of dipping your dog or cat, you can easily apply a drop to your pet's skin that will kill fleas and prevent adults from laying eggs. Your veterinarian can suggest safe, effective products for your pet.

A hitchhiker

Another common parasite, especially during the summer months, is the tick. Ticks can be found looking for a free ride almost anywhere in most climates, though they prefer to hang out in wooded, damp, and grassy areas before attaching themselves to your pet. Some tick bites may be harmless; others can cause anemia, skin damage, irritation, and hypersensitivity.

Some of the most common diseases transmitted by tick bites are Lyme disease, tick-borne fever, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. If untreated, these diseases can cause severe health problems and can be fatal.

So what are some of the signs of a tick-borne disease? Common symptoms of Lyme disease are arthritis, lameness, depression, and loss of appetite. Tick-borne fever can cause weakness, a cough, labored breathing, fatigue, and discharge from the nose or eyes. The symptoms of Rocky Mountain spotted fever are similar to those of tick-borne fever. Or more generally, you may find that your pet isn't eating and is lethargic, depressed, and feverish. If any of these symptoms occur, it's imperative that you take your ailing buddy to the veterinarian as soon as possible.

The best preventative is to check your pet's skin and fur after spending a day in the woods, at the local lake, or even in your own backyard. Removing a tick the wrong way can hurt your friend. Don't try to burn it off with a match. The smell of the smoke won't make the tick loosen its grip, and the match could burn your furry companion. An alcohol swab rubbed or placed around the area may help loosen the kung fu grip of the tick. Using tweezers, grab the tick as close to the head as possible and slowly pull it out. If you flush the tick down the toilet before killing it, there is no promise that it won't crawl back up at an inopportune time. The best way to kill a tick is to place it in a sealed jar with alcohol.

It might be a mite

Another parasite to watch for is the mite. Lots of pet owners are familiar with ear mites. If you notice your pet scratching his ear intensely or biting himself, he could have ear mites. These pests also leave a brown or black crust on the outer ear.

Another type of mite is scabies. After burrowing into your pet's skin, scabies mites lay eggs. Once they hatch, the larvae feed on your pet's skin and release a secretion that causes severe itching. Take your pet to the veterinarian immediately if you suspect scabies mites, because they are highly contagious, and the excessive scratching they cause can lead to infections.

When treating mites, your best bet is to take your pet to your veterinarian rather than to try an at-home remedy or an over-the-counter medicine that may not be effective.

Crawling in and crawling out

Almost all puppies and kittens have some type of internal parasite feeding on their blood and protein. These parasites can affect your pet's ability to absorb nutrients, and without treatment, they can potentially damage the lining of the intestinal tract.

The most common internal parasites are tapeworms, hookworms, whipworms, and roundworms. Tapeworms can be passed onto your pet through fleas, which sometimes carry this parasite in its larval stage. Outside pets also can get them by eating infected rodents. If you find your pet is constantly licking his anal area, your best bet is to visually inspect the area and his stool for bits of tapeworm, which look like rice.

Hookworms attach themselves to your pet's intestinal lining, causing bloody or dark diarrhea. Whipworms, which can be found in the large intestine, also can cause diarrhea. If you notice blood in your pet's stool, collect a sample to take into your veterinarian, because the worms and eggs are only visible by microscope.

Last, but of course not least, is the roundworm, which lives in the small intestine. These worms may cause vomiting and resemble strands of spaghetti in your pet's stool. They are easily transmitted to humans, especially children, and can cause serious human health problems, including blindness.

An ounce of prevention

How can you protect your family and pet from these common parasites? If your children enjoy playing in the sandbox, remember that the neighborhood cat might, too. If the sandbox has become his litter box, your children run the risk of contracting roundworms through fecal-oral transmission. Children are more prone to roundworm, but avid or amateur gardeners also need to beware. That neighborhood cat may be using your garden for his litter box as well. The best preventatives are to cover up the sandbox, wear gloves when gardening, and constantly wash your hands after being outside.

Collecting a stool sample each year and taking your pet to your veterinarian will help ensure that he is worm free. Most heartworm medicines now contain a preventative for whipworm, roundworm, and hookworm, so be sure to follow your veterinarian's recommended dosages.

Pay close attention to your pet. If you notice your furry companion scraping his bottom on the carpet, scratching his ears, vomiting, passing diarrhea, turning up his nose at the food bowl, or just not being himself, take the hint that something is wrong and schedule an appointment with your veterinarian immediately. Parasites can be a problem any time of the year, but a few preventative measures will protect the health of all of your loved ones.

Content provided by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA). Visit the AAHA pet owner Web site at www.healthypet.com for more pet care advice and to find an AAHA-accredited veterinary hospital near you.

This information is provided for educational purposes only and is intended to be a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise and professional judgment of your pet's veterinarian. It may be necessary to consult your pet's veterinarian regarding the applicability of any opinions or recommendations with respect to your pet's care and concerns, symptoms or medical condition.

February 19, 2010

Perfectly Designed for Peskiness by the American Animal Hospital Association

Fleas are mean, lean, biting machines - creatures that are perfectly designed by nature to pester your pet. Like a shark in the water or a wolf in the woods, fleas are ideally equipped to do what they do - which is to be out for blood! A close-up look at these tiny parasites shows just how well adapted they are for this job and why those adaptations can make them so hard to get rid of once an infestation gets underway.

First, fleas have a very hard exoskeleton. Their bodies are covered by a tile-like shield of tough plates called "sclerites." This makes squishing them - if you are lucky enough to even catch one at all - almost impossible. This exoskeleton is waterproof and shock resistant, and it helps fleas to resist some of the sprays and chemicals that people use to try and kill them.

Second, growing from these plates are little spines that bend backward. These spines lie flat against the flea's thin, narrow body and don't get in the way as the flea scurries through your pet's fur in search of food. However, if anything (like fingers or a self-grooming pet) tries to pull a flea off through that hair coat, these spines will stick to your pet's fur like Velcro, making them difficult to remove.

Third, pound for pound - or should we say, milligram for milligram - fleas are one of the best jumpers in the natural world. A flea can jump 150 times its own length vertically or horizontally - almost seven inches high. That's the equivalent of a person being able to jump a thousand feet in the air. When they jump, fleas also accelerate through the air at the amazing rate of 140 g's. That's astounding if you consider that fighter pilots need special equipment and training to avoid passing out at forces of 9 g's during turns in a fighter jet. Somehow, though, the tiny flea not only survives these superhero-size feats - it thrives because of them.

There are a couple of interesting reasons why fleas can do what they do. First, fleas have very long rear legs with huge thigh muscles and multiple joints. When they get ready to jump, they fold those long legs up and crouch like an Olympic track star on a starting block. Second, several of their joints include small, springy pads of a special material called resilin. This material stores energy and helps catapult fleas into the air as they jump, sort of like the way a rubber band adds momentum to a slingshot. This makes it easy for adult fleas to find and quickly jump onto your pet as it walks by. And then there's a final adaptation that helps them to hang onto anything they reach once they get there. Fleas have tiny eyes and don't really have very good aim when they jump. Many times, they simply tumble and somersault through the air as they fly toward their target. When they land, though, they have small, outward facing claws on the bottoms of their legs. These claws help them to grab and hold onto anything they touch when they land.

Fight Perfection With Prevention!

For all of these reasons, you are facing an intimidating if tiny opponent once a flea infestation is underway in your household. In addition to all these perfected physical adaptations, fleas also have amazing life cycles that allow immature stages to lie dormant until conditions are favorable for them to emerge and find food. The best way to control fleas, therefore, is to simply prevent them in the first place. Environmental sprays and topical sprays can help reduce an established problem, but the most efficient and least messy way to avoid fleas is to use one of the many topical or oral monthly flea prevention products that are available through veterinary hospitals. These products are effective and easy to use. If you do not have a prevention and control program for fleas in place, be sure to ask for recommendations at your next veterinary visit.

February 5, 2010

Flea Prevention: A Good Investment

Beth Thompson, VMD for the American Animal Hospital Association

The current economic downturn has many pet owners looking for ways to cut back on expenses, but one way that does not make sense is flea prevention. Preventing fleas has always been easier - and much more economical in the long run - than trying to get rid of them after they've infested your pet and your household. Today's effective topical and oral monthly flea-prevention products wind up costing only pennies a day, really - no more than a candy bar or the price of a stamp - when you spread the cost out over the year.

Many owners are lulled into a false sense of security because they don't see visible signs of fleas on their pets. They may think that they can afford to forego preventive treatment. However, fleas are good at hiding in your pet's haircoat and in the environment. Their bodies, sleek and thin, are extremely well adapted for scurrying and disappearing in dense fur, especially near the ears, tail, head, and groin. Unless you are expressly looking for them, you may never actually see them. When infestations are mild or emerging, many owners may think that their pet's itching or scratching is part of its normal grooming behavior. Cats, in particular, being the fastidious groomers that they are, are very good at grooming fleas off of themselves. That, however, doesn't stop new fleas from jumping on them.

Fleas are well adapted to survive a broad range of environmental conditions and are very capable of surviving indoors year-round, even during winter. Keep in mind that the adult fleas you may or may not see on your pet represent only 5% of the flea population. The other 95% are lurking in various immature stages in your pet's immediate environment - in bedding or carpeting or hiding in hard-to-reach crevices. While flea pupae normally hatch in about two weeks, they can exist in a suspended state for weeks or even months when environmental conditions aren't just right. This dormancy period means that you may have a continually emerging source of new adult fleas for up to several months, even after you have started treatment. Most topical or oral flea-prevention medications require the adult flea to actually be on the pet or to ingest a blood meal in order for the flea to be killed. And, the environmental sprays that must be used in extreme infestations aren't always effective against all of the life stages of immature fleas, particularly if pupae have hidden themselves in hard-to-reach places.

In addition, fleas are ubiquitous in the environment, and it is easy for pets to pick them up while outside. Fleas can be carried into your yard and even into your home by local wildlife, such as raccoons and mice.

Be Pound Wise, Not Penny Foolish

These special life-cycle and environmental adaptations can lead many owners to think that flea-prevention products don't work and aren't worth the investment, because they may continue to notice new fleas. The reality, however, is that they do work and are highly effective over time when used as directed. The best way to avoid fleas is to use one of the many proven topical or oral monthly flea-prevention products that are available on the market. These products are very safe and easy to use. Be sure to ask your veterinarian for recommendations on how to prevent and control these pests.

Recession-busting preventive health care tips

1. Don't chintz on routine preventive care - preventing parasite infestations and potentially serious diseases is much more economical in the long run than trying to treat problems after the fact.

2. Substitute healthier and less-expensive treats, like baby carrots and veggies for costly store-bought goodies for your pet.

3. Regular, health-appropriate exercise helps keep the doctor away! If you don't take your dog for walks or play with your cat regularly, start doing so now. Most veterinarians agree that even a few minutes of regular daily exercise can help improve a pet's health and vitality.