Your Pets Health and How to Get Rid of Fleas
All pet owners are familiar with the problems caused by fleas. Fleas are small wingless insects that are brownish red in colour and have sharp mouths which they use to extract the blood from their hosts. Flea bites usually cause your pet to scratch at the affected areas and some pets are more sensitive to the flea bites than others and can have allergic reactions to them.
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Normally, fleas do not pass on diseases from pets to humans, but the possibility for this exists and they can and do bite humans as well as dogs, cats and other animals.
Fleas and flea larvae like warm and humid conditions but will survive in cooler conditions.
If you think that your pet has fleas, you should take them to your vet, where they will first use a flea comb on your pet. Flea combs are fine tooth combs and "flea dirt" or dried blood flea excrement is what they are looking for. If this is found, then they will recommend treatment, this could be a home use product or for a course of treatment given at the vets practice.
After the original infestation it is recommended to carry out preventive treatment for fleas because it is much easier to prevent pets from getting fleas than it is to get rid of them.
For pet owners that wish to treat their pets for fleas without using commercial products, there are a few alternatives.
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One way is to comb your dog with a flea comb regularly. I have heard or read that by putting some petroleum jelly on the comb it help fleas and flea dirt stick to the comb.
Garlic and Brewers Yeast added as supplements to your dog's food are another of the alternative treatments recommended by those who prefer the natural approach to treating fleas.
However, the benefits of these treatments have yet to be proven.
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There are over the counter flea treatments available from your local pet shop. However, many of these contain a substance called pyrethrins. Pyrethrins are natural insecticides produced by certain species of the chrysanthemum plant The natural pyrethrins are contact poisons which quickly penetrate the nerve system of the insect. A few minutes after application, the insect cannot move or fly away. But, a "knockdown dose" does not mean a killing dose. The natural pyrethrins are swiftly detoxified by enzymes in the insect. Thus, some pests will recover. To delay the enzyme action so a lethal dose is assured, certain additives may be added to the pyrethrins.
This is the kind of treatment of fleas best left to your vet to administer. If you did choose to use any product containing pyrethrins, you should be fully aware of the potential side effects.
There is a potential threat of toxicity when using a product containing pyrethrins, not just to your pet, but to other animals in the house and humans as well. Make sure you read and fully understand the label usage directions and follow them precisely, if you still have any doubts about using these products, consult your vet. For detailed information about toxicity and symptoms visit this site and scroll down to pages 68-69.
Products containing pyrethrins are best used as an indoor treatment as they are unstable in sunlight, products with synthetic pyrethroids, which are chemically similar to pyrethrins, are best for outdoor use as they have the necessary stability in sunlight.
There are much safer products available for flea treatment today however and most of these products are only available through your vet. One of the more popular treatments for fleas is Frontline Plus by Merial. It is applied to the back of the neck on the skin of your pet.
The manufacturer of Frontline Plus claims it kills 98-100% of adult fleas within 24 hour and will also kill eggs and larvae to prevent fleas from returning. It is waterproof for up to 30 days and is safe to use on puppies as young as 8 weeks of age.
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Other popular flea treatments are Sentinel.
Sentinel is a monthly pill that kills adult fleas, eggs, and larvae it also prevents heart worms.
Program and Capstar flea control products .
Program is a flavoured tablet that is given monthly, it does not kill adult fleas, but it interrupts the life cycle of the flea by preventing the development of its eggs.
Capstar is a pill that is given to kill the adult fleas.
It can be given as often as once per day. It is claimed Capstar will begin killing adult fleas within 30 minutes. One pill should kill all adult fleas.
It is much easier to prevent fleas than to treat them once your pet has them. As with all medications, follow the advice of your vet.
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