Tuscawilla Oaks Animal Hospital - Veterinarian In Oviedo, FL USA

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Heartworms

Cats versus Dogs

	Cats	Dogs
Parasite	Dirofilaria immitis	Dirofilaria immitis
Transmission	Mosquito	Mosquito
Susceptibility to infection	Lower than dogs - 61% to 90% of cats exposed to infectivelarvae become infected	Very high - virtually 100% of dogs exposed to infective larvae become infected
Longevity of worms	2-3 years	5-7 years
Ectopic infections	Not uncommon	Occasionally
Number of worms	Usually less than 6, 1-2 worms most common	Not uncommon to find more than 30
Single-sex infections in meso- to high-endemicareas	Common	Unusual
Microfilaremia	Transient (Lasts about 1 month) Seen in less than 20% of naturally infected cats	Persistent Very common (80%-90%) Can last years, even after death of adult worms
Organ with greatest pathology	Lungs	Heart and lungs
Clinical importance of small worm burdens	Potentially fatal	Clinical importance depends on the size of the dog, the size of the worm burden, and exercise level
Diagnosis	Complex	Relatively simple
Treatment	None approved High risk of complications	1 compound approved Complications manageable
Compounds for prevention	4 approved in US	Several approved in US

Fleas

Fleas are parasites, feeding directly on man or other warm blooded animals. Usually you or your pet serve as these "hosts". A flea can jump 7-8 inches vertically and 14-16 inches horizontally. A skin reaction to a flea bite would be a slightly raised, red, itching spot. Sometimes bleeding does occur. Fleas usually require warm and humid conditions to develop. Due to the flea cycle and weather conditions many people don't realize they have a flea problem until they return home from vacation or a move to new premises and are confronted by "hungry fleas". There are several types of fleas but the most common is the cat flea even on dogs. Fleas are attracted to body heat, movement, and carbon dioxide exhaled.

APPEARANCE:

The average size ranges from 1/12-1/6 inch long, being very small and without wings. Their bodies are narrow if you view it from the sides allowing them for movement in narrow areas. Because their bodies are covered with spines projecting backward, they are difficult to remove by shaking or scratching.

DIET :

Adults feed on blood, the larvae (looks like a caterpillar) eat "flea diet" consisting of dried blood.The flea bite caused from this feeding by the adults can become inflamed. After the feeding the flea will begin mating..starting the vicious cycle all over again..

HABITS AND BIOLOGY:

Fleas go through a complete metamorphosis. There are four distinct stages: eggs,larvae,pupae,and adult.Flea eggs are laid on the host or are deposited on the floor or ground surface.They also are often found in upholstery or pet's bedding.A female flea will continue to lay a few eggs every day until she has reached up to 200-400 eggs. These eggs will develop into flea larvae from 2 days to several weeks,depending on the temperature and humidity. Flea larvae are active and look like maggots. The larvae will feed on organic debris, but particularly like to feed on feces of the adult fleas. This "flea diet" contains undigested blood. The flea larvae are hard to spot and are found deep into the carpets or the cracks and crevices of floors and upholstery. They are very difficult to vacuum, becoming entwined in the carpet fibers.

The next stage called the pupae will look like a cocoon, also hard to spot. No spray will kill flea pupae..but a vacumn cleaner can pull them up. Under warm conditions many adult fleas will emerge from this protective cocoon within 7-14 days, longer under less favorable conditions. This flea cycle from eggs through the adult stage is generally 30-60 days.. It is critical to break the flea cycle as soon as possible. The insect growth regulators do break the cycle, but at the larvae stage..You have several weeks of the pupae,continuing to hatch out..so a good residual insecticide is needed to kill the emerging adults. Many times you need to spray the residual insecticide again, because the emerging pupae can be very forceful.

A consistent vacuuming program will help greatly. This will help in particular if you have a great amount of flea pupae left.

You will need both an insect growth regulator to cut the cycle and a good residual insecticide labeled for flea control to reach the adult stages.

The best time to start a flea control program is in the late spring ,prior to an infestation. Since adult fleas comprise only 5% of the total flea population. To contain an infestation, fleas must be controlled: Whenever you see adult fleas crawling on your pet, it is only a symptom of a much larger problem. Current studies indicate that adult fleas account for only 5% of the total flea population in any given situation. Eggs account for 50%, larvae account for about 35%, and the remaining 10% are the pupal cocoons. That means that for every single adult flea living on your dog or cat, there are 10 eggs, 7 larvae, and 2 cocoons.

These various life cycle stages will be found anywhere in the pet's environment, but will be most concentrated in the areas that the pet spends most of its time. Remember, when the adult flea on the pet lays an egg, it will fall off the hairs in just a few minutes....it is very similar to them sowing "seeds". So, areas where the pet sleeps or lies around will have the most eggs. If the pet usually walks through certain paths (either indoors or outdoors), there will also be a substantial amount of eggs scattered in those areas. What this means is that environmental flea control must be spread over the pet's entire environment, focusing on the areas the pet spends the majority of his or her time.

INTERIOR CONTROL:

* The use of insect growth inhibitors and residual insecticides.
* Frequently dust, sweep, vacuum, and mop all surfaces where pets or you
have been.
* Eggs are laid on the pet and drop off as it moves.
* All affected pets should be treated at this time and removed from the premises for 4 to 6 hours.
* Remove birds from the home.
* Cover or remove fish, and turn off the pump.
* You should keep covered shoes on until all treated areas have dried (4-6 hours).

Successful treatment involves the use of a residual insecticide to control the adult flea and a growth inhibitor to prevent the egg from developing.

(C) Fleacontrol.com

For more information on controlling your environment, please visit our recommended pest control located in Oviedo:
www.diy-pestcontrol.com

To purchase flea prevention at our online store, simply click here.