Fleas what a pesky parasite. They jump, they travel, they move so fast
like a little jumping bean on your animal. Sometimes hard to see and always hard to catch these little parasites can be a lot of trouble. If one animal in your household gets them, they all get them! They can live on the dog’s bed, the cats bed, the carpet, they can really live all over. If they can live all over, it makes them a big threat to all of your pets.
So, what do fleas have that your pet can get and why we don’t’ ever want them around. Fleas can carry tapeworms which is a huge concern in our dogs and cats. The biggest problem right now is a tapeworm species called Echinococcus. It lives in the wild dog population like foxes, coyotes and wild rodents. This little tapeworm can cause liver cysts not only in our pets but in us as well. Cats usually get tapeworms from fleas and wild rodents, which can in turn lead to bigger issues like Echinococcus.
Other things fleas can do to our pets is cause flea allergy dermatitis. Its causes our pets to become super itchy and their skin very irritated. In some heavier flea infestations they even can cause anemia. Fleas can also set up a home in your home quite fast and start reproducing. So, catching them right away is key but the best way is prevention.
Your dog or cat can pick up fleas a number of places, doggie day care, living on a acreage, dog parks and sometimes boarding facilities. The best way to prevent fleas is a monthly flea and tick prevention. It’s an easy chew or topical treatment to give to your pet monthly especially over the warmer months when your pets are out and about with you.
Here in Alberta, we recommend March to October for monthly preventative treatments. With wildlife living closer and closer in our cities it doesn’t matter if you live in town or out of town, monthly preventatives are the best way to keep parasite population down all over our province.
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