Fleas and ticks can be irritating to both you and your pets, and they can be dangerous, too. Below is some basic information about fleas and ticks. If you have any questions please call us!

Fleas
Most home flea problems are associated with cats and dogs. If your pet scratches often, you may be experiencing a flea infestation.
Fleas can cause: 
   Tapeworms – ingestion of the flea may lead to tapeworms in pets 
   Hot Spots – infections resulting from an animal biting or scratching a spot on its body 
   Anemia in animals

Does my pet have fleas?
If you see one flea on your dog, he has fleas. In almost all cases, there are many more fleas unseen than seen. Check for flea dirt, which are tiny specks of dried blood left by fleas when they bite your pet. Comb through your pet's coat onto a wet piece of paper towel. If the specks falling onto the paper turn red, your pet has fleas! A test to see if a particular room is infested is: Wear white socks into a room that you suspect has fleas, which the pets have not been into for awhile. Since fleas are attracted to vibrations, your footsteps will cause them to jump toward you looking for a host. With white socks, you will see the tiny (usually newly hatched) fleas that gather. This is not designed for flea control, but if you find more than about five fleas in a single room, you probably have a major infestation to deal with. The adult fleas that you find are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the flea population!

What can I do to get rid of fleas?
Treat Pets – The most important step to getting rid of fleas is to treat your pets. Treat all pets on the same day. Thoroughly bathe your pet with a flea shampoo. Be sure to read the label as some products may be dangerous for cats. Talk to your vet about flea control products, as there are many options. Flea treatments are commonly a topical spot application or a pill, and are highly effective. Some flea preventatives also prevent ticks, lice, or heartworms. Flea collars are not recommended as some are highly toxic and many are not effective.
Vacuum – Vacuuming frequently will help eliminate fleas from the home. Vacuuming will not only pick up some adults, eggs and larvae, but the vibrations and heat may stimulate pupae to hatch and be eliminated before they can bite. Thoroughly vacuum all areas of your home, especially where your pet spends most of its time. Pay particular attention to carpets and upholstered furniture. Discard vacuum bag outdoors in a plastic bag to prevent fleas from escaping.
Wash Bedding – Wash all bedding your pet may have used (including your bedding) in warm water and machine dry on high heat. Discard any cardboard boxes used for pet beds.
Treat Indoors – Use all flea control products according to label directions. Apply flea control products to infested rooms of your home. Be sure to treat underneath furniture and areas where your pets sleep.
Treat Yard – Mow grass, rake and bag leaves prior to spraying. Pay particular attention to areas where your pets spend the most time (runs and sleeping areas). Apply and repeat as label indicates.

Life Cycle of a Flea
Fleas pass through a complete life cycle of four stages: egg, larvae, pupae, and adult. The flea population is typically made up of 50% eggs, 30% larvae, 15% pupae and only 5% biting adults. Completion of the life cycle from egg to adult varies from two weeks to eight months. Outdoor development occurs in sandy gravel soils (moist sand boxes, dirt crawlspace under the house, under shrubs, etc.) where the pet may rest or sleep.
Eggs are laid by the female flea onto your pet, but because the eggs are not sticky, they fall off around your home, furniture, carpets, rugs, and wherever the pet sleeps, eats and plays. Eggs hatch in two days to two weeks into larvae. A flea lays about 15 to 20 eggs per day and up to 2,000 eggs in a lifetime.
Larvae hatch from the eggs once environmental conditions are right (spring through fall in most areas). They feed on particles of dust, dead skin, hair, and partially digested blood that is excreted by adults. At this stage larvae can be found in bedding, carpet fibers, and cracks in the floor.
Pupae mature to adulthood within a silken cocoon woven by the larvae. The cocoon is very sticky and clings tightly to its surroundings like pet hair, carpet fiber, dust, and grass cuttings. Most fleas survive the winter in the larval or pupae stage and grow best during warm, moist winters and spring.
Adults need to get a blood meal within two weeks of emerging from their cocoon or they will die. To cope with this, fleas not only wait to emerge from their cocoons until there are animals nearby (they may hibernate from two to six months), they also can jump up to 150 times their size! This is why it is easy for your pet to get fleas from an area where other animals have been. This is also the life stage where fleas transmit diseases.
*Optimum temperatures for the flea's life cycle are 70°F to 85°F and optimum humidity is 70 percent. Because of this, fleas are a year-long problem here in the south east. Usual hosts for fleas are dogs, cats, rabbits, rodents, raccoons, opossums, foxes, chickens, and humans.
*A long-term program for flea control is needed due to the life cycle of fleas. The effectiveness of a flea control program depends on keeping your pet and its environment clean, and on the proper use of flea control products when needed. When using a topical flea treatment, remember to make sure your pet is completely dry before and to not bathe your pet for 24 hours after applying it

Ticks
Ticks pose a greater risk to both pets and people. Ticks have a one piece body, and use their mouth to attach to a host for feeding. Ticks transmit several dangerous diseases to people and pets. In the US, there are four tick-borne diseases that affect both pets and people - Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF), Tularemia, and Ehrlichiosis. Symptoms of these diseases are often nonspecific and “flu-like.” They vary from very mild to extremely serious. In people, Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever tend to be associated with a characteristic rash. Early diagnosis is important because treatment with antibiotics at an early stage can minimize later problems. If you suspect a problem with you or your pet, seek help immediately.

Tick Prevention
In most areas of the US, ticks are most active from May through August, with peak activity in July. However, in some areas, such as in the south, ticks are a problem all year. Ticks are most often found in woods, beach grass, lawns, forests and any other area with plants and tall grass. If you are living in or visiting tick-infested areas: 
      • Use a combination of insecticides and repellents to help keep ticks off dogs and cats (based on veterinary direction – indiscriminate use can be harmful). Use a flea prevention product that also kills fleas, such as Frontline or Revolution. 
      • If your dog is outside regularly, ask your veterinarian about the Lyme disease vaccine for dogs. 
      • Keep grassy areas cut short and apply appropriate insecticides to discourage tick infestation.

Tick Removal 
      • Examine your pets thoroughly for ticks at least daily. 
      • Promptly remove any attached ticks. (Disease transmission may require several hours of attachment, thus prompt removal may prevent transmission.) 
      • Remove ticks correctly. Use a fine pair of tweezers grasping the tick as close as possible to its point of attachment (i.e. its mouth parts) and exert gentle but steady pressure. Do not use heat, kerosene, or other substances. If fingers are used to remove ticks, protect them with a covering such as tissue paper. 
      • Do not squeeze or crush ticks with bare fingers, as the squeezing further injects infectious material. 
      • Wash hands and tick-bite wounds with soap and water after ticks have been removed.