Preventing pets from having fleas and ticks not only keeps the pet more comfortable, it also prevents the spread of disease and worms and protects humans from diseases that can spread from pets to people. Capeway Veterinary Hospital will help you select the most effective and appropriate flea and tick prevention products for your pet.
Tick-Borne Diseases
Because ticks feed on the body fluids of the animals they infest, they also take in diseases and spread them from one animal to the next. With the spread of different kinds of ticks in recent years, more tick-borne diseases have also spread.
- Lyme disease—Lyme disease is caused by a bacterium and is characterized by a variety of symptoms, including:
- Recurring lameness
- Joint inflammation
- Stiff joints or difficulty moving
- Fever
- Lack of appetite
- Anaplasmosis—Anaplasmosis affects the blood cells of the pet and has nonspecific symptoms that can include:
- Loss of appetite
- Lameness
- Stiffness
- Lethargy
- Vomiting/diarrhea
- Neck pain
- Ehrlichiosis—The bacteria that causes Ehrlichiosis infects the body’s white blood cells, destroying them in the process. There are different stages to Ehrlichiosis. Some of the common symptoms include:
- Weakness
- Lethargy
- Loss of appetite
- Difficulty breathing
- Depression
- Rocky Mountain spotted fever—Purebred dogs and German shepherds are more susceptible to Rocky Mountain spotted fever but any dog can contract the disease. Common symptoms include:
- Fever
- Depression
- Lethargy
- Weight loss
- Blood in the urine
- Skin spots
- Loss of coordination
- Difficulty clotting blood
- Irregular heart beat
Flea-Borne Conditions
- Flea allergy dermatitis—Pets can have an allergic reaction to flea saliva causing itchy red bumps and extreme discomfort.
- Bartonella—The bacteria, Bartonella, is transmitted through the bite of a flea, tick, louse, or other vector insect and causes bartonellosis in pets and cat scratch fever in humans. Common symptoms in pets include:
- Fever
- Lameness
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Coughing
- Seizures
- Arthritis
- Lameness
- Tapeworms—Pets who ingest fleas often end up with tapeworms, as the fleas eat tapeworm eggs. Regular fecal exams at your pet’s wellness checkups will help detect tapeworm infestation.
Preventives
There are a number of flea preventive products available and care must be taken to ensure that the product you choose is effective without being toxic to your pet. The veterinarians of Capeway Veterinary Hospital will evaluate your pet’s species, breed, age, size, and any health conditions to advise you on the most appropriate flea and tick preventive product to use.