Now that Thanksgiving is over, my kids are ready for Christmas. This is because Christmas means gifts. Gifts are meant to be given, so, here, my blog reading buddies, is a Christmas gift.
It may not be as useful to those of you who live in the great white north, for this is a gift about fleas.
In Ohio, flea season is now. It gets really bad around September, when I begin to notice about half my patients are coming in for maladies such as "chewing on hind end" and "very itchy".
Autumn seems to be the season folks start realizing the cold is coming, and give up on things like flea and heartworm prevention medications. But just because by January we will be in deep freeze doesn't mean the fleas go south for the winter. They LOVE the fall. So, remember that fleas will be around until at least that really deep freeze. The kind when the ground splits into prehistoric looking fissures. And that is OUTSIDE. If you already have a flea infestation in the house, they'll be happy to curl up by the fire (on your cat), grab the Sunday Crossword, and enjoy the winter as well.
The flea 411: The bulk of the fleas out there are the species Ctenocephalides felis. This is the "cat flea". This means that they will preferentially feed on the cat, but aren't adverse to meals from the dog, and if the population gets big enough to make them desperate, you. Cat= chocolate cheesecake, dog= pecan encrusted tilapia with a side of green beans, you= boiled brussel sprouts.
So, if you have a cat in the house, and a dog in the house, and the dog is itchy and the cat is not, don't fool yourself into thinking the cat doesn't have fleas. The cat is just not reacting to the fleas as strongly as the dog.
There is a protein, called a hapten, in the saliva of the flea that sets off the allergic reaction and causes all the itching. This protein can cause itching for 2 weeks post flea bite. So, if you did have a drive by flea biting and the flea just dropped off and went somewhere else, if your pet is allergic, they could still be terribly itchy for 2 weeks. (over simplifying things, but, yeah, pretty much.)
Does your pet have fleas? Well, if you actually spot one of the suckers, yes. They are small and black, and you cannot squash them between your fingers. You can, however squash them between your thumbnails and they will pop. Gross.
But, if you can't find adults fleas it doesn't mean you don't have fleas. Fleas leave behind poop. This is important, because it is what the larvae will eat to survive. The adult flea sucks blood, and then poops out this little blood pellet. If you find flea poop, you have fleas.
This is how to find flea poop. And, yes, to a Veterinarian, tips on finding flea poop is a gift.
If you have a small pet, try cleaning off the top of your clothes dryer. It is a smooth surface, and it isn't in your kitchen. Now, put Fluffy up there and start rubbing them, scratching them moving their hair all around, back and forth. This will loosen up stuff and make it fall on the dryer. After a bit of this, put Fluffy back on the floor. On the dryer surface will be hair, skin cells and dirt specks, and perhaps, flea poop. Next, take a damp paper towel, and wipe the surface of the dryer clean, then open the paper towel out, lay it flat, and make a cup of tea. In a minute or two, look back at your towel. Hair will still look like hair. Skin cells you can move around with your finger, they won't leave any residue behind. Dirt will look like dirt smudges, but flea poop- that will leave a rust red halo, and if you smear it, will leave a streak of blood on your paper towel. That is flea poop. If you have really good eyes and a nice sample of poops, you will note some of them have a nice healthy "c" shape.
If you have a big pet, dampen the paper towels, lay them out on the floor, do the fur rub thing, and let all the detritus fall to the damp paper towels on the floor below Fido. Make a cup of tea, follow steps as above.
If you find flea poops, bummer.
Merry Christmas! Love, Cowfeathers Farm.
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