As the weather warms the risk to your pet
from insects rises exponentially. Insects multiply faster in warmer climates,
some that have been dormant over the winter months now start to become active
again, parasites that have laid low over less favorable periods make their appearance
again, never become complacent, they are always out there waiting for your
guard to fall.
Fleas are by far the most prevalent problem
in our community, this is because we live in a warm urban community, as the
winter months become milder as a result of global warming the problems that
result as a consequence of this insect become more manifest and now stretch
over a longer period.
The principal clinical sign that fleas
present with is intense pruritus (itchiness) especially over the tail base and the
dorsal skin region in that vicinity, particularly with dogs, cats can present
with a more generalised dermatitis especially around the neck region. So if
your pet is chewing around its tail base or in that vicinity, do not bother
looking for fleas, just assume your pet has them and treat it accordingly. If
you treat your pet for fleas and it is still itchy then bring it to us, there
is very probably a secondary complication that needs to be addresses, for
example if your animal suddenly becomes smellier then there is a high
probability that it has a secondary skin dermatitis and possibly a yeast
infection.
Fleas in cats can carry a blood parasite
that can cause serious illness in cats, Mycoplasma haemofelis, this parasite
can cause acute illness with the feline presenting with fever, lethargy and
general malaise, blood results tend to show a regenerative anaemia. At this
stage the bacteria can be treated very successfully with a protracted course of
antibiotics. However in some cases there is no acute episode that is picked up
by the owner, in these cases the disease becomes chronic and potentially life
threatening. What happens is that the bacteria keeps destroying red blood cells
and the bone marrow keeps regenerating new corpuscles, therefore the cat is
clinically normal yet internally the bone marrow is working in overdrive. If
this persists over a long period the bone marrow becomes exhausted and loses
its ability to regenerate new red blood cells. At this point the cat starts to
look unwell, pale, often exhibiting weight loss, lethargic, mild dehydration,
symptoms of chronic illness. Unfortunately in these cases the prognosis is
guarded and treatment is often unsuccessful.
Phlebotomus (biting fly) is an important insect vector that become
active in the warmer months, ambient night temperature has to be over 14/15
degrees centigrade for the larva to develop , my rule of thumb is that if you
start wearing tee-shirts and shorts in the evenings then it is important that your
pet has protection. From a previous article this is the fly that transmits the
protozoa that causes leishmania, a potentially fatal disease if left untreated
and once acquired it is an illness for life in the majority of cases.
Mosquitos also become active in these
warmer months, the principal illness that they could carry in our community is
heartworm as mentioned in my last article. There is no current information as
to the prevalence of this disease in our area and we are currently undergoing a
study, so if you want your dog or cat tested for this parasite we are still
doing this pro bono at the Gibraltar Veterinary Clinic.
The other main groups of insect vectors are
the ticks, there are different types of ticks and diseases that can be
transmitted by these arachnids (adults have 8 legs as opposed to 6 of insects).
I have gone through these at length in a previous article, but to summarise
these parasites carry loads of infections that can cause chronic life
threatening disease so prevention is crucial for your pet’s health.
The gold standard in protecting your pet
against all these vectors is a combination of a systemic ectoparasitic
medication with an external product. This gives a double safe protection, it
will protect your pet against potential serious illness if applied properly and
will prevent you going through heartache.
