Creepy Crawlies - Fleas Ticks and Worms

Fleas

Fleas are tiny, bloodsucking creatures that can not only cause health problems for pets, but for their owners. Whilst not causing any ailments directly, fleas can transmit other disease causing parasites including tapeworms and roundworms. Once hatched, fleas can infest furniture, carpets, other animals and humans, and they reproduce at a phenomenal rate so it is important to treat your pets for fleas as soon as possible.

Tell-tale signs of fleas include your pet scratching itself more than usual and 'flea-dirt' which is visible as a dark patch usually around the back of the neck. Although harder to spot on darker haired pets, brushing the back of the neck with a piece of kitchen towel should reveal the 'dirt', which dissolves into blood when dampened. The same type of fleas which infests cats can also infest dogs, rabbits, all types of rodents and practically every kind of haired pet.

Fortunately, fleas can be easily treated with a selection of 'spot on' liquids which are typically applied to the skin at the back of the neck between the shoulder blades. If you find that your pet has become infested, you should apply a single dose of liquid once a month. As a preventative measure, applying liquid once every three months to your pet should be adequate.

Even though the same type of flea can infest all types of pets, liquids are tailored to be used on different animals, even though they kill the same fleas. A dosage required for a dog will be too large for a cat, and some brands will have different measures and different methods of application, so always read the label. Spot on liquids can also be used to treat and prevent ticks and worms.

Collars for cats and dogs which come laced with flea powders are also readily available, but should be replaced with a fresh one every six months. Collars that prevent against ticks as well as fleas are also available.

Fleas are most active during the summer, and so it is especially important to safeguard your pets during this time. Flea larvae thrive in dark and dusty environments, so doing the cleaning regularly denies would-be fleas a dust banquet. As some pets are allergic to fleas, you should consult your local vet for advice the first time your pet picks them up – your pet may require yearly injections along with doses of spot on fluid.

Ticks

Ticks are parasitic arachnids that, like fleas, survive by drinking the blood of their hosts. Their saliva is highly toxic and can transmit diseases such as Lyme disease to other animals including humans, and so owners wash their hands thoroughly upon discovering that their cat is carrying a tick.

Ticks have the potential to be incredibly harmful, but If you find a tick on your pet, by following the instructions below, you should be able to safely remove it.

To safely remove a tick, you will need:

• A pair of tweezers 

• Disposable rubber gloves

• Disinfectant 

• A small jar containing alcohol

• A towel and someone to help

With someone else on hand to hold your pet steady if it struggles, place the tweezers or tick removal tool on the head of the tick. It is important that you grasp the head and mouth parts and not the body – it is these parts that need to come out, and not just the exposed abdomen.

With gentle pressure and a slight twisting motion, pull the tick out of the skin. Jerking the tick back will see you simply pulling the body off and leaving the legs and head still embedded under the skin, which could lead to further infection. If this does happen, the tick's head will rarely stay in, but you should attempt to remove as much of it as you can.

After removing the tick, place it in a small container of alcohol to kill it, and clean the wound with a disinfectant. The tick should die almost immediately after being submerged in alcohol, but leave it in for a good ten minutes to be sure – ticks are very resilient and can survive being flushed down the toilet.

Apply some antibiotic ointment or hydrocortisone spray – this will aid in the healing of the wound and will help to prevent any possible infection.

Be sure to wash your hands thoroughly with an antibacterial wash after removing and disposing of the tick.

It is important to note that applying petroleum jelly, Savlon, Vaseline, a hot match, or alcohol whilst the tick is still embedded will not cause it to suffocate or fall out. These methods are more than likely to annoy the tick and cause it to deposit more toxins into the host's bloodstream. As with fleas, there are a range of creams and liquids that you can get to discourage ticks from latching on. There are also a number of collars available for cats and dogs that can stop the spread of ticks.

Remember, if you do not feel comfortable doing it, then contact your vet. If your pet has multiple ticks, then you should take your pet to the local veterinary practice, as additional treatment aside from removing and cleaning could be required.

Worms

Pets can become infested with a wide variety of parasitic worms, mostly through eating infected food, although worm eggs are transmitted to pets via other parasites such as fleas. Worms reside in the intestines of their hosts, absorbing passing food. As such they can cause a number of digestive problems for the host - worms can often be identified if your pet's appetite increases suddenly.

Tapeworms and roundworms are the two types of worms found in cats and dogs in the UK that pose the greatest health risk to humans. Pets that travel abroad with families are also susceptible to hookworms and whipworms, and horses are in danger of playing host to redworms and lungworms.

As well as causing irritation and discomfort within animals, worms pose a potentially serious threat to humans and should be treated as soon as possible. Although the risk of becoming infected is small, worms have been known to cause partial and total blindness in infected human hosts and so regulatory worming your pet is essential for your own health and safety as well as that of your pet.

Pets can be wormed in a number of ways, by orally administering a coated tablet or by applying a spot on liquid. The main problem with worming your pets regularly is that they are often not too keen on eating the tablet on their own and often take exception to their owners 'helping'. Cats and dogs in particular are very good at keeping tablets hidden under their tongues for a long time and then spitting them out when they think no one is looking.

If you have a particularly stubborn pet who refuses to take its medicine, then you can either choose to apply a spot on liquid or go to the vet, where they will administer a pill by using a large syringe-type device which drops the tablet straight into the pet's throat.

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