Happy Tails From Veterinay Care of Ithaca

8/7/2019 Happy Tails From Veterinay Care of Ithaca

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/happy-tails-from-veterinay-care-of-ithaca 1/5

Aimee Dars Ellis <[email protected]>

Happy Tails from Veterinay Care Of IthacaVete rinay Ca re Of Ithaca <ema il@ithacave t.com> Tue , Mar 1, 2011 a t 12:00 AMReply-To: [email protected]

To: [email protected]

Having trouble viewing this email? C lick here

Happy Tails!March 2011

IN THIS ISSUE

Fleas, Eggsand

Worms..OhMy!

Flea LifeCycle

Spring is almost here! Along with all of the trees and flowersthat will start budding soon, so will those pesky parasites. In thisissue we'll be talking about why you should keep your pet onflea and tick preventatives this season.

Be on the look out for next month's issue of Happy Tails. We'llbe discussing how ticks can effect your pet's health and why it'simportant to test for the diseases that ticks can carry. We have all loved the photo submissions that have been sentin! Keep them coming to be in next months issue! Don't forget to scroll down for the coupon inthis issue!

Fleas and Eggs and Worms...Oh My! Fleas (or Ctenocephalides felis ) that make ourpets itch tend to actually be cat fleas. But don'tlet their name fool you, although they areclassified as cat fleas they enjoy munching ondogs and wild animals just as much as they dotheir feline namesakes. Besides being a nuisance

to both you and your pet, fleas can also give your animal tapeworms ( see thearticle below to find out how! ). And for some pets just a single flea bite cancause a breakout of Flea Allergy Dermatitis (FAD). This occurs when a fleatakes a meal from your pet. As the flea is feeding it injects saliva into your

3/8/2011 Gmail - Happy Tails from Veterinay Care…

https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik… 1/5



pet's skin. This saliva contains histamine-like compounds which induces anallergic response from the animal. They will show intense itching, oftenaccompanied by hair loss and scabs or lesions. If the condition persists for toolong they can also develop secondary bacterial skin infections. The best way to avoid all of the above mentioned is to keep all animals inyour household on flea/tick preventative throughout the "flea season". This

includes cats that are indoor/outdoor, just dog households and cats that livewith dogs(even if the cats are strictly indoors, your dog can bring thefleas into the house and transmit them to the cat).If you just have cats that are strictly indoors and you don't have any animalsthat come over to visit you may opt to not cover your cats for fleas/ticksbecause their risk of infestation is minimal. Do be careful though if you live inan apartment where there are other animals present because fleas can findtheir way into your home to infest your cats.

The Flea Life Cycle

Adult fleas (1) lay their eggs in thehair coat of their current host.The eggs (2) then drop off thehost and onto bedding, carpet,soil, or your couch. It takes 1 to 6days for the eggs to hatch. Whenfleas hatch they are in the larvalstage (3). The larvae are free-roaming and feed on organic debris in the surrounding area, as well as onflea feces, otherwise known as flea dirt, which is essentially driedblood. The larvae avoid direct light and prefer the depths of your carpetor soil. At this stage they are also prone to drying out and need placeswith more humidity to live. The larval stage lasts 5 to 11 days, but theycan stay in this stage up to 2 to 3 weeks depending on climate conditions

and food availability. The mature larva then spins a silk cocoon and turnsinto the pupate stage (4). These cocoons can be found in the same placesthe larvae are found (soil, carpet, bedding..etc). It takes 1 to 2 weeksfor the pupae to fully develop; at this time they will start to emerge, butonly if properly stimulated. The pre-emerged flea needs heat, movementof the substrate the cocoon is on, carbon dioxide and vibration. If itdoes not receive these stimuli it can remain within the cocoon anywherefrom several weeks to several months depending on its currentsurroundings (such as temperature and humidity level). Once the proper





stimulus is achieved the newly formed adult flea (5) emerges. It can thensurvive for 24 to 72 hours before needing to take a blood meal. All of the above stages can be completed in as few as 12 to 14 days if allof the conditions are right. More typically it takes 3 to 6 weeks for thecat flea to complete its life cycle. If your pet ends up getting fleas werecommend applying a flea/tick medicine for 3 consecutive months sowe can kill all of the fleas as they are emerging. This will also helpprotect your pet's environment (such as your sofa and carpet); if you see1 flea on your animal, there can be 99 in their environment. Another way you can get rid of the flea population in your home is byvacuuming every day to every few days. If you have a bag in yourvacuum immediately remove it from your house, and if your vacuum isbagless immediately empty it outside your house so the adult fleas that

have been sucked up don't crawl back out.

How Did My Animal Get Tapeworms? Both dogs and cats can get tapeworms. Flea larvae ingest the eggs of tapeworms. Tapeworms then develop inside the flea larvae intotapeworm larvae. As the flea develops into an adult the tapeworm larvaestays within it. As your pet grooms themselves they ingest the fleasinfected with the tapeworm larvae; they are then released into your

pet's stomach to complete their life cycle and infect your pet. If yousee "rice-like" segments in your animal's feces or on their rear end, theseare tapeworm segments which are filled with eggs to start anotherlifecycle.

Pictures Of The Month





"Walter" Ellis

"Holly" Edwards





QUICK LINKS

Veterinary Care of Ithaca

InformationOn Fleas

Contact Us:Veterinary Care of Ithaca

712 W Court StIthaca, NY 14850

607-273-3133

E-mail Us:[email protected]

Save $8on a 6 pack of Frontline

Coupon must be printed and presented in person to recievediscount at time of purchase. Not valid for other products.

Offer Expires: April 15, 2011

Forward email

This email was sent to a [email protected] by [email protected] |Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe ™ | Privacy Policy .

Veterinay Care Of Ithaca | 712 W. Court Steet | Ithaca | NY | 14850



Documents

Happy Tails From Veterinay Care of Ithaca