FLEA ANEMIA

We all know that fleas bite and can make pets itch. Just one flea bite can cause dramatic skin inflammation in a pet with allergies. However, many people do not know that fleas drink blood and that large numbers of fleas can consume a significant amount of blood. This can result in the physical state of inadequate red blood cells, which is called ANEMIA. If these pets experience enough blood loss, they can die.

It is easy to under-estimate a pet’s infestation. Only animals allergic to flea bites will react to their fleas. Therefore, animals not allergic to flea bites will not be scratching or losing hair, and therefore the owner may not realize that his or her pet has a heavy flea infestation.

The black, pepper-like specks found in the infested pet’s coat are actually small amounts of blood that have been consumed by the flea and excreted to feed the larval fleas that hatch in the environment. Even if live fleas are not seen, the presence of flea dirt means that live fleas are there.

It takes a lot of fleas to produce enough blood loss to create a life-threatening situation for the host pet, but it can happen. The following situations are high-risk for flea anemia:

• Very young kittens being raised outdoors or by a mother cat who goes outdoors. Young kittens are very small and do not have blood to spare. They are growing and trying to expand their blood volume and are too young to effectively groom themselves to remove their own fleas. Flea anemia is probably the #1 cause of death in indoor-outdoor kittens.
  
  



• Elderly cats that go outdoors. The elderly cat is often debilitated from other metabolic problems. Older pets are less efficient at grooming and they are not strong enough to withstand much blood loss.
  
  



• Outdoor puppies. Their situation is similar to that of the kittens’. They are too small to effectively groom and are trying to grow while they are experiencing on-going blood loss.
  
  

Even though flea anemia is a very serious condition, these patients can be treated even in the late stages of this disease. Often they will need blood transfusions or transfusions with blood substitutes. They also need to have the fleas removed and to be returned to an environment where they will be protected from further flea infestation.

The first step is recognizing the problem. This is not difficult for a trained veterinary health care worker but may not be easy for an uninformed pet owner. The affected animal will have pale gums (normal gums are shell-pink, anemic gums can be completely white). In advanced cases of this disease, the patient may be listless and even cold. A flea comb can be used to check for flea dirt.

• Be familiar with the normal color of your pet’s gums so that you can recognize a problem.
  
  
• Regular flea combing can help detect fleas early on and prevent flea anemia.
  
  

A test called a HEMATOCRIT or PACKED CELL VOLUME (PCV) is easily done in your vet’s office to assess the degree of anemia. The hematocrit or PCV reflects the percentage of red blood cells that should be present in a sample of blood. In dogs the normal range is 38 to 57 and in cats the Blood transfusion becomes a consideration when values reach 20 or less.

Getting rid of the fleas on the critically ill patient can be problematic. Often the patient is too sick to tolerate the stress of a bath and is too young or too small for flea control products. In this situation, your veterinarian will have to use his or her judgement on what is the safest route to remove the fleas. Recently, Capstar ® is a flea medication that has become available. This is a fast-acting flea-killing tablet with no known side effects for mammals. It is labeled for use in animals weighing 2 lbs or more and has been especially helpful in clearing severe flea infestations quickly. It is a tablet that is given orally and kills all of the fleas on the animal within 30 minutes.

RETURNING HOME

Of course after all the blood transfusions, heat support, and flea removal, the pet will ultimately go home potentially to the same environment where the infestation occurred in the first place. Therefore, we usually recommend topical flea control products that will provide adequate future protection. In addition, the use of a vitamin and iron supplement will help the patient rebuild his or her red blood cell reserves (i.e. Pet-Tinic).

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR PET FROM FLEAS

There are still many people who unfortunately believe that fleas simply go with pet ownership, that there is no way to avoid them. In reality, fleas have been optional for decades with flea control methods achieving higher levels of convenience and safety each year. The days of sprays, powders, and foggers are largely gone, supplanted by pills and topical preparations. No pet needs to have fleas these days; an owner has his or her pick of safe and effective products such as the ones shown below.

FRONT-LINE AND ADVANTAGE

FRONT-LINE and ADVANTAGE are topical flea control medications. To be effective, you pet should not be bathed 48-72 hours before applications of these products. Theseflea products are environmentally safe.

FRONT-LINE comes in two forms, a once a month spray and a once a month topical liquid for both dogs and cats. It works with the oils contained in your pet's coat. The flea control enters your pet’s hair follicles, and is released when your pet moves around normally. This product is an adulticide, and has the added effect of tick control. FRONT-LINE is safe to use in conjunction with PROGRAM. It will not wash of with bathing, unless you use a special shampoo "benzylperoxide" supplied by your veterinarian.

ADVANTAGE is a once a month topical liquid for both dogs and cats and works in a similar fashion to FRONT-LINE. ADVANTAGE is also safe to use with PROGRAM.

REVOLUTION

Revolution kills adult fleas and prevents fleas eggs from hatching for one month and is indicated for the prevention and control of flea infestations. This product is also used in the prevention of heartworm disease, ear mites, sarcoptic mange, and some ticks, and for cats the in the prevention of hook worm and round worm.

PROGRAM

Program is a once a month flea tablet. This tablet works to control flea populations by interrupting the flea life cycle. Adult fleas bite the pet, and ingest a flea control that essentially acts as birth control for fleas. This product will not stop you from seeing adults, however it will halt new generations. PROGRAM comes in several different forms. These include, an individual tablet or liquid given orally, an injectable for cats, or a combination of PROGRAM and heart worm tablet, called SENTINAL . The oral form of program must be give with a meal to be effective.

The injectable PROGRAM for cats is administered by your veterinarian every six months. Its action is just like the oral PROGRAM, but you do not have to give your cat any oral medication. For PROGRAM to be effective, all pets in your household must treated

SENTINEL

Another flea protection product is SENTINEL. This product combines the ingredients in PROGRAM with that used in the heart worm preventative INTERCEPTOR. As with PROGRAM, SENTINEL must be given monthly to prevent flea infestation on your pet and in your home. At this time, SENTINEL is not available for cats.

PLEASE DO NOT MIX COMBINATIONS OF INSECTICIDES WITHOUT YOUR VET’S ADVICE! IMPROPER MIXTURES MAY BE MANY TIMES MORE TOXIC THAN ANY ONE ALONE.

Fleas feed and lay eggs on your pet for part of the day. They will also jump off and propagate in grass, soil, carpeting, cracks of hardwood floors, and furniture in and around your house. Even if your pet is indoors, anyone or anything can introduce fleas into your home.

Because the life cycle of a flea is three to four weeks, it will take at least that long to completely rid your pet and its environment of the enemy. Different flea control products work in different ways, have varying levels of effectiveness and kill different flea stages (eggs, larvae and/or adults). You'll need to use a combination of products at the same time to be effective. You'll need to rid your house of fleas by vacuuming and washing your pet's bedding once a week, and using a disinfectant on washable surfaces and an insecticide or insect growth regulator in cracks and crevices (sometimes foggers are recommended) every two to four weeks. When using chemical products to control fleas, be very careful. You may be providing too much of a potentially toxic chemical if you use, say, a flea dip and a fogger with the same chemical ingredient. Always check with your veterinarian before using flea products.

You can de-flea your home using a combination of flea foggers and a premise spray. We recommend products containing Insect Growth Regulators (IGR’s). Use foggers one to a room. IGR foggers kill not only the adult fleas, but also prevent the larval stages from developing. If the foggers do not control larvae or if you have a heavy infestation in your home, you will need to re-fog in 2-3 weeks. Please read and follow the label carefully when using foggers. Vacuum floors, furniture, drapes, and baseboards before fogging. You may either dispose of the vacuum bag immediately, or place insecticide treated cotton balls, or a flea collar inside the bag to kill any pre-adult fleas. Do not vacuum for two days following the fogging. The suction will remove the residual chemical, and interrupt prolonged action against flea larvae.

Should the outdoor environment become severely infested, you may need to use a yard or kennel spray. Follow the directions on the bottle to mix the spray. Be sure to cover all of the yard to which your pet may roam. Doing this on a regular basis will prevent a heavy infestation in your house. Treating the outdoors is a key factor in controlling fleas.