Acre View Pet Hospital & Laser Center of Edmond: News April 2001

Finally, after a long, cold winter, we are moving into spring and now is the time to think about what warm weather means to our pets... Spring is a wonderful time of year but with it we must be aware of all the enemies our furry friends face such as: fleas, mosquitoes, ticks, parvo, distemper and intestinal parasites. They are all just waiting out there to rear their ugly heads.

You might be thinking that we finally had a cold enough winter to kill all the fleas and ticks, but this is far from being true. Here in the hospital, we have been seeing fleas and ticks on pets since January, so we will devote much of this issue to the pesky pests of spring and summer and how to keep them at bay.

Fleas & Ticks

In a brief 16-21 days, the flea can go through an entire life cycle. Once born, a flea can live 6-12 months in an indoor environment. Eggs are laid on your pet and fall off into the environment and onto the animal's bedding. A single flea may lay 20-28 eggs per day. In 2-12 days the egg matures into a larva. This larva may burrow into carpeting or cracks in the floor. In another 9-12 days the larvae grow and molt to form pupae, then on to adult blood feeders. Anytime the temperature is consistently above 65 degrees a flea problem may develop.

I often hear owners say, "My pet is in the house all of the time and I don't have to worry about fleas, ticks, heartworms etc." This is absolutely wrong. Fleas as well as ticks can be carried in on our shoes, socks and other clothing. They will naturally seek a warm body, and your pet is the most likely target for the little critters.

Most of the current products on the market today will totally eliminate the problem. We have many new, highly effective flea and tick products for animals 4 weeks and older and which last 1-3 months per application. The newer products are generally safe for both dogs and cats, are easy to apply and are safe to your pet's best friends, people.

The addition of insect growth regulators (IGR's) has revolutionized flea and tick control. These IGR's prevent the development of the eggs to larvae and the larvae to pupae, thereby controlling 3/4 of the flea cycle. As with the heartworm preventatives, several of these compounds also provide control over other parasites such as roundworms, hookworms, mites and lice.

My personal favorite of these products is Top Spot Plus(c) (or the spray-on counterpart Frontline(c)). This product is a topical insecticide specific to invertebrates. This means that cats, dogs and you are not affected by the chemicals absorbed into the skin. There is no risk of overdose and residues are not harmful to fish, birds or other wildlife.

The active ingredient in Top Spot is absorbed through the shell of the adult fleas and ticks where it shorts out the central nervous system, causing the equivalent of a stroke. It acts so quickly on fleas they die before they even have a chance to bite. Thus, these Frontline products are the best for animals that have an allergy to fleas because of the saliva injected when the flea bites.

Frontline is absorbed through the pet's skin and stored in the sebaceous glands and hair follicles. From here the product travels up from the hair follicle like oil up a wick of a lantern. This provides continuous protection for as long as three months in dogs and one month in cats.

Word of advice... Many companies have taken older flea and tick products and packaged them to be "Top Spot look-alikes". These products are available at discount stores, the hardware stores etc. The problem is they do not work any better now than they did 10 or more years ago. The major problem we see with these is that placing the dog product on cats can and does kills cats. The efficacy is from zero to a few days at the most, and it takes a long time for most of them to work. My recommendation is to stay with a known, safe and efficient product like Top Spot.

Heartworm Disease

Heart worm disease is a potentially life threatening disease of dogs and cats caused by an infection with a parasitic worm that lives in the right side of the heart and adjacent to blood vessels. These worms may grow to 6-14 inches in length and number in the hundreds. This clogs up the heart and prevents blood flow to the lungs, resulting in a cough, decreased food intake, severe weight loss, damage to the liver and kidneys, and ultimately death.

Heartworms are transmitted from one dog or cat to another by the bite of an infected mosquito. Mosquitoes become infected by feeding on dogs or cats that have circulating microfilaria in their blood. The mosquito injects baby heartworms called microfilaria into the blood stream. Once your pet has been infected, it takes 6 months for the microfilaria to mature and migrate into the heart. At that point they become sexually mature and begin to release more microfilaria into the bloodstream.

How Do I Know If My Pet Has Heartworm Disease?

A blood test will be done on your pet to determine if heartworms are present. Sometimes x-rays of the chest will be taken to help diagnose the disease.

What is The Treatment For It?

In cats, there is no treatment that does not kill the cat in the process. The only thing that can be done is to start them on a heartworm preventative that kills any microfilaria and keeps any new worms from developing. The only way to handle the infection of adult heartworms in a cat is to wait and let the worms die a natural death. Symptoms to watch for in cats are vomiting and asthmatic-like breathing.

In dogs, the heartworm can live 3-5 years and some say as long as 9 years if not treated. There are two treatments available for adult heartworms in dogs. One is the use of an arsenic compound that is injected into the blood stream. With this procedure there may be side effects especially to the liver.

The second and most effective treatment is a newer product called Immiticide. Two injections are given, 24 hours apart and virtually 100% of the heartworms are killed. Either of these treatments require hospitalization, lab work, pre and post observation and cost $400 - 600 depending on the size of the dog being treated. In 6 months another blood test will be run to certify a cure was obtained.

How Can I Prevent Heartworm Disease?

All dogs and cats should be tested before putting them on a heartworm preventative. The better heartworm preventatives such as Interceptor(c), Sentinel(c), Heartguard(c) and Revolution(c) for Cats, are very convenient and only have to be given once a month. The other nice thing about them is they also kill hookworms, roundworms, and whipworms in the bowel in addition to helping prevent flea infestations, depending upon which one is used.

The American Heartworm Association recommends annual testing for heartworm disease in both dogs and cats. This is because nothing is perfect in the biological world. The dog may up-chuck the pill, you may forget to give it or the timing of exposure to the disease may be just so that the drug is not 100% effective.

What is Your Dog Trying To Say?

Bowing - Bowing (when a dog puts its back up and its front down) is a sign that your dog wants to play. If you are serious at the time, it;s probably trying to lighten your mood.

Woof - Barking is how dogs communicate happiness, fear, loneliness and danger. The sound of the bark is different depending on your dog's message.

Ears Pointed Back/to the Side - This indicates fear. However, some dogs do this all the time, no matter what the circumstances.

Wet Ones - Young dogs lick older dogs as a sign of submission. When your pet licks you, it's a sign of affection or greeting.

Paw Lifting - A raised paw indicates a happy mood and that the dog is looking for attention. Not your dog's mood, however. A raised paw may mean your pet is hurt or that something is lodged between the pads.

What's in a Wag - Not all tail wagging is a sign of friendliness. Some dogs wag their tails with indecision or fear. Pay attention to what's happening. Is your dog happy to see you as you walk in the door or is another dog playing with his favorite toy?

What Is Your Cat Trying To Say?

Kneading - A cat's kneading is reminiscent of its days as a kitten, kneading milk from its mother. Kneading cats are quite likely content.

Purrrr - Cats don't purr just when they're happy. In face, cats in horrible pain or fear are known to purr as well. In our experience, though, most pet owners seem to know exactly what their cats are trying to convey.

Aye, there's the rub - While your cat undoubtedly loves you to pieces, rubbing up against you isn't necessarily a sign of that love. Cat's faces hold scent glands that release a unique scent with friction. What you cat is doing is marking you, letting everyone who comes into contact with you now just who owns you!

Look'um in the eye - Look into a cat's eye and it'll tell you exactly what it thinks.

When a cat glances at you then looks away quickly, it has acknowledged your presence but has not invited you to come closer.
If your cat gives a long stare, it's probably a threat. Watch out!
Dilated pupils are a sign that something scary is near.

The tail end - A cat's tail can tell a lot.

A straight, elevated tail indicates confidence; you may even catch a strut!
If you've ever seen a cat's puffed tail, it's hard to mistake for anything other than what it is: fear.
The slow wag of a cat's tail probably means, "Ugh, go away." It often occurs when the cat has been stroked during a nap or other movement it didn't wish to have interrupted.