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Look in the Dr's Bag monthly for new articles
and information on animal health issues.
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Are Fleas Attacking Your Pets?
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Flea Dirt
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Fleas Biting
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Voracious Flea
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“He that lieth down with Dogs, shall rise up with Fleas.”
Benjamin Franklin
Facts About Fleas
- Fleas have been on this planet longer than people, and can survive in environments that would kill any person.
- Some fleas have a lifespan of 6 to 12 months (the usual life cycle of a flea is 3 to 4 weeks).
- During its lifetime, a flea will reproduce millions of offspring.
- Some fleas can jump 15 to 36 inches high (that’s high enough to get onto you).
- Fleas prefer to live on dogs and cats, but will also bite other animals, including humans.
- Flea bites can cause skin irritation, allergic reactions, tapeworms, anemia, and even death in animals.
- In humans, fleas are known to transmit diseases, such as plague and murine typhus, and parasites, like the cat tapeworm.
- You cannot always see the fleas on your pets (a flea comb can help).
- Signs of fleas are scratching, scabs, and “flea dirt” (black specks in your pet’s hair or sleeping area).
- Dips, shampoos, powders and sprays can kill adult fleas but do not protect your pet from reinfestation.
- Vacuuming and cleaning the house with disinfectants and laundering your pets’ bedding helps to rid the house of fleas.
- Flea dips and foggers kill fleas but are highly toxic – check with your veterinary before using them.
(Dr. Ward no longer recommends flea dips for pets.)
- Outdoor insecticides will temporarily kill the fleas in your yard (but only temporarily, and once again,
you may wish to think twice before spraying your yard and garden with toxic chemicals).
- Nematodes are microscopic worms that will kill flea larvae and cocoons for up to a month,
and are available at many garden supply stores. (The
Portland Nursery on SE Stark St. stocks nematodes.)
- Your veterinarian can provide products to put on your pet that inhibit the growth of fleas.
Other products, such as imidacloprid and fipronil, kill adult fleas, and fipronil also kills ticks.
- Hollywood Pet Hospital provides
Frontline Plus for pets to kill adult fleas, flea eggs and flea
larvae for up to three months, and ticks and lice for at least a month. Important: do not use flea
products prescribed for dogs on cats, or vice versa.
- Veterinarian prescribed flea products are the most effective and safe way to eliminate fleas, and will improve your pets' "quality of life."
Discount Coupon from Frontline Plus
Facts about Fleas: Collected from
Healthypet.com and
Bohart Museum of Entomology.
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Hollywood Pet Hospital
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3565 NE Sandy Blvd
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Portland, OR 97232
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How to Use a Flea Comb
- Start with a dry pet and dry comb.
- Dip the comb in a solution of water with a few drops of liquid dish detergent - not enough detergent to make suds.
- Comb from the pet's nose and work back toward the tail
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- Use short strokes in the same direction as fur growth.
- Check the comb freqently and swish the flea dirt off the tines in the soap solution.
- Keep the comb tines dry.
- Fleas avoid the light. While you comb your pet's back, the fleas will crawl around to the belly.
Turn your pet over and comb its belly. The fleas will crawl around to the back again. Turn your pet again and comb.
- Comb your pet frequently. Use this time to check your pet's ears (keeping them clean and dry). If the ears smell bad, take
your pet to the veterinary for treatment and instructions on how to keep them clean.
- Flea-combing also works with double-coated dogs.
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