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As the summer kicks off with rising temperatures and wet weather in the Houston area, dogs and cats need flea prevention, which could save their lives.
Dogs and cats living both indoors and outdoors need protection against fleas, which can also travel inside by jumping onto a person’s shoes. These non-winged parasites can cause anemia in pets which can lead to death.
“In our area in Houston animals should be on flea prevention 12 months out of the year. We never get quite cold enough to kill all the flea larvae that are out there in the environment,” said Dr. Laura Noaker, veterinarian and owner of Vergi 24-7 Critical Care Hospital. “We are just not the environment that can kill off the fleas during the winter. We have them year-round.”
There are about 2,000 species of fleas in the world, but mostly what Houstonians deal with is the cat flea or dog flea, Noaker said.
Pets who come to the vet with fleas are weak, lethargic, often have inappetence, and may vomit. The tissues become deprived of oxygen, Noaker said. The veterinary technician will give the patient medication that will kill the fleas instantly for 24 hours but is not to be used as prevention.
“These animals need a blood transfusion, and they are so critical, putting in an IV catheter can be enough to tip them over the edge. Any time you are giving blood products it is going to be expensive because it is not just the actual blood. It's the catheter, the hospitalization, it's the monitoring,” Noaker said.
She gave an example: “Let's say a puppy is brought in that needs a blood transfusion and stays the night. It is $1,000 to $1,500. So, it's cheaper to give flea prevention than it is to treat the flea anemia.”
Flea products are age-dependent and based on the weight of the pet. There are topical and oral prevention options. Noaker recommends consulting with your veterinarian to discuss the various brands of flea prevention. Some flea medications will include protection against heartworms, mosquito treatment, ticks, hookworms, roundworms, tapeworms, and whipworms. These parasites can wreak havoc on a dog or cat, not only causing itching and discomfort but also becoming more serious requiring emergency veterinary care, and becoming life-threatening.
“It is so much easier to prevent problems before they end up in the emergency room. Tick control, flea control, parasite control, and vaccines,” Noaker said. “All those things that are designed to be preventative, are there for a reason, to prevent you from having to come to the emergency room. Although we would love to help people, I would like to prevent some of these from ever needing our services, with good preventative healthcare. It is so much easier to do good preventative medicine.”
