What wondeful weather we're having!! I love the warm, sunny days. The only probem is that so do FLEAS!!
Fleas can be present all year round, it's just that the eggs hatch and the pupae develop faster in the warm, moist spring. Fleas are obviously really irritating and in some pets can actually cause allergic reactions- Flea Allergy Dermatitis is the most common cause of scratching and skin disease in cats and dogs. I have seen many cats and dogs driven mad with scratching just from fleas. Also their owners can suffer too from the flea bites!
Fleas can also transmit tapeworms so this is another reason to keep them under control.
Unfortunately I have also seen a few puppies and kittens actually DIE from anaemia caused by being covered in blood-sucking fleas.
Fortunately fleas are usually easy to deal with. There are brilliant, safe and effective products to kill fleas and protect against reinfestation available from your vet. There are also a range of products for the house too.
In my opinion, most pet shop products are a waste of money because they tend to be old fashioned products that fleas have become resistant to. I have had many exasperated clients come to the vet surgery to buy one of our products after wasting a fortune on ineffective pet shop products- a bit of a false economy really. Also the pet shop products are NOT safe to use in very young puppies and kittens so you must take these little ones to the vet if you have an obvious problem with fleas.
To increase awareness about fleas, Merial are launching 'National Flea Week' 19th-25th May. Check out their website for more information....
Have fun in this glorious weather and remember to protect your pets from fleas!
'Compassion for animals, passion for nature'
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