Fleas & Ticks Flashcards
Ectoparasites
- A parasite that lives on the outside
of the host - Fleas, ticks, lice, and mites
- A large problem in the
Southeast
Cat Flea
Ctenocephalides felis
Ctenocephalides felis
- 1-2 mm long
- Wingless, but can jump
tremendous distances - Reddish-brown in color
*Blood-sucking insects
Typical Flea Cycle: Stage 1
Eggs hatch in 2 to 3 days
Typical Flea Cycle: Stage 2
Larvae go though three stages in 5 to 10 days before pupating
Typical Flea Cycle: Stage 3
Pupae live from 5 to 10 days to 6 months in a cocoon
Typical Flea Cycle: Stage 4
Adults emerge and live on one host for up to 2 months
What is the highly resilient stage of the flea life cycle?
The pupal stage!
It will lie dormant in the environment until conditions are perfect
Temperature higher than 70 degrees and humidity higher than 70%
Good oral medication for flea control
- Bravecto
- Sentinel
- Trifexis
- Comfortis
- Nexgard
- Comfortis
- Capstar
- Simparica
Good topical medication for flea control
- Frontline
- Advantage
- Advantix (not for cats!)
- Revolution
Good collars for flea control (prescription only)
Seresto
Insect Growth Regulator
Prevents flea eggs from hatching (sterilizes the flea)
Birth control for fleas
Adulticide
Kills adult fleas
What is important to not about Sentinel?
Does not contain an adulticide! Will sterilize fleas, but doesn’t kill the adult
fleas. Great for preventing a flea problem; not good for treating one
What flea products don’t work?
Flea dips or shampoos -> Only kill the fleas on the pet at that moment + 95% of fleas are in the environment = a
short term solution
Herbal remedies
*Beware of Hartz products in cats!
* Cats are very sensitive to pyrethrins and pyrethroids
* Educate your owners on the dangers of Hartz
Ticks
- External parasites
- Blood-feeding
- Ticks transmit the widest variety of
pathogens of any blood sucking arthropod
Tick-borne Diseases
- Ehrlichia
- Lyme
- Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF)
- Anaplasmosis
Dog diseases only!
Ehrlichia
Caused by several strains of ehrlichia
Most common is Ehrlichia canis
Dog-only disease
Endemic in the southeastern US
Transmitted through the bite of a brown dog tick
*In-house test
* 4DX serology test
* A positive test indicates exposure only. Additional tests are required
*Treatment – doxycycline antibiotic for 28 days
*Prevention – tick control
Lyme Disease
*Transmitted through the bite of a deer tick
*Seen in dogs only
*Caused by Borrelia burgdorferi
*Dogs do not get a bull’s eye rash!
*In-house test
* 4DX snap serology test
* Positive test means exposure only. Follow-up testing is usually required
Treatment
* doxycycline antibiotic for 28 days
Prevention
* Vaccine
* Tick control
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
*Transmitted by the bite of an American dog tick or Brown dog tick
*Dogs only
*Rickettsia rickettsii
*Treatment – doxycycline antibiotic
*Test – outside laboratory only
4DX Snap test (done in the clinic)
* Tests for all tick borne diseases except RMSF
* A positive test indicates exposure only. Additional tests are usually
required
Treatment for tick-borne
diseases
*All tick borne diseases treated with an antibiotic
* Doxycycline most common
Prevention of tick-borne
disease
*Tick control
*Vaccine (Lyme disease only)
Tick Prevention
Collars
* Seresto
Oral
* Bravecto
* Nexgard
* Simparica
Topical
* Frontline
* Revolution (one tick species only)
* Advantage
* Advantix
General principles for tick
and flea preventatives
- Dog and cat products are NOT interchangeable
- There are NO products that address the big 3: Fleas, Ticks, and Heartworm
- A combination of two products is required
- Questions about a product?
- Read the package insert
- Call your rep!
- Check your chart for age and weight recommendations
- Intact female or pregnant dog?
- Not all preventatives are safe – check the chart!
