Overview
Fleas and ticks may pose a very real threat to the health and
comfort of your pet. In addition to extreme discomfort, fleas
and ticks can also cause serious health problems in pets and
people.
Fleas
Few creatures can inflict more misery, ounce for ounce, than
fleas. These tiny, almost-invisible pests can make life
miserable and disrupt your household with a vicious cycle of
biting and scratching. Fleas may also cause flea allergy
dermatitis in some pets and may be carriers of dangerous
diseases.
Ticks
Often too tiny to be seen, ticks attach to pets and
feed on blood until they are engorged. They thrive in high
humidity and moderate temperatures, but can be found all over
the country. Ticks may carry and transmit diseases,
including Lyme disease, which can cause serious health
problems for pets and people.
Flea Life Cycle
Although fleas can be a problem for your pets all year, flea
populations typically explode about 5–6 weeks after the weather
starts to warm up.
EGG STAGE
A female lays about 2,000 eggs in her lifetime. In one day,
a single female flea can lay up to 50 eggs. The eggs aren't
sticky – they quickly fall off your pet and into areas of your
home. In 2-10 days, the eggs hatch.
LARVAL STAGE
After hatching, the larvae head toward dark places around your
home and feed on "flea dirt" – flea feces containing partially
digested blood from your pet. The larvae grow, molt twice, and
then spin cocoons, where they grow to pupae.
PUPA STAGE
Immature fleas spend approximately 8–9 days in their cocoon.
During this time, they continue to grow to adulthood, waiting
for the signals that it is time to emerge.
ADULT STAGE
Full-grown adults detect heat, vibrations and exhaled carbon
dioxide from inside their cocoons, telling them a host is
nearby. The adults leave their cocoons, hop onto a host, find a
mate and begin the life cycle all over again.
The entire life cycle can be as short as 2-4 weeks.
Tick Life Cycle
Depending on the tick and environmental conditions, the life
cycle of a tick can range from a few months to several years.
Each free-living stage of a tick's life requires a blood meal in
order to reach the next stage. Some species can survive for
years without feeding.
EGG STAGE
Female ticks lay eggs in secluded areas where vegetation is
dense and several inches high. Adult
females of some tick species lay about 100 eggs at a time;
others lay 3,000 to 6,000 eggs per batch. Regardless of species,
tick eggs hatch in about two weeks.
LARVAL STAGE
After hatching, the larvae move into grass or shrubs in
search of their first blood meal. If you or your pet passes by,
they attach themselves and crawl upward in pursuit of an area of
the skin that they can feed from. Then they drop off the host,
back into the environment.
NYMPHAL STAGE
After finding their first blood meal, the larvae molt into
the nymphal stage and begin searching for another host. Nymphs
are small in size and often go undetected, increasing the chance
for disease transmission.
ADULT STAGE
Once the nymph has had its blood meal, it molts into an
adult. Adult female ticks feed on a host. In some cases, they
will increase to 100 times their original weight while feeding.
After feeding, the female will mate, fall off and lay her eggs
in a secluded place – beginning the life cycle again.
Diseases transmitted by tick bites may affect your dog's or
cat's health in the following ways:
Lyme Disease
A bacterial infection that infects both people and dogs, Lyme
disease is carried by the deer tick. Signs include lameness,
fever, loss of appetite, fatigue and enlargement of the lymph
nodes. The signs of Lyme disease often resolve quickly
with antibiotics.
Babesiosis
Acute signs may include fever, loss of appetite, and anemia.
Shock, coma or death may also occur, especially in puppies. The
infection responds to a variety of drug treatments. Blood
transfusions and other supportive care may be necessary in some
animals.
Ehrlichiosis
An infectious blood disease that attacks your pet's white
blood cells. Signs include fever, depression, lameness, and loss
of appetite. Antibiotic therapy often results in dramatic
improvement within 1-2 days.
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
Often transmitted by the American dog tick and the wood tick.
Signs include fever, loss of appetite, coughing, bruising,
lameness, depression, vomiting and diarrhea. If untreated,
permanent damage and even death may occur.
Cytauxzoonosis
An acute, usually fatal disease in cats. Signs include loss
of appetite and depression, followed by 1-3 days of fever. Death
may follow in another 1-3 days.
If you believe that your pet is suffering from any of the
above ailments, consult your veterinarian.
Prevention
Yard Work - You can remove tick habitats from your yard
by keeping tall grass clipped, removing any mulch or leaf litter
and trimming bushes.
Avoid Tall Grass Or Brush - Keep your pet far away from
these tick breeding grounds.
Examine Your Pet - Examine your pet thoroughly every day
for ticks. Although ticks prefer attaching to your pet's head,
neck and paws, you should still try to examine as much of your
pet's body as possible.
Reference: Greene CE - Infectious diseases of the dog and
cat. 3rd edition, St. Louis: Saunders Elsevier, 2006.
