Generally, only adult fleas are found on pets. After ingesting blood from an animal, female fleas lay eggs inside the house in cracks and crevices or outside on damp ground. Over her life span, female flea may lay several hundred eggs. Immature fleas called larvae hatch within 2 weeks. Larvae live in cracks and crevices and feed on organic material, including tapeworm eggs. Under warm, moist conditions, the entire life cycle may occur in as little as 16 days, or it may take as long as a year under unfavorable conditions. This aspect of the life cycle explains how fleas survive from year to year in harsh climates.

Diagnosis: Finding fleas, flea eggs, or flea debris (flea feces, which when dry look like black pepper) on an animal is proof of flea infestation. Other signs of flea infestation include tapeworm infection (white segments shaped like cucumber seeds found crawling on the ground or on the hair near a pet's anus).

Treatment and Home Care: Flea infestations are best controlled by simultaneously treating fleas on the animal, in the house, and in the pet's outdoor environment on a regular basis. Fleas on the animal can be treated with Frontline or Revolution, we believe this is your best defense against fleas. This product is available through our clinic, Frontline and Revolution kill fleas rapidly and provide long lasting action. These products are also safe for you and your pet.

Frequent vacuuming can help remove flea eggs and larvae from carpets and furniture. Vacuum bags should be disposed of immediately. Steam cleaning carpets is very effective, too. The pet's beddig should be washed and thoroughly dried. Insecticides can then be used to complete the in-home clean-up. Insecticides selected for use in the home should combine instant and residual flea-killing powder. Foggers are popular and effective; however, their mist does not penetrate underneath furniture, behind baseboards, and in closets. These areas must be sprayed. Instead of being treated with a fogger, the entire house may be sprayed with appropriate insecticides.

Flea control outside the home should be aimed at areas where the pet spends most of its time. Grass and weeds should be mowed and the clippings removed. Within reason, areas where the pet spends its time (under porches, in its dog house, in the yard near your home, etc.) should be sprayed or dusted with insecticides designed to kill fleas. Hand-held sprayers, garden hose attachments, and fertilizer spreaders are appropriate for insecticide application.

Because of the flea's life cycle, insecticides used on the pet and on the premises will need to be applied more than once, according to your veterinarian's recommendation. One-time application is rarely effective in breaking the flea's life cycle.

Adult ticks lay eggs on the ground in sheltered spots such as in sheds, in woodpiles, under rocks, and in the crevices of walls. Immature ticks hatch from these eggs. These ticks then infest plants suck as grass and shrubs as they wait for a suitable host, such as a rodent, dog, or cat. After feeding on the host for up to 10 days, immature ticks fall off the animal to complete the next phase of their life cycle. Before laying eggs, most species of ticks will feed on two or more host animals. A life cycle is usually completed in one year, but may take up to three years. Unfortunately, tick can survive long periods of cold weather.

Most ticks require a moist environment for survival. But one species, the brown dog tick, can survive in areas of low moisture. This adaption makes the brown dog tick more difficult to eliminate because it can reproduce in houses and kennels. Ticks are indiscriminate parasites; they may feed on dogs, cats, rabbits, deer, people, and other hosts.

SIGNS: Ticks may appear on any animal that is exposed to tick-infested vegetation. If the infestation is uncomplicated, its only sign may be ticks attached to the animal's skin. Ticks are usually found on the ears, head, and neck, but may be found on any part of the body. Ticks may be found in various stages of engorgement, so they may be small and brown, large and whitish brown, or any size and color in between. The skin where a tick is attached may be reddened and inflamed. This finding is common when ticks attach themselves to the skin lining the ear and cause an ear inflammation. Ticks can carry many microorganisms from one animal to another. As a result, tick infestation may be accompanied by or precede disorders such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever or Lyme disease, as disorder characterized by joint and musculoskeletal abnormalities. Though rare, ticks may cause a paralysis in dogs that responds to removal of the ticks.

Treatment and Home Care: A tick may be removed with forceps after the tick is soaked with alcohol. Frontline spray can be applied to kill the ticks. Usually takes 2 days after applying Frontline for the ticks to die and fall off. Frontline can then be applied once a month to keep ticks from living off your pet. For heavily infested areas, Frontline may be applied to your pet every three weeks instead of once a month.

Eliminating ticks from homes and kennels may require spraying premises with an insecticide designed to kill ticks. Repeated treatments are often necessary. Spraying vegetation with insecticides and attempting to decrease the outdoor rodent population will help control ticks in the environment.