5 of the most common myths and questions about fleas.
 
 
1) I put flea medication on my pet last month and I still see fleas this month?
 
Yes you must apply flea medication every 30 days for it to be effective. The medication kills the fleas on your pet but not in the environment and only lasts 30 days.  The  flea eggs in the environment hatch 18 to 365 days after being laid.  The fleas you are seeing on your pet have hatched from the environment which is why you must use year round flea medication.
 
2) I use Frontline and its not working there must be resistance?
 
There has not been a scientific paper to-date that has proven  resistance to fipronil the active ingredient in Frontline.  Although in our practice we have seen decrease effectiveness of Frontline and do not recommend it for dogs flea bite dermatitis.  Frontline takes 18 hours to kill fleas weres Vectra only takes 6 hours and Comfortis takes 4 hours. 
 
3) My dog does not go outside so it can't get fleas.
 
Even if your dog goes outside only to go the bathroom your dog can still get fleas. Unfortunately even in the suburbs the local wildlife (bunny rabbits, moles, birds, deer) visit our yards and leave little present like fleas and ticks behind in the grass. Your dog or cat is a little magnet for fleas.
 
4) I spray my lawn so I don't need to use flea medication on my pets.
 
Using harmful pesticides is not only dangerous to you and your pet but limits the biodiversity of local insects in your yard.  These sprays hurt our waterways and are 100% effective.  If a flea gets on your dog that has not been treated with a flea control product than the fleas will enter your home and start laying eggs and cause problems for you dog.
 
5)I don't see fleas on my pet.
 
Yes although you don't see fleas does not mean your pet is free of fleas. Comb through your pets coat onto a wet piece of paper towel if turns red your pet has fleas.  If your pet does not have fleas now  is good time for prevention.  Prevention is cheaper and easier than treatment.
 
You must treat all your pets including the inside only cat to prevent a flea infestation  Fleas can be a host to tapeworms and other parasites.  The bites are irritating to both people and animals and are difficult to eradicate.  Visit your veterinarian now and request the best flea prevention Comfortis or Vectra if you have ticks in your area.
This has been Dr. Yardley from FeederCreek Veterianary services trying to keep your family flea free.

Well it is spring time today in Columbus Ohio.  I had the windows down while making my farm calls today saw lots of horses and put lots of miles on the truck today.  I drove from Millersport to Logan to Lancaster to Utica back to Johnstown and than back to Pickerington. Makes for a long day but very fun.  I am writing this blog after having to mow my lawn again because of all the rainfall we have had in Central Ohio over the past week.  So I thought I this would be a good time to talk about spring time grass grow and how it can hurt our four legged friends. It is well known that spring grasses may cause laminitis (Founder is an older term that has been replaced with laminitis).   Studies have shown that spring grasses are high in starch and sugars which may lead to high blood sugar levels that may then cause hyperinsulinemia and laminitis. 

So, how do we prevent our friends from developing this horrible condition?

First we start by allowing the horses to slowly adapt to the spring grass.  Feed the horses hay before turning them out so their stomachs are already filled before going out to pasture. This way horses are less likely to gorge themselves on the new spring grass.

(It is like candy to them!)

Finally, horses need to be limited in turn out time. Allot only 10 minutes once or twice daily, and then slowly increase their time on the spring grass by  5 minutes a day until the horses have a tolerance of 6 hours. 

Any horse with a history of laminitis or metabolic issue (Cushings, metabolic syndrome, hypothyroidism) needs to have a more conservative turnout regimen. In some cases these horses won’t be able to eat fresh grass and will have to be feed hay on a dirt lot all summer long or use a grazing muzzle.  You can buy them on line and usually will need two a three a season.  

At Freeder Creek Equine Veterinary Services we  offer blood testing to help diagnosis of these metabolic syndromes and provide recommendation for treatment. You will need to fast your horse overnight (last hay at 10pm) and in the early AM before anybody in the barn is feed we will get a sample of blood and run a fasting Insulin Level and an ACTH level. We only use the Cornell University Diagnostic Laboratory for the best results.  These two test are just screening test and in our next blog we will talk about follow up testing if these results are not 100% diagnostic of the condition.  




Dr. Jonathan A. Yardley