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| What You Should Know About External Parasites |
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At some point in their lives, many pets experience discomfort caused by external
parasites such as fleas, ticks, or mites on their skin or in their ears. These parasites can
be extremely irritating to pets and can cause serious skin problems or even carry
disease. Although this brochure provides basic information about the most common
external parasites, your veterinarian is your best source of advice regarding your pet's
needs. Modern medicines make treatment, control, and prevention of many external
parasites much easier than in the past.
Fleas
Flea Basics
Fleas thrive when the weather is warm and humid. Depending on your climate, fleas
may be a seasonal or year-round problem. Your pet can pick up fleas wherever an
infestation exists, often in areas frequented by other cats and dogs. Adult fleas are dark
brown, no bigger than a sesame seed, and able to move rapidly over your pet's skin.
Adult fleas live their entire lives on your pet. Female fleas begin laying eggs within 24
hours of selecting your pet as a host, producing up to 50 eggs each day. These eggs
fall from your pet onto the floor or furniture, including your pet's bed, or onto any other
indoor or outdoor area where your pet happens to be. Tiny worm-like larvae hatch from
the eggs and, to avoid sunlight, burrow into carpets, under furniture, or into soil before
spinning a cocoon. The cocooned flea pupae can lie dormant for weeks before
emerging as adults, ready to infest your pet. This gives fleas a life cycle of anywhere
from 12 days to 6 months. Knowing where fleas develop helps you to efficiently break
their life cycle.
Risks and Consequences
You might not even know that your pet has fleas until their number increases to the
point that your pet is visibly uncomfortable. Signs of flea problems range from mild
irritation to severe itching that can lead to open sores and skin infection. One of the first
things you might notice on a pet with fleas is "flea dirt," the black flea droppings left on
your pet's coat.
Some pets develop an allergy to flea saliva and this condition requires management.
Also, pets can become infected with tapeworms if they ingest fleas carrying tapeworm
eggs. Young or small pets with heavy flea infestations may become anemic, and in
areas with moderate to severe flea infestations, people may experience flea bites. Fleas
are capable of transmitting a few other infectious diseases to pets and people, but this
is rare.
Treatment and Control
Your veterinarian will recommend an appropriate flea control plan for your pet based on
your particular needs and the severity of the flea infestation.
In addition to treating your pet, you can reduce the flea population in your house by
thoroughly cleaning your pet's sleeping quarters and vacuuming floors and any
furniture that your pet frequents. Careful and regular vacuuming or cleaning of the pet's
living area helps to remove and kill flea eggs, larvae, and pupae. Pay particular
attention to carpeted areas and rugs where your pet lies.
With moderate and severe flea infestations, treatment of your yard may be necessary in
addition to treatment of your home. Your veterinarian can recommend an appropriate
course of action.
Finally, speak with your veterinarian about ways to prevent future flea infestations.
Ticks
Hosting a tick is the price dogs or, less commonly, cats may pay for investigating
shrubbery, brush, or wild undergrowth. Ticks have a four-stage life cycle, and immature
ticks often feed on small, wild animals found in forests, prairies, and brush. Adult ticks
seek larger hosts like dogs and cats who venture into these habitats. Tick exposure
may be seasonal, depending on geographic location.
Risks and Consequences
Ticks are most often found around your dog's neck, in the ears, in the folds between
the legs and the body, and between the toes. Cats may have ticks on their neck or face.
Tick bites can cause skin irritation. Ticks are also capable of spreading serious
infectious diseases to the pets and people on which they feed. Disease risk varies by
geographic area and tick species. Heavy infestations can cause anemia in pets.
Treatment and Control
Prompt removal of ticks is very important because it lessens the chance of disease
transmission from the tick to your pet. Remove ticks by carefully using tweezers to firmly
grip the tick as close to the pet's skin as possible and gently pulling the tick free. After
removing the tick, crush it, avoiding contact with tick fluids that can carry disease.
Pets that are at risk for ticks should be treated during the tick season with an
appropriate tick preventative. Your veterinarian can recommend a product that best
suits your pet's needs. Owners who take their pets to tick-prone areas during camping,
sporting, or hiking trips should examine their pets for ticks immediately on returning
home and remove any ticks from their pets. If your pet picks up ticks in the backyard,
trimming brush may reduce your pet's exposure to tick habitats.
Ear Mites
Mite Basics
Ear mites are common in young cats and dogs, and generally confine themselves to the
ears and surrounding area. Mites are tiny and individual mites may be seen only with
the aid of a microscope. Your pet can pick up ear mites by close contact with an
infested pet or its bedding.
Risks and Consequences
Ear mites can cause intense irritation of the ear canal. Signs of ear mite infestation
include excessive head shaking and scratching of the ears. Your pet may scratch to the
point that it creates bleeding sores around its ears. A brown or black ear discharge is
common.
Treatment and Control
Treatment of ear mites involves thorough ear cleaning and medication. Your
veterinarian can recommend an effective treatment plan.
Sarcoptic Mange Mites
Microscopic sarcoptic mange mites cause sarcoptic mange, also known as scabies.
Sarcoptic mange mites affect dogs of all ages, during any time of the year. Sarcoptic
mange mites are highly contagious to other dogs and may be passed by close contact
with infested animals, bedding, or grooming tools.
Risks and Consequences
Sarcoptic mange mites burrow through the top layer of the dog's skin and cause intense
itching. Clinical signs include generalized hair loss, a skin rash, and crusting. Skin
infections may develop secondary to the intense irritation. People who come in close
contact with an affected dog may develop a rash and should see their physician.
Treatment and Control
Dogs with sarcoptic mange require medication to kill the mites and additional treatment
to soothe the skin and resolve related infections. Cleaning and treatment of the dog's
environment can be beneficial.
Demodectic Mange Mites
Mite Basics
Demodectic mange caused by demodectic mange mites is mainly a problem in dogs.
Demodectic mange mites are microscopic, cigar-shaped, and not highly contagious.
However, a dam may pass the mites to her puppies.
Risks and Consequences
Localized demodectic mange tends to appear in young dogs as patches of scaliness
and redness around the eyes and mouth and, perhaps, the legs and trunk. Unlike other
types of mange, demodectic mange may signal an underlying medical condition, and
your pet's overall health should be carefully evaluated. Less commonly, young and old
dogs experience a generalized form of demodectic mange and can exhibit widespread
patches of redness, hair loss, and scaliness.
Treatment and Control
Your veterinarian will discuss treatment options with you. Treatment of dogs with
localized demodectic mange generally results in favorable outcome. Generalized
demodectic mange, however, may be difficult to treat, and treatment may only control
the condition, rather than cure it.
Important Points
Look for fleas, ticks, and coat abnormalities any time you groom your dog or cat.
See your veterinarian if your pet excessively scratches, chews, or licks its haircoat, or
persistently shakes its head. These clinical signs may indicate the presence of external
parasites or other conditions requiring medical care.
Prompt treatment of parasites lessens your pet's discomfort, decreases the chances of
disease transmission from parasite to pet, and may reduce the degree of home
infestation.
Discuss the health of all family pets with your veterinarian when one pet becomes
infested. Some parasites cycle among pets, making control of infestations difficult
unless other pets are considered. Consult your veterinarian before beginning treatment.
Tell your veterinarian if you have attempted any parasite remedies, as this may impact
your veterinarian's recommendation.
Be especially careful when applying insecticides to cats, as cats are particularly
sensitive to these products. Never use a product that is not approved for cats, as the
results could be lethal.
Follow label directions carefully.
Leave treatment to the experts. Your veterinarian offers technical expertise and can
assist you in identifying products that are most likely to effectively and safely control
your pet's parasite problem.
parasites such as fleas, ticks, or mites on their skin or in their ears. These parasites can
be extremely irritating to pets and can cause serious skin problems or even carry
disease. Although this brochure provides basic information about the most common
external parasites, your veterinarian is your best source of advice regarding your pet's
needs. Modern medicines make treatment, control, and prevention of many external
parasites much easier than in the past.
Fleas
Flea Basics
Fleas thrive when the weather is warm and humid. Depending on your climate, fleas
may be a seasonal or year-round problem. Your pet can pick up fleas wherever an
infestation exists, often in areas frequented by other cats and dogs. Adult fleas are dark
brown, no bigger than a sesame seed, and able to move rapidly over your pet's skin.
Adult fleas live their entire lives on your pet. Female fleas begin laying eggs within 24
hours of selecting your pet as a host, producing up to 50 eggs each day. These eggs
fall from your pet onto the floor or furniture, including your pet's bed, or onto any other
indoor or outdoor area where your pet happens to be. Tiny worm-like larvae hatch from
the eggs and, to avoid sunlight, burrow into carpets, under furniture, or into soil before
spinning a cocoon. The cocooned flea pupae can lie dormant for weeks before
emerging as adults, ready to infest your pet. This gives fleas a life cycle of anywhere
from 12 days to 6 months. Knowing where fleas develop helps you to efficiently break
their life cycle.
Risks and Consequences
You might not even know that your pet has fleas until their number increases to the
point that your pet is visibly uncomfortable. Signs of flea problems range from mild
irritation to severe itching that can lead to open sores and skin infection. One of the first
things you might notice on a pet with fleas is "flea dirt," the black flea droppings left on
your pet's coat.
Some pets develop an allergy to flea saliva and this condition requires management.
Also, pets can become infected with tapeworms if they ingest fleas carrying tapeworm
eggs. Young or small pets with heavy flea infestations may become anemic, and in
areas with moderate to severe flea infestations, people may experience flea bites. Fleas
are capable of transmitting a few other infectious diseases to pets and people, but this
is rare.
Treatment and Control
Your veterinarian will recommend an appropriate flea control plan for your pet based on
your particular needs and the severity of the flea infestation.
In addition to treating your pet, you can reduce the flea population in your house by
thoroughly cleaning your pet's sleeping quarters and vacuuming floors and any
furniture that your pet frequents. Careful and regular vacuuming or cleaning of the pet's
living area helps to remove and kill flea eggs, larvae, and pupae. Pay particular
attention to carpeted areas and rugs where your pet lies.
With moderate and severe flea infestations, treatment of your yard may be necessary in
addition to treatment of your home. Your veterinarian can recommend an appropriate
course of action.
Finally, speak with your veterinarian about ways to prevent future flea infestations.
Ticks
Hosting a tick is the price dogs or, less commonly, cats may pay for investigating
shrubbery, brush, or wild undergrowth. Ticks have a four-stage life cycle, and immature
ticks often feed on small, wild animals found in forests, prairies, and brush. Adult ticks
seek larger hosts like dogs and cats who venture into these habitats. Tick exposure
may be seasonal, depending on geographic location.
Risks and Consequences
Ticks are most often found around your dog's neck, in the ears, in the folds between
the legs and the body, and between the toes. Cats may have ticks on their neck or face.
Tick bites can cause skin irritation. Ticks are also capable of spreading serious
infectious diseases to the pets and people on which they feed. Disease risk varies by
geographic area and tick species. Heavy infestations can cause anemia in pets.
Treatment and Control
Prompt removal of ticks is very important because it lessens the chance of disease
transmission from the tick to your pet. Remove ticks by carefully using tweezers to firmly
grip the tick as close to the pet's skin as possible and gently pulling the tick free. After
removing the tick, crush it, avoiding contact with tick fluids that can carry disease.
Pets that are at risk for ticks should be treated during the tick season with an
appropriate tick preventative. Your veterinarian can recommend a product that best
suits your pet's needs. Owners who take their pets to tick-prone areas during camping,
sporting, or hiking trips should examine their pets for ticks immediately on returning
home and remove any ticks from their pets. If your pet picks up ticks in the backyard,
trimming brush may reduce your pet's exposure to tick habitats.
Ear Mites
Mite Basics
Ear mites are common in young cats and dogs, and generally confine themselves to the
ears and surrounding area. Mites are tiny and individual mites may be seen only with
the aid of a microscope. Your pet can pick up ear mites by close contact with an
infested pet or its bedding.
Risks and Consequences
Ear mites can cause intense irritation of the ear canal. Signs of ear mite infestation
include excessive head shaking and scratching of the ears. Your pet may scratch to the
point that it creates bleeding sores around its ears. A brown or black ear discharge is
common.
Treatment and Control
Treatment of ear mites involves thorough ear cleaning and medication. Your
veterinarian can recommend an effective treatment plan.
Sarcoptic Mange Mites
Microscopic sarcoptic mange mites cause sarcoptic mange, also known as scabies.
Sarcoptic mange mites affect dogs of all ages, during any time of the year. Sarcoptic
mange mites are highly contagious to other dogs and may be passed by close contact
with infested animals, bedding, or grooming tools.
Risks and Consequences
Sarcoptic mange mites burrow through the top layer of the dog's skin and cause intense
itching. Clinical signs include generalized hair loss, a skin rash, and crusting. Skin
infections may develop secondary to the intense irritation. People who come in close
contact with an affected dog may develop a rash and should see their physician.
Treatment and Control
Dogs with sarcoptic mange require medication to kill the mites and additional treatment
to soothe the skin and resolve related infections. Cleaning and treatment of the dog's
environment can be beneficial.
Demodectic Mange Mites
Mite Basics
Demodectic mange caused by demodectic mange mites is mainly a problem in dogs.
Demodectic mange mites are microscopic, cigar-shaped, and not highly contagious.
However, a dam may pass the mites to her puppies.
Risks and Consequences
Localized demodectic mange tends to appear in young dogs as patches of scaliness
and redness around the eyes and mouth and, perhaps, the legs and trunk. Unlike other
types of mange, demodectic mange may signal an underlying medical condition, and
your pet's overall health should be carefully evaluated. Less commonly, young and old
dogs experience a generalized form of demodectic mange and can exhibit widespread
patches of redness, hair loss, and scaliness.
Treatment and Control
Your veterinarian will discuss treatment options with you. Treatment of dogs with
localized demodectic mange generally results in favorable outcome. Generalized
demodectic mange, however, may be difficult to treat, and treatment may only control
the condition, rather than cure it.
Important Points
Look for fleas, ticks, and coat abnormalities any time you groom your dog or cat.
See your veterinarian if your pet excessively scratches, chews, or licks its haircoat, or
persistently shakes its head. These clinical signs may indicate the presence of external
parasites or other conditions requiring medical care.
Prompt treatment of parasites lessens your pet's discomfort, decreases the chances of
disease transmission from parasite to pet, and may reduce the degree of home
infestation.
Discuss the health of all family pets with your veterinarian when one pet becomes
infested. Some parasites cycle among pets, making control of infestations difficult
unless other pets are considered. Consult your veterinarian before beginning treatment.
Tell your veterinarian if you have attempted any parasite remedies, as this may impact
your veterinarian's recommendation.
Be especially careful when applying insecticides to cats, as cats are particularly
sensitive to these products. Never use a product that is not approved for cats, as the
results could be lethal.
Follow label directions carefully.
Leave treatment to the experts. Your veterinarian offers technical expertise and can
assist you in identifying products that are most likely to effectively and safely control
your pet's parasite problem.
Click to go: Articles > What You Should Know About External Parasites