HOW TO RECOGNIZE A FLEA & TICK PROBLEM

Dr. Van Horn – How to Recognize a Flea and Tick Problem

The Truth about Fleas
There are four distinct developmental stages of the flea: eggs, larvae, pupae and the adult flea. Flea infestations include all stages of the flea life cycle. You may be surprised to learn that adult fleas only make up about 1% of an infestation, that means 99% are pre-adult fleas lurking around. These pre-adults consist of the following:

• Flea Eggs account for approximately 34% of the infestation.
• Flea Larvae account for approximately 57% of the infestation.
• Flea Pupae account for approximately 8% of the infestation.

Flea Eggs
After consuming a blood meal, female fleas deposit eggs on the host in groups of 1 to 18. Some species of fleas can deposit up to 2000 eggs in their lifetime. Flea eggs are whitish in color and measure 1/32-inches in diameter, so they are barley visible to the human eye. They don’t usually stay on the animal long, falling off into carpeting, furniture, pet bedding, and yard — anywhere your pet may roam. Under optimal conditions, flea eggs can develop into the larval stage within 10 days, but hatching can range from 2 to 21 days after they are laid.

Flea Larvae
Almost invisible, the worm-like flea larvae settle deep within carpet fibers and under furniture. The long spines on each segment allow them to cling to carpet fibers, making it difficult to remove all of them by routine vacuuming. At this stage, they do not have legs or eyes, but they do have a biting mouth. Most feed on dried blood from the host or from organic debris present in surrounding area. Depending on the availability of a food source, relative humidity, and other environmental factors, larvae can take from one week to several months before producing a silk-like cocoon and entering the pupal stage. The optimum temperature for larval development is 65-80 degrees Fahrenheit. Relative humidity must be at least 50 percent. Any effective flea treatment must control flea larvae since of they are over half of the flea population.

Flea Pupae
The Pupal stage lasts approximately one week. During this time flea pupae are concealed by carpet fibers and other debris adhering to its sticky cocoon. Because this sticky cocoon shields them, few things can kill flea pupae. Only Linalool (a component of several Sergeant’s flea control products) can kill flea pupae. The adult flea may remain in the cocoon for up to one year, but a hungry adult flea can emerge from the pupae in as little as 8 days. Along with hunger, there are a number of things that will encourage the adult flea to leave the cocoon, including detection of host warmth, vibrations, or the breath of the host. At this time, a re-treatment must be applied in order to kill the newly emerged adult fleas and to stop the flea life cycle from starting all over again.

Adult Fleas
Adult fleas are small, brownish insects flattened from side to side. They do not have wings but are very mobile due to their powerful jumping legs. Adult fleas can live for several years and can go without feeding for months at a time under extreme conditions. Fleas can remain in a structure long after the host animal has been removed. Depending on environmental conditions, adults can breed from two weeks to two years after emerging from their cocoon. Adults prefer warm humid places and stay on the same host pet their entire life, but they will leave a host if the host dies. The adult flea is the most annoying and visible stage because they are biting, feeding on the blood of the pet and reproducing. It can cause your pet health problems such as tapeworm, various skin disorders, infections and allergies.

The Truth about Ticks
You may be surprised at how many different kinds of ticks are out there. And while you may not want to think about it, you love your pet too much to stay uninformed. The more you know, the safer your pet will be, so read on.

Cattle Tick
The cattle tick was widely seen throughout the southeastern and south central United States, but has since been eradicated with the possible exception of Florida and Texas along the Mexico border. This tick was the carrier of Texas Fever, which destroyed red blood cells in cattle. Its entire life cycle was completed on only one host, and it would attach to cattle, horses, mules, sheep, goats, deer and buffalo.

Lone Star Tick
You can recognize the Lone Star tick by a white spot on the female. It is found mostly in wooded areas and shows little host preference, attacking both mammals and birds. This tick is believed to be the foundation for screwworm infestations in cattle.

Brown Dog Tick
The brown dog tick is a southern pest but can establish itself in houses and kennels in more northern areas. It is almost exclusively a parasite of dogs but is annoying and frightening to homeowners because often it is seen on walls and furnishings if the dog is infested. It seldom feeds on humans. It is a potential vector of Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

The Gulf Coast Tick
Gulf Coast ticks are found along the coast from Virginia into Texas in the U.S. as well as in West Indies, Mexico and South America. They host on cattle, horses, dogs, sheep, goats and wolves. Attaching mostly on the inside of ears, the Gulf Coast tick plays an important role in screwworm infestation.

American Dog Tick
Found throughout North America, the adult American Dog tick attacks dogs, man, cattle, horses and other large mammals. The nymphs feed on rodents. These ticks are carriers of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Tularemia.

The Tick Life Cycle
Ticks have a multi-stage life cycle (from larvae or “seed ticks” to nymphs to adult ticks) that requires them to take a blood meal to pass from one life stage to the next. When it's ready to move on to the next life stage, a tick will bite its victim (usually painlessly) and bury its head under the host’s skin. It may remain there for anywhere from several hours to many days.

Disease Caused by Fleas and Ticks

Tapeworm
• Widespread problem for dogs, cats, rodents and man.
• It’s spread by fleas after the flea larva ingests a tapeworm egg.

Texas Fever
• Also known as Redwater Fever and Tick Fever.
• This disease is spread by ticks and mostly infects cattle where it destroys the red blood cells.
• With the decline of Cattle ticks, Texas Fever is no longer a common problem.

Tularemia
• This disease is caused by bacteria and spread by fleas and ticks, and there are only 150-300 cases of tularemia reported in the USA each year.
• Infects wild animals, rodents, domestic animals and man.
• Symptoms include an open ulcer at the bite site with painful swelling of the lymph nodes in the areas near the bite, accompanied by a sudden onset of fever, chills, headache, myalgia (muscle aches), malaise (overall feeling of being ill) and fatigue.
• Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.
• Disease is spread by ticks throughout the Western Hemisphere.
• This potentially fatal disease infects humans and dogs.
• The onset of symptoms is usually sudden and includes fever, headache, and myalgias. Chills, nausea and vomiting may also be reported. A rash usually occurs between the third and forth day of fever, and often begins on the wrists and ankles and then spreads.

Q Fever
• Carried primarily by rat fleas, Q Fever infects wild rodents, rabbits and some domestic animals, but seems to be primarily a human problem.
• Has flu-like symptoms.
• Can cause chronic endocarditis plague.

Lyme Disease
• Lyme disease is caused by an infection of Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria, following a bite from an infected Deer tick (Ixodes).
• Left untreated, this disease can be fatal.
• Infects dogs, cats, horses, cattle and man; can be diagnosed by blood tests; and can be treated with antibiotics (tetracycline or penicillin).
• Symptoms in humans include characteristic bull’s-eye rash, one-sided facial paralysis, headaches, fever, swollen glands, muscle pain and painful and swollen joints.