|
Fleas
It's that time of year again! We are inundated with creepy
crawlies, many of which live on your pets. Fleas are number
one on the list and receive most of our attention.
There are numerous sprays
and spot on treatments available from your veterinarian (all
very effective), but rememeber that their effectiveness is
ruled by correct application and frequency of administration,
and also affected by our friendly fleas ability to lay eggs
in the environment, from where a huge new population can suddenly
appear.
You might be caught out
by this so look to prevention in the pet's house as well as
on the pet itself. Be warned that the flea causes 90 per cent
of all allergic skin reactions in our domestic pets, so an
infestation can lead to more than just an itch.
If your cat shows yellowy
crusty lesions around the neck, ears or between the toes during
late july/August, then it is most likely due to the aptly
named harvest mite. a little chap that causes intense itching,
and this familiar accretion. It's self limiting,and vanishes
by September, but can easily be treated with our topical applications.
Next comes the tick! So
common in Norfolk because of the high population of deer and
other wild hosts, and a proliferation of grassy,breck type
countryside.
They cause owners most
concern as the weather warms up: phone calls to us usually
report a wart/tumour or blood blister suddenly appearing,
hanging from a pet's coat! They are easily sorted out, but
don't just pull them off.
A sharp set of serrated
teeth on the mouthparts give these parasites their grip while
sucking blood, and yanking them off usually leaves these deeply
inbedded in the skin, causing possible infection and irritation.
You should kill them first with a suitable product from
the vets or smother them in vaseline to suffocate them.When
they have shrivelled up they have usually released their grip
and can be gently pulled out.
At the surgery we have
special tick removers to aid the process, which we often give
to owners to help with the next one, but be careful around
the head and eyes where most of the ticks attach. If you
leave them they will eventually enlarge and then fall off
by themselves, but they can carry diseases and set up a local
infection so be vigilant.
- A client asked me about my involvement with skunks the
other day! Contrary to popular belief, since leaving America
where I was holidaying with my good friends the Wickhams,
I have decided to leave tackling these little beasties to
the locals. The skunk unfortunately has a more potent spray
than I have!
The incident with the
skunk 
MORE
ADVICE
|
Online
vet Tim Roe is here to help you with any problems with your
dog. Please restrict your questions to puppies. As a full-time
vet, Tim is anxious not to disappoint other pet owners who
are making extra claims on his time.
