Why Is Flea Treatment of Pet Dogs and Cats Important?
Fleas are important for caring pet owners because they are the most common skin parasitic infection of dogs and cats and therefore cause more skin disease than any other parasite.
But while skin disease and flea bite irritation are the most common symptoms of a flea infestation they can also be the vector for diseases such as the tapeworm which can cause anal irritation in affected dogs and cats. So flea treatment and an effective control strategy are important because if they remain the most common parasitic skin disease, there is a sense in which we are not winning the battle.
I don’t want to get into any dog versus cat debate, but within the flea world, the cat flea Ctenocephalides felis (the first ‘C’ is silent) has generally won the war for dominance on pet dogs and cats. If a survey of a pet population is performed, then it’s likely that some dog fleas would be found, particularly in remote areas, but this is uncommon and their numbers are much lower than their cat counterparts.
But then I guess it could also be argued that the term dog and cat fleas are a bit irrelevant – just because long ago a scientist named a particular species C. felis, does not mean that it is a ‘cat flea’ any more than C. canis belongs to dogs.
Of course, cats and dogs are not just infected with their species – there are also other species such as Pulex irritans the human flea; Leptosylla segnis the mouse; Spilopsyllus cuniculi the rabbit flea; and Echidnophaga gallinacea the chicken or ‘sticktight’ flea.
The common name of the stick-fast flea is derived from the fact that on biting a host, it permanently attaches using its mouthparts. This allows it to remain attached to the pet (or chicken) long after effective treatment has killed it – this may lead to the mistaken impression that the control product did not work effectively.
Another infamous flea is the oriental Xenopsylla cheopis. This is the flea responsible for causing so much fear in human populations in past times because it is the vector (along with the rat) of the bubonic plague or the Black Death – a bacterium called Yersinia pestis which is spread by flea bites. Naturally, the rat flea would prefer to infest rats but when rats are in close contact with humans there is the possibility of spread of the plague.
OK, so talk of plague doesn’t scare you much because the last time that plague occurred was in an Albert Camus novel of the same name. But there are other, still very nasty zoonotic infections in which fleas spread.
So-called ‘cat scratch fever’ is caused by the bacterium Bartonella henselae which is spread between cats by fleas. The bacterium is passed in flea feces which is the likely source of contamination of cats’ claws during their self-grooming. It is estimated that in the US around 2000 of the 24,000 people infected each year require hospital treatment for the infection.
Another disease being investigated by veterinary scientists is a condition called ‘flea-borne spotted fever’ or cat flea typhus, which is caused by a bacterium called Rickettsia felis. Interestingly, research would appear to indicate that while the bacteria is present in fleas it has not been detected in cats.
The signs in humans include rash, headache, and central nervous system involvement, with some sufferers reporting nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. Without a doubt, cat flea typhus would not be the most pleasant way to spend a few days.
I hope that I’ve convinced you that it is vitally important to maintain effective control of fleas. See your veterinarian or pet mart for an appropriate flea treatment product for your pets.
