Flea Control

Posts Tagged ‘flea allergy dermatitis’

When we think of fleas, we usually think of the discomfort that they cause our pet dogs and cats. But fleas can also cause humans trouble too.  Just check out this photo of flea bites on a human’s foot.

Flea allergy dermatitis just basically means that you are allergic to the saliva of the flea. It most commonly is seen in dogs and cats, because they are much more likely to have flea infestations than humans.

However, when flea infestations are really bad (or there are no animals to jump onto), fleas will quite happily jump onto a human for a meal.

Now don’t panic – the cat flea cannot complete its life cycle on a human, so you won’t have your own flea infestation. But the bites can certainly be itchy, and they may possibly be infected.

If you notice any bites like these on your feet or anywhere else on your body, it is worth giving your dog or cat a very thorough check over for fleas.

If you find a flea or flea dirt on your pet, then you need to start treatment straight away. As long as there are fleas in the environment they will jump onto you and your pets to have a meal.

Whatever you do, don’t send the pets outside if you find fleas on them! This will only leave you and your family for fleas to feed on, making the problem worse.

Instead, treat your pet and let the fleas come to them (they prefer dogs and cats over humans). Make sure to treat every pet and keep treating every month.

If you do have itchy bites like this on your feet, it is also probably worth a visit to your doctor who may be able to give you something to stop the itching and swelling.

To a flea free pet!

Dr. Simon

photo: jebb

Technorati Tags: flea allergy dermatitis, flea bites, flea control, flea treatment

Sometimes flea infestations can be much worse than a simple itch. Flea Allergy Dermatitis (FAD) is an allergic skin disease that is caused by fleas. It is the most common pruritic (itchy) skin disease in the dog. Apart from being intensely uncomfortable, FAD can lead to severe complications such as deep skin infections, hair loss and scarring.

What is the cause?

FAD is caused by an allergy to the saliva of the cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis. Unfortunately for us Aussies, this happens to be the most commonly encountered flea in Australia. This is also the case in the warmer parts of America. Long coated breeds seem to be the most commonly affected. FAD is mostly seen in young adult dogs, but it can also develop in older dogs, often causing much more severe disease.

Signs of FAD

The most obvious sign of FAD is severe itchiness, leading to self trauma. This itchiness is independent of the number of fleas on your dog. This means that your dog will be just as itchy from five fleas as from fifty. In comparison, dogs without flea allergy dermatitis will show signs of itchiness directly in proportion to the number of fleas that they are carrying.

Dogs with FAD have a common pattern of redness, papules, hair loss and crusting over the base of the tail. This will eventually spread to the top of the back, perineum, thighs and abdomen if left unchecked. After a while, dogs with FAD may develop bacterial or yeast infections in these areas due to the trauma.

But my dog doesn’t have fleas!

This is probably the biggest misunderstanding about Flea Allergy Dermatitis. Logically, you would think that if your dog has flea allergies, you should be able to find fleas, right? Wrong!

Strangely enough, finding fleas on a dog with flea allergy dermatitis is often quite difficult. These guys are extra itchy, so they tend to groom themselves more often than unaffected dogs, meaning they are more effective at removing fleas themselves. Not to mention that fleas are hard to find anyway, with only 5-15% of fleas on the animal able to be found at the best of times. So don’t make the mistake of thinking that your dog doesn’t have fleas just because you can’t find any!

What can I do about it?

If you think your dog might have this disease, you really need to visit a vet. Flea allergy dermatitis is a big deal, and delaying treatment often means that the problem gets worse and worse, and more expensive to fix. Not to mention the serious discomfort your pet will feel being itchy all the time.

Your local veterinarian will be able to examine your animal and prescribe the right medication. This will generally involve a strict flea control program, anti-inflammatory medication and possible antibiotics, antifungals or shampoos, depending on the type and severity of disease.

Prevention

Flea Allergy Dermatitis is nasty business, and is a problem best avoided rather than treated. The only way to ensure your dog will not get FAD again is to maintain a strict regimen of flea control all year round. Even one bite could possibly cause a relapse of disease, so you have to be especially vigilant.

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