Fleas and other parasites Summertime is a wonderful time of the year that brings the opportunity to be out of doors

more often and enjoy nature in all her splendor. The temperatures are warmer and the air is more humid and we encounter many hazards outside that can bring challenges to us and our pets. It brings itchy, scratchy, and crawly pests and other diseases that can make our pets sick and possible even lead to fatal illness. Your pet depends on you to protect them so it is important to know how to recognize different disease conditions that some with the summer season in No rth America and do what we have to do to protect our pets from these harmful par asites and diseases. The first disease that we see that has a seasonal manifestation is Lyme Disease. This disease is caused by an organism that is spread through the bite of a tick . Lyme Disease can infect a wide range of hosts, including human and dogs. Cats develop signs of the disease to a lesser extent than dogs. Infection is first es tablished in the animal after the tick is engorged 24-48 hours after initial con tact. This means that you can help to prevent infection by daily grooming. Prime Lyme disease season is from April-September. The most common sign of the disease in dogs is recurrent and acute arthritis and lameness, followed by decreased appetite and depression. It is very rare for a bulls-eye rash to appear around the site of the tick bite in pets. If left untre ated, pets can develop heart, nervous system and /or kidney complications. Your veterinarian can diagnose Lyme Disease and Ehrlichiosis, another tick-borne disease with a blood test in the his/her office. Treatment generally consists o f 3-4 weeks of antibiotics. Although antibiotics do not always eliminate the inf ection, they do improve symptoms in 2-3 days. Lyme disease can recur often, espe cially if left untreated. Methods to prevent this disease include vaccination, utilizing tick repellents y ear-round, and grooming dogs daily and inspecting for ticks, which are most comm only found about the face and ears. When selecting a tick-repellant, check with your veterinarian. Using the wrong insecticides could make your pet very ill. Cu rrently, there are two vaccines available for dogs through your veterinarian. If you see a tick attached to your pet's skin, you need to remove it by grabbing the tick as close as you can to the skin using tweezers. Don't cover the tick w ith petroleum jelly, rubbing alcohol or fingernail polish, or try to burn the ti ck with a match. Swab the area with alcohol, once the tick is removed. Fleas: For a tiny little parasite, fleas can cause great discomfort in your pet. Scratching is the typical response, however, some pets are more allergic to fle a bites than others, resulting in severe skin infections and hair loss. If left untreated, your pet could become anemic. This is especially true in very young a nd very old pets. There are effective year round flea preventatives that are extremely safe and ca n keep you from having to treat your home and pet multiple times. Be careful not to mix too many flea and tick products together. It is easy to overdose pets, e specially cats with even the mildest insecticides. Never use human or household bug sprays on your pets. Consult your pet's veterinarian about the best products for your pet's lifestyle. Tapeworm: These are long, flat segmented worms transmitted to your pet most comm only by ingesting fleas while biting at them or grooming. Symptoms include mild weight loss and the appearance of worm segments around the rectum of infected pe ts and in the stool. The segments can look like small pieces of rice or sesame s eeds. Flea control must be a part of the treatment program to prevent re-infesta tion. Humans cannot contract tapeworms from pets. Kennel Cough: Kennel Cough Disease, or Infectious Tracheobronchitis, is a contag ious upper respiratory infection that dogs acquire from contact with infected do gs or areas where sick dogs have recently been. The most common symptom is a gag ging, hacking cough that causes many owners to fear their pup has something caug ht in its throat. Some pets will sneeze or have a runny nose, have a fever, and

act lethargic with a decreased appetite, while others stay peppy and active. It may take more than two weeks for the condition to clear. Your veterinarian can d iagnose this disease and prescribe antibiotics and cough suppressants to make yo ur dog feel better and prevent secondary infections. Kennel Cough can be acquired wherever dogs come in contact with the airborne bac teria and viruses that cause the infection. Dog shows, pet stores, grooming faci lities, obedience classes, boarding kennels and the neighborhood park are all gr ounds for exposure. Discuss your dog's activities and risk of exposure with your dog's veterinarian to see if it is a good idea to vaccinate your pet against Ke nnel Cough. Heartworm: Female mosquitoes transmit heartworm disease from one animal to anoth er through a single bite. No dog or cat or specific breed is immune. Even inside dogs and cats could be at risk. All it takes is one mosquito to get into your h ouse through a screen door or an open window to jeopardize the health of your pe t. Transmission occurs when female mosquitoes carry heartworm larvae, called microf ilariae, from an infected animal and deposit it through a bite into the bloodstr eam of an uninfected animal. These larvae grow and migrate to the heart of the a nimal where they live, causing damage to the heart and the large blood vessels. By this time, heartworms resemble spaghetti. Symptoms in your dog can include co ughing, weakness, listlessness, tiring easily, and weight loss. Your pet will al so have difficulty breathing as the disease worsens, and may die from heart fail ure if left untreated. Unfortunately, it can take many months for your pet to sh ow signs of the disease, and by then there is significant damage. Early detectio n through yearly blood testing can help save your pet's life. Treatment for heartworm disease is serious and expensive. The best thing you can do for your pet is to prevent the disease by using medication prescribed by you r veterinarian. In New Jersey, most veterinarians recommend that pets be placed on preventive treatment year round. There are many forms of preventive treatment s available. Be sure to speak with your veterinarian about the one that is best for your pet.