[News] Rio Grande Valley Climate Perfect For Fleas

[fasteddie]

HARLINGEN, TX — The Rio Grande Valley has ideal conditions for a high population of fleas, the least favorite pest of pets and pet owners.

Fleas prefer a hot, dry climate, said Chris Morris, a veterinary assistant at Pet Care Veterinary Clinic. Fleas congregate in the shaded areas under trees and hedges and are most prevalent from mid-April to October.

Rio Hondo resident Nelda Samceda, who was shopping for a pet bed for her toy poodle at the Target department store on Wednesday, said she is careful about allowing her pet to be exposed to fleas.

"I bathe her with flea and tick shampoo," she said. "She doesn’t go outside, so she doesn’t have any problems."

Her poodle is one of the lucky few.

"Everybody’s got a flea problem," said Dr. Dean Joines, of Pet Care Veterinary. "The ones on a preventative are OK, but the ones that aren’t are real bad."

The stray animals that end up at the Humane Society of Harlingen, for example, are usually covered in fleas, giving their paws the appearance of being sprayed with pepper, one shelter spokesman said.

It’s not just the itch that’s a problem for dogs and cats.

One dog came into Joines’ office about a month ago with no blood in its veins and thousands of fleas swarming over its face, back and stomach.

Morris says that the animal clinic gets 10 to 15 complaints about fleas each week. Of these, about five per week need a blood transfusion.

"They need additional blood," said Morris. "Fleas have sucked all the blood out."

Marci Edwardson, manager of the Carefree Valley Mobile Home RV and Retirement Resort, recently moved here from Needville, south of Houston, with her dog Caesar.

On Wednesday, she brought the 8-year-old Yorkshire terrier to Joines for an examination. She had noticed white scabs on the dog.

"He scratches like crazy," she said. "He couldn’t find a comfortable place to sleep, and he kept us awake."

Edwardson was convinced that Caesar had gotten chiggers from the grass in her yard. Though Caesar is strictly a house pet, Edwardson takes him outside when nature calls.

"He hasn’t learned to use the commode," she joked.

But Joines had a different diagnosis.

"He definitely has an allergy problem," Joines said. "He’ll need a steroid injection to stop the breaking out."

Joines also prescribed a medicated shampoo to soothe the itching.

A couple of fleas were visible on the dog.

Joines said the allergy could have been caused by the grass, which the dog did not encounter in Needville, or by fleas.

The saliva and fecal matter of fleas are the most common cause of this kind of allergy.

"When they bite, they inject saliva," Joines said.

A Harlingen couple at the Target store has had two small house kittens, their first pets, for about two months.

To address the problem of fleas, they have used lotion, flea drops for the back of the neck and baths.

They selected a $2.72 spray bottle of flea killer off the shelf.

"I was looking at it," she said. "I would like something for the carpet, to prevent any outbreak."

The flea prevention products carried at discount department stores and supermarkets are not as effective as products available from an animal clinic, Morris, the veterinarian’s assistant, said.

Morris said that when it comes to flea and tick prevention products, "You get what you pay for."

Pet Care Veterinary sells a "house bomb," which keeps fleas out of the house, for $12 or more.

Other products available at veterinarians’ offices range in price from $13 to $26 for a variety of sprays, lotions, dips and bombs.

Karen Wallace, veterinarian at Arroyo Animal Hospital, recommends either Advantix or Frontline, depending on the animal’s age.

"Frontline is not toxic to people at all — we don’t have an exoskeleton — which is why I like it," she said.

[Picture: Caesar, an 8-year-old Yorkshire terrier, gives Dr. Dean Joines a lick on the face after being checked for a possible flea allergy Thursday at Pet Care Veterinary Clinic in Harlingen.]

http://www.valleystar.com/localnews_...58383_0_19_0_M

[ldenise]

Dr. Joines is my vet. I saw this article in the paper the other day. Ahia and Buckeye are both on Revolution and it works really good. This year the fleas are extremely bad around this area. I have found a couple of fleas on Ahia so I have taken to spraying our yard with misquito/flea/tick preventive. We have tile on most of our floors but the flooring that has carpeting get steam cleaned often. If I didn't do these things and others I have not mentioned we would have a real problem around here (our house). If everyone would address the situation agressively they wouldn't be as bad. Unfortunately some people don't and that makes the problem even worse. There are a number of inexpensive tactics to combat fleas and ticks. In my opinion there is no excuse for animals to suffer like they do. I feel so bad for those strays who have no one to help them.

[txshopper73]

Yup! Fleas are real bad this year. We haven't gotten hardly any rain so it's been real dry. I had found a couple of fleas on my dogs so I sprayed the yard with Diazinon and got Advantix. That was earlier last month. I've noticed that they are itching again. Gonna have to repeat the treatment. But that is a heck of a lot better than my dogs suffering from a couple of pesky fleas.

Not only do fleas suck them dry, but if a dog ingests even just one flea, they can get tapeworms, too.