NexGard – Page 4 – Second Chance AIHA Dogs

Keymaster

Rachel,
Does Sydney currently have IMHA? Or are you saying she is recovered from a diagnosis a year ago? I am sorry, this isn’t clear to me. Do you need help with this?

If your vet told you this about fleas, he is partially correct, they are a vector for plague. But, really, plague is very rare in the world. It only occurs in certain locations and the carriers are small rodents like mice. The main route of contact is during extreme outdoor activity such as camping and only in some very very specific areas.

There are a few very specific locations in rural and semirural areas in the western United States where plague infections may be found. In 2013 the CDC noted there were 4 human cases and 1 death and in 2014 there were 10 human cases and no deaths. In 2015 there was a single case of a child in Yosemite National Park and 2 in Colorado, both at camping grounds.

In general fleas are an annoyance in the household. Some dogs can develop allergies and are miserable. I would not consider death from fleas bites due to plague to be a concern to most dog owners.

I had very good advice from a breeder. She told me that the route to eliminating fleas from your household is to first start on your environment. That means really getting the yard and surrounding areas flea free. If you just treat your dog, she said, you are attempting to manage that whole area around your house and inside your house with just your treated dog. And if you have neighbors with fleas, you need to involve them in the process as well. Just eliminating them from your own yard doesn’t stop the problem.

Inside the home, you need to be a clean freak. Eggs will be in everything, carpeting, bedding etc. I saw a suggestion once that I liked, put a flea collar in your vacuum bag so that the eggs are killed inside the bag. Washing toys, bedding, furniture etc. is a must on a regular basis.

Some homes are so overrun that owners are no longer able to manage it alone. Unfortunately, this may mean that profession help is needed. Scheduling this while you are away on a vacation seems to be the best solution.

So you can see why the use of a topical is only one of many ways to reduce the population of fleas. I personally would avoid flea medications that are ingested, that is my preference. Some of these ingredients, like IGR’s are currently under scrutiny by the government as to their safety.

I am not sure why your vet told you to avoid certain topicals like Frontline. I have used that successfully on my dogs for many years. In some areas, Frontline may have been less effective, but the tick list I am on has have traced that to using Frontline product that is old and should be treated as expired. From now I use only fresh Frontline that is current for the year I am using it. I buy it from a vendor who maintains records of the dates of purchase of his stock. I carefully follow the instructions on the package concerning the exact weight of the dog, not using it on ill dogs and correctly applying it to the dog.

The advice about not buying over the counter is good and valid. Owners may attempt to use -more- of the product thinking this is better. So they may buy for a large dog and apply it to a small dog. They may not want to spend extra money on a box for a cat too and apply the canine product to the cat, harming the cat. They may cheap out and buy the small dog size for a large dog and then undertreat their dog. They may put in on once in the season and forget to use it again all year, then complain that it doesn’t work. Or they may try to stretch it out to 45 days or two months.

With Frontline they may bath their animal immediately before the application removing all the oils from the oil glands in the skin where the product settles. Then they may bath their dog too frequently, especially with astringent soaps, removing the product prematurely.

I really feel strongly that if an owner needs these kinds of products they should discuss this with their primary vet. Breed, size and health differences really alter the specific needs of a dog. Certain breeds (and mixed breed dogs with these breeds in the mix) do not do well with these products, having serious side effects. A vet will be able to determine this and help these owners find a different solution to protect them.

Finally, in my case, I try to target the things I am most concerned about and realistically have a problem with in my local area. I do protect against heartworm and ticks as both heartworm disease and tick diseases are rampant in my area. I have never experienced flea issues but certain types of worms, including hookworms, are fairly common.

To check your area for the prevalence of tick diseases, heartworm and parasites use this really cool mapping program that is kept current.
http://www.capcvet.org/parasite-prevalence-maps/

If a vet likes a product and friends have had luck, that is one the best ways to chose what you are going to use. Vets are very aware of the success of certain products in an area. They really do want to help you protect your dog. I would be reluctant to revisit a vet that is frightening me with talk about the plague, unless of course that was a factual statement: “We live in an area where plague exists.”
my best
patrice

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