Fleas are little parasites that attach themselves to your pet’s skin and feed off their blood.

Fleas are normally picked up from the environment where other animals, infected with fleas, have been. This could be from wildlife in the park or from other areas where your pet goes.

Affected animals leave eggs behind. These eggs will hatch and eventually develop into fleas, which will then sense the vibrations and warmth of your pet nearby and the fleas will jump onto your pet.

Facts:

• 1 in 10 dogs and 1 in 12 cats have fleas.
• One female flea can lay 50 eggs per day.
• If the fleas are not kept under control, the female flea will lay her eggs in the environment. This can be the pet’s bedding, carpets, sofas, skirting boards etc.
• Even if you then kill the fleas that are on your pet, the eggs that have been laid in the environment will hatch and re-infect.

If you ever have a flea infestation on your pet, it will be necessary to ‘de-flea’ their environment too. This can be done easily with a household spray treatment and by washing any bedding on a hot wash.

De-fleaing your pet could not be simpler. All you need to do is apply Frontline Spot-On to the back of your pet’s neck every month.

It is important that you only give your pet flea treatment that is recommended for their species and weight. Dog flea treatments contain permethrin, an insecticide that is safe for dogs but highly toxic to cats.

Harvest mites, as the name suggests, are quite prominent in the UK in the late summer and autumn. It is the larvae that can cause a seasonal skin problem in dogs and cats. These 6 legged larvae are reddish/orange in colour and visible to the naked eye.

They tend to favour longer grass and are active during dry, sunny days. They congregate on the animal where there is less hair i.e. around ears, eyes and on the legs and in between toes. They are surface mites and therefore do not burrow under the skin or suck blood. The biting they do to feed causes irritation, leading to the animal biting and scratching the affected areas.

Prevention

Harvest mites are active in the daytime so a walk early in the morning will help reduce infestations. As will keeping moving, to prevent the mites climbing up onto your pet. Also avoid areas with long grass and vegetation or areas that are known to have high mite numbers.

Treatment

There is no licensed product to treat harvest mites but flea treatments that work well on the surface of the skin can help e.g. Frontline spray.
Also treatments that reduce the irritation can help, such as shampoos and skin supplements like omega 3 fish oils and vitamin E.

Neutering your pet is important for a number of very good reasons. It will prevent unwanted litters of puppies, as well as reducing the incidence of common diseases and infections. If you are not planning to breed from your pet, we would strongly recommend you have him/her neutered. Please feel free to discuss your options with the vet or nurse if you are unsure whether to have your pet neutered.

Should I have my dog castrated?

Dogs can be castrated from 6 months of age onwards.

Advantages:

• ​Castration prevents unwanted matings.
• Castration removes the risk of testicular tumours, which could be malignant.
• Castration will reduce the risk of prostate problems, such as cancer and incontinence, in later life.
• Having your dog castrated can reduce behavioural problems, such as urine marking, libido, aggression and straying from home.
• It is best to have your dog castrated as early as possible as they are more likely to succeed in overcoming these problems.

Disadvantages:

The only real disadvantage is that castrated dogs can sometimes put on weight after the operation, due to the metabolic rate being slowed down. If you continue to feed your dog the same amount as before the operation, the surplus energy will be converted to fat. The solution to this is to reduce the diet accordingly and to keep an eye on your dog’s weight.

Like all operations, there is a very small element of risk involved. Thankfully, with modern anaesthetics and equipment, we find that complications are extremely rare.

Should I have my bitch spayed?

Bitches usually have their first season from 6-9 months of age (later in some larger breeds) and this can last for approximately 2-3 weeks. You will notice a swelling of the vulva and a bloody discharge. Bitches that are not spayed will continue to have a season every 6 months or so.

Spaying can be done from 6 months of age onwards. Ideally, bitches should not be spayed whilst they are in season or during a false pregnancy. The best time to have your pet spayed is 2-4 months after a season, or ideally before her first season.

Advantages:

• The most obvious advantage of having your bitch spayed is that it prevents unwanted puppies.
• Having your bitch spayed prevents the mess and inconvenience of the season and stops male dogs hanging around, making a nuisance of themselves.
• Spaying your bitch prevents the risk of a false pregnancy. If this was to occur in an unneutered bitch, symptoms can include depression, anorexia, signs of anxiety, nesting and other out-of-character behaviours.
• Having your bitch spayed reduces the risk of mammary tumours, which can be malignant. The risk of these tumours occurring in unneutered bitches is significantly higher and increases with each season.
• Unneutered bitches can develop a condition known as Pyometra. This is a very serious condition where the womb becomes infected and full of pus. If not surgically dealt with, this infection can be fatal. Therefore, it is best to have your bitch spayed to prevent this.

Disadvantages:

• Spayed bitches can sometimes put on weight after their operation, due to the animal’s metabolic rate slowing down, causing excess energy to be converted to fat. Carefully checking your dog’s weight and adjusting her diet accordingly will prevent this from becoming a problem.
• The operation your pet has is an ovario-hysterectomy, which involves the removal of the womb and ovaries. This is a fairly major operation and, as with all operations, carries a small element of risk. Thankfully, we find that complications are very rare.

You can now save on neutering costs through our Pet Health Club. Click here to learn more.