Newcomers who ask, “When is flea and tick season in Florida?” may be surprised to hear that there’s no such thing. These parasites are present throughout the year, making life miserable for dogs and cats. More than an itchy inconvenience, fleas and ticks can sicken your pet and transmit diseases to you, too.

These parasites are most active in spring and summer. So, if you haven’t already brought your pet in for testing and preventive medication, visit our Skyway Animal Hospital team soon. Learn about the diseases fleas and ticks transmit and how to protect your cat or dog from these pests.

Diseases fleas transmit to pets

Fleas may be tiny but they can transmit a severe disease if they bite your cat or dog. Fleas can spread the following diseases:

  • Murine (flea-borne) typhus — Fortunately, this disease usually does not make dogs or cats ill. However, an infected cat can transmit murine typhus to people, who do become ill. 
  • Bartonellosis (cat scratch disease) — This disease can spread through a single flea bite if the parasite is infected with Bartonella bacteria. You or your pet can also contract bartonellosis if you get a scratch from another pet or wild animal infected with this disease.
  • Mycoplasma haemofelis in cats and haemocanis in dogs — These parasitic bacterial diseases are transmitted when fleas bite your pet, infecting their red blood cells. Anemia can result in cats and dogs. 
  • Plague — If not treated promptly with antibiotics, this terrible disease can cause serious illness or death. Dogs are less susceptible to plague than cats.
  • Tapeworms — A pet who swallows an infected flea, often when grooming, can acquire these parasites. People can also be infected, but the parasites seldom cause humans serious harm.  
  • Flea allergy dermatitis (FAD) — This extremely itchy condition is an allergic reaction to a protein in flea saliva, which they transmit to pets when they bite them.
  • Anemia — The blood loss a severe flea infestation can cause can make small kittens and puppies seriously anemic, and they may die. 

Diseases ticks transmit to pets

Tick-borne diseases that can infect dogs, cats, and people. These diseases include:

  • Lyme disease — Dogs can become seriously ill with this disease that causes numerous signs, including lameness, joint swelling and pain, fatigue, and appetite loss. Lyme disease can progress to kidney disease, which can be fatal.
  • Canine ehrlichiosis — This tick-borne disease’s signs include fever, poor appetite, weight loss, and low blood platelets that cause bleeding disorders. Dogs need prompt treatment for the best outcome.
  • Cytauxzoonosis — If a lone star tick bites your cat, they can develop this severe and sometimes fatal disease, which can cause a fever as high as 106 degrees. 
  • Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) — Fleas as well as ticks carry this disease that can infect dogs and occasionally cats. RMSF causes many unpleasant signs, including joint and abdominal pain, fever, coughing, swollen face and legs, and poor appetite. Fortunately, antibiotics can cure RSMF.
  • Anaplasmosis — The black-legged tick carries the bacterium that causes this disease in dogs. Signs are similar to those of Lyme disease and may include low blood platelets that cause bleeding disorders.
  • Babesiosis — Bites from multiple tick species can infect a dog with this disease that breaks down red blood cells. Signs include fever, lethargy, appetite loss, and swollen joints and abdomen. 

Prevention requires annual veterinary testing and medication

Since fleas and ticks can seriously harm your pet’s health, testing for flea- and tick-borne diseases is included in their annual wellness visit. Our team uses IDEXX’s SNAP 4Dx Test, which can identify several diseases, screening for Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, and ehrlichiosis as well as heartworm disease. 

Once our veterinarian has examined your dog or cat, they can recommend the best preventive medication for your pet. Preventives come in several formulations, including:

  • Injectable medication — A 12-month injection of preventive medication for your dog or a 6-month shot for your cat is the most foolproof way to protect pets, since you don’t need to remember to apply a product every month. 
  • Topical treatments — These are liquids that you apply directly to your pet’s skin in places they cannot reach such as between the shoulders, at the base of your cat’s neck, or along your dog’s back.
  • Oral medications — Many dogs and cats prefer these flavorful, chewable tablets or pills that kill fleas and ticks when they suck your pet’s blood.
  • Collars — Worn around your pet’s neck, these slowly release ingredients that kill and repel fleas and ticks. They complement other preventives.

Flea prevention is preferable to having to eradicate them because eliminating a flea infestation is extremely difficult. In addition to eradicating fleas from your pet, you need to treat your home. Using pet-safe products, thoroughly clean your pet’s bedding as well as your carpets and upholstery to reduce the indoor flea population. Keep a fine-toothed flea comb handy to grab the occasional stray flea from your cat’s or dog’s fur. 

You also need to clear fleas from your yard so that they don’t follow you back into the house. Start by cleaning up leaf litter and debris, and then use a nontoxic spray solution that our veterinarian recommends. If the flea infestation is severe, you may need a professional exterminator.

To avoid tick bites, avoid strolling with your pet through tall grass and brush that ticks like to inhabit. If you and your furry pal do take a walk in the woods together, check them for ticks as soon as you return home. Remove any ticks that have attached to your pet, and kill and dispose of them immediately. 

Contact our Skyway Animal Hospital team for more information about keeping your pet flea- and tick-free and safe from the serious diseases these pests can cause.