The arrival of spring brings longer days, sunny skies, beautiful flowers, and, unfortunately, fleas!!  Fleas are small, blood sucking, external parasites that commonly affect pets.  In addition to causing discomfort, fleas have the potential to cause serious medical problems; therefore an effective flea prevention program is essential for your pet’s well-being.

Fleas have specialized mouth parts tailored for penetrating skin and sucking the host’s blood.  When a flea bites your pet, it inserts a tiny amount of its saliva into the skin.  Some pets are allergic to this saliva which results in severe itching and inflammation.  This leads to excessive scratching and chewing by the pet which damages the skin causing hair loss, redness, and bacterial infections.  Besides causing dermatitis, fleas act as the intermediate host in the transmission of tapeworms.  If your pet ingests an adult flea that is infected …

Myth: Only cats that go outdoors are at risk for parasites

Fact: Indoor-only cats can get parasites too

Cats that live indoors are most certainly exposed to parasites.  Parasites are classified into those that live inside the body (internal parasites), those that live outside the body (external parasites).

The most common internal parasites found in indoor cats are roundworms, tapeworms, and heartworms. Roundworms and tapeworms affect the gastrointestinal tract, and are both transmitted by cats ingesting the eggs. Heartworms are different – they live in the bloodstream, and are transmitted by mosquito bites. These three parasites are all easily prevented, but only roundworms and tapeworms can be treated.

Potential sources of roundworm eggs include house flies, cockroaches, mice, and potting soil. Kittens usually contract roundworms from their mother’s milk. Signs of a roundworm infestation can range from none, to a lack of weight gain, …

Myth: Indoor-only cats do not need vaccines

Fact: Indoor-only cats should be vaccinated against certain diseases, such as rabies and other viruses. Cats that spend any time unsupervised outdoors may need additional vaccinations.

It is the recommendation of the American Veterinary Medical Association, as well as the American Association of Feline Practitioners, that cats receive certain vaccines regardless of lifestyle (indoors vs. outdoors). These are termed “core vaccines.” Other vaccines are recommended when there is increased risk of a disease, such as with cats who spend time outdoors, and these are called “non-core vaccines.”

Core vaccines include those for rabies, panleukopenia, herpesvirus (aka feline viral rhinotracheitis) and calicivirus. Rabies is unique amongst the core vaccines because it is the one virus that requires direct transmission, meaning that a cat would need to come into direct contact with the blood or saliva of an …

Most cat owners have faced the unpleasantness of hairballs. Trichobezoars, also known as hairballs, are a common ailment affecting cats and result from the normal grooming behavior of cats. During grooming, loose hair is accidentally swallowed. The majority of hair passes through the digestive tract without incident. If hair accumulates in the stomach or intestines, however, it can form into a hairball. Hairballs not only cause discomfort, but they can also present a serious health risk.

Common signs associated with hairballs include hacking, gagging, retching, and vomiting. Cats successfully expel most hairballs. If a hairball becomes too big, however, it has the potential to cause an obstruction. An obstruction is a serious medical condition and requires immediate treatment. Have your cat examined by a veterinarian if you notice anorexia, lethargy, constipation, or persistent hacking, gagging, retching, and vomiting.

Although it is impossible …