It depends on the product you are using. For example, topical products and flea and tick collars, especially the cheap ones, can cause intense skin reactions. There's always a risk even with better quality products because every patient is different and will react differently. There will always be a risk of skin irritation or reaction. Another thing that most people are aware of is the neurologic side effects. That's how these products kill fleas and ticks, so the concern is whether it will cause neurologic side effects in a pet. We tend to see these problems with cheaper, over-the-counter products, but there will still be a risk even with the best products.

The biggest concern is the neurologic side effects. Have a discussion with your veterinarian to decide on the best product for your pet, taking into consideration their history, breed, and physical exam findings. One thing that would lead me to decide on a different product than I would typically choose is if your pet has a history of seizures, which could increase their risk of certain side effects. That being said, I have seen dogs with a history of seizures staying on these products without it having any effect on their seizures. So it won't cause your dog to have seizures, but those are the clinical aspects to consider when making a decision.

Generally speaking, no. If you have a severe tick infestation and you have to manually peel ticks off, that could get uncomfortable. But, it's not often painful. Flea and tick baths used to be a big thing 10 or 20 years ago, but that has fallen out of favor because products and preventions that kill them have gotten so good. We don't typically recommend any sort of dipping for severe flea or tick infestations in our hospital. We just start the animals on prevention that will kill them as quickly as possible. That is the mainstay of both treatment and prevention.

The reason that the flea life cycle is important to understand is that knowing where the products work within this cycle is helpful. Does it kill the adults, the eggs, or the larva? Where in the life cycle is it effective? I can think of one product that only has an insect growth regulator. That means that it will prevent the eggs from hatching, but it won't do anything for the rest of the life cycle. For instance, it won't kill adult fleas. Generally speaking, if we are looking for something that will treat and prevent fleas, we want something that will kill the adult quickly. That's how you make sure that the fleas won't feed and reproduce. Even if you don't have fleas in your environment, it's common for fleas to make their way into the environment through humans, especially here in Fort-Worth. They catch a ride on our pant legs, or wildlife can get into the yard. So you do need a product that will kill adult fleas before they multiply.

If your dog has fleas or ticks, the most important thing to do is to get a recommendation from your veterinarian regarding which product would be good for them. Nowadays, oral flea and tick preventions, which are prescription-level products, are used. The reason for this is that they are so effective at killing fleas and ticks as well as preventing them. There's a lot of online information that talks about how dangerous these products are. That is not the case. They have to be FDA-approved to be prescribed and used, which means they have to go through rigorous testing. With many of these products, there are risks involved, making your decision of which product to use all the more important. It needs to be a decision that you and your veterinarian make together.

We typically use oral flea and tick products in dogs. With all the thousands of doses we do yearly, we rarely see any problems. These products have very low risks and extremely high effectiveness. Unless your dog has an underlying issue, we recommend these products. Fortunately, there are other quality products to consider as well.

People tend to think that ticks transmit diseases, which they do, but fleas also transmit diseases. We commonly see tapeworms in animals that fleas have transmitted. Tapeworms are tiny intestinal parasites that look like grains of rice. Your pet cannot get them without ingesting fleas. If a flea gets on a pet and bites them, the dog or cat will get itchy, turn around, and eat them. That's how the tapeworm completes its life cycle. The thing that people are most aware of in humans, is cat scratch fever, which is a flea-transmitted disease. Those are just two among many diseases that fleas cause.

Ticks, on the other hand, are known for transmitting many different diseases. The most well-known of which is Lyme disease in humans. This is an issue of endemic severity. It isn't a big problem here in the Fort-Worth area yet, but it is a big issue in places like the Northeast, where people often get Lyme disease. Dogs are often the source of infection because ticks bite dogs that transmit the disease to people. Apart from Lyme disease, ticks also cause Ehrlichia, anaplasmosis, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever, among other conditions.

It can be tricky because you can't readily bathe them, and it is very stressful for them. The best thing to do for cats with chronic skin and ear conditions is to identify the underlying cause, especially if it's recurring. Try to lower that itch level as much as possible and keep any secondary infection under control. Discuss it with your veterinarian and come up with a plan that makes sense. If you have a hard time applying anything to your cat skin, sending you home with a medicated shampoo, which we don't do very often, or even a medicated mousse that needs water to be applied, would be stressful for your cat. We won't ask you to do that regularly. We need to find a balance that works for what we want to accomplish. We have great products that help keep the skin barrier healthy and reduce itch levels. Some products even reduce bacteria and yeast populations. Supplemental therapy includes special diets that provide additional nutritional support for the immune system and skin health. I'm a big fan of diets that include omega fatty acids.

You can do regular ear-flushing if your cat has a history of ear infections. There are many options, but we have to have a holistic approach. By that I mean that if you can't clean your cat's ears at home because they don't tolerate it, we need to find a different way or find an approach that gets your cat acclimated. At Summer Creek Animal Clinic, we have a trainer who is also a veterinary technician who provides cooperative care services. With these services, we help you get to a place where you can provide regular care by getting your cat acclimated to having their ears cleaned, taking a bath, or getting brushed. It's best to have these discussions with your veterinarian to come up with a plan that's logistically feasible for you.

Not commonly. There can certainly be reactions to something you put on your cat. Even the best flea and tick preventions and the product we use will occasionally cause a reaction. That can't be avoided, but it typically occurs shortly after you apply the product, and it's not going to be ongoing. If you're using a product that your cat has a significant reaction to, like if they're itchy and their skin's red, and you continue to use the product regularly, it could be ongoing. I often get asked, "We bathed my cat a month ago, and it's still itching. Is it because of the shampoo?" It's possible, but if your cat's having skin issues, it's mostly because of an underlying issue like allergies instead of a product. That has to be discussed with your veterinarian because there can be reactions, but it's not common.

Yes, we do see that in cats. I will say that the overwhelming majority of itchiness in cats is related to an underlying organic skin condition. It is also often other issues in the body that are causing skin conditions. There's usually an underlying cause that's not behavioral. In some cases, cats that are stressed, anxious, or dealing with high levels of day-to-day anxiety will pull their hair out, not because they're itchy, but because they're stressed. It is difficult to determine the issue in those situations. First, focus on the common things that cause cats to do that. It is often a skin condition, but it's also important to understand that sometimes, especially indoor cats, are dealing with a lot of stress that's related to a lack of environmental, mental, and physical stimulation. Work through factors like inter-cat conflict or conflict with other pets in the house. Many behavioral things impact cats that sometimes lead to them pulling out their hair. These are complicated situations, so it's best to work through those things with your veterinarian to get the best results.