My Pet World: Dry air, not altitude, makes fleas more sparse at high elevations
Q: I live in the Sierra mountains of California because there are no fleas. I wonder if this is a phenomenon nationwide. I haven’t seen a flea or tick above 3,000 feet. Does altitude make that much difference? — J.M., via cyberspace
A: “It’s not as much about the altitude as it is about the dry air,” says veterinary parasitologist Dr. Michael Dryden of Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Manhattan. “As far as I know, there’s no magical altitude cut-off where fleas don’t live. Of course, the higher you go, the more sparse they become. While fleas that live on dogs aren’t found where you live, there may be fleas on rodents that carry plague.”
So if you moved to the mountains to avoid all fleas, you might have to relocate to an even higher altitude.
Q: I’ve been told that flea eggs can exist for 10 years if they’re not destroyed, which is why I’ve had my yard sprayed. Also, killing fleas on the pet is not sufficient. Instead of toxic treatments, however, my veterinarian suggests I use Head and Shoulders shampoo on my pet. — E.S., Las Vegas
A: First, I find it hard to believe that your veterinarian seriously suggested a human shampoo product to deter fleas on pets. And I’m not alone. Dryden says, “I thought I’d heard them all but that’s even a new one for me. No, there are no properties to deter or kill fleas in Head and Shoulders.”
Flea eggs can survive for up to 10 days tops.
“If they don’t hatch in 10 days, they won’t,” Dryden says. The other life stages are the larvae, which can survive for up to three weeks, and the pupae, which can subsist for about six months to a year. It is true that if you see fleas on your pet, there are many more adult live fleas in your house or yard, as well as in the various other life stages, that go unseen.
Modern topical flea treatments and oral products are safe “and can be used for the lifetime of the pet,” say Dryden. “See your veterinarian to learn what’s best.” If your veterinarian is sticking with Head and Shoulders, though, I’d consider another veterinarian.
Q: My 7-year-old cat was just diagnosed with early kidney disease but has no symptoms. My veterinarian says there’s a new test to show if kidney disease is present, yet there’s nothing I can do about it. That doesn’t seem right. Any thoughts? — D.L., Hartford, Conn.
A: Your veterinarian is certainly correct that there’s no magic pill to treat kidney disease. This is likely what she’s talking about:
A revolutionary new kidney function test, symmetric dimethylarginine, now included in routine IDEXX blood panels, allows veterinarians to diagnose chronic kidney disease months or even years earlier than before, allowing veterinarians to intervene well before the kidneys are badly damaged.
“Diagnosing CKD earlier allows us to monitor these cats more carefully, and if it’s appropriate, we can begin to treat them,” says Dr. Susan Little, president of the American Assn. of Feline Practitioners.
Little, of Ottawa, Canada, said early diagnosis offers various benefits. For example, high blood pressure is common among cats with kidney disease. As in people, hypertension is silent, but it takes some effort to read in cats. Knowing a cat has kidney disease, vets may be more inclined to check the pet’s blood pressure.
Dr. Kate Pietsch of Dartmouth, Mass., says there are things you can do. Encourage your cat to drink more water. Offer more choices — bowls to drink from, fresh water and even running water (consider a drinking fountain for cats). Also, talk to your veterinarian about a moist diet, which may support kidney function.
“Most important is to stay ahead of the disease as best you can,” Pietsch says. “That means more frequent visits to the veterinarian, at least once every six months.”
Q: My 8-year-old Shih Tzu has severe separation anxiety. He follows me around the house, and if he can’t keep an eye on me at all times, he barks as if he’s being tortured. He’s also skittish. If I do so much as wave a hand, he jumps back and crouches. I don’t know why he’s this way, since he’s never been spanked or mistreated. Can you help? — T.K., Oakdale, Minn.
A: It’s apparent that your dog has at least some generalized anxiety, says veterinary behaviorist Dr. Emily Levine, a contributing author to “Decoding Your Dog.”
Just as you’d diagnose diabetes before starting insulin shots, the same is true for separation anxiety. A diagnosis must be done by a professional.
Does your pup truly have separation anxiety (distress when family members leave the house), or is he only anxious when not in the same room with you when you’re home? It’s possible to have one problem and not the other or both. In any case, Levine, of Fairfield, N.J., says, “Your dog does need to learn better how to cope.”
Of course, the question is how to do that. This depends on exactly what your dog’s diagnosis turns out to be. Your best option is to consult a veterinary behaviorist. Try dacvb.org.
STEVE DALE hosts the nationally syndicated “Steve Dale’s Pet World” and “The Pet Minute” and is a contributing editor to USA Weekend. Send questions to petworld@stevedale.tv. Include your name, city and state or visit stevedalepetworld.com.