Jill Bowen

Jill Bowen has practiced veterinary medicine in England and Texas and has taught at Texas A&M. She lives with her veterinarian husband and two cats in Blacksburg. If you have a question, please write to her in care of The Roanoke Times, P.O. Box 540, Christiansburg, VA 24068, or send an e-mail to mjbowen@radford.edu

Recent columns

• Invisible fences aren’t best option for every dog
• Wrap pets in protection this holiday season
• Take treats so horse associates you with something good
• Illness or change in environment may cause cat to stop using litter box
• Column archive

I think it is normal for dogs and cats to have fleas. When I was growing up on the farm all the animals had fleas and nobody worried. So what is the big deal?

Fleas are annoying, but they can also cause health issues with your pet. A single flea can quickly multiply and will infest all household pets, as well as furniture, carpet and the yard. A female flea can lay up to 50 eggs a day.

For dogs, use a topical application such as Advantage. Follow the instructions and apply the topical (skin) application consistently every four to six weeks between the shoulder blades. In northern climates, begin applying in early spring and ending in late fall. If you live in an area where the temperatures do not get below freezing, apply topical applications throughout the year.

Even with topical applications, you need to routinely inspect your pet and bedding areas for fleas, and you may need to bathe your animal with anti-flea shampoos or treat your yard. Fleas can easily be passed from a dog to a cat.

A single flea can bite your pet more than 400 times in a day. Typical pet reactions to fleabites  include rashes and allergic dermatitis, which can lead to hair loss. The skin of your pet may “blacken” if the condition remains untreated. Fleas can also carry and infect your pet with tapeworms. Heavy infestations of fleas can cause anemia. Some pets and people are particularly allergic to fleas and may have a stronger reaction.

If you find a flea on your pet, deal with it immediately. For every flea you see, there may be 10 more. Any time one pet has fleas, you need to treat all pets in the home. On a daily basis, vacuum or steam clean the pets’ bedding areas as well as all other areas that may be infected. Throw away the vacuum bag every time you vacuum by placing the bag in a tightly wrapped plastic garbage bag. Keep the garbage bag away from your house or in a tightly sealed garbage can away from your pets. Treat the yard with spray or crystals designed to kill fleas.

Select treatments that will kill fleas and ticks but make sure the product is free of organophosphate or its derivatives. According to the Natural  Resources Defense Council (nrdc.org), pet collars and products using organophosphates can be harmful to you and your pet. If you have young or ill pets or young children, be very careful about the type of product you use for flea control and the amount applied to your pet. Young and ill pets are the most susceptible to toxic levels of a product. Children are also at risk around certain chemicals

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My dog’s ears appear to be very dirty. Can I clean them safely?

Cleaning your dog’s ears may look easy, but it is more difficult than it looks. Dogs have long ear canals and improper cleaning can result in a ruptured eardrum, pain or lacerations of the canal.

If the ears are severely infected, they may be too painful for you to clean, and need a veterinarian to clean the ears, possibly under sedation.

To clean the ear lobe, use a cotton ball, diaper wipe or gauze sponge moistened with water. Gently rub the large pieces of dirt, wax and debris off the ear lobe. Repeat on the opposite ear.

After most of the debris has been removed with the moistened cotton ball, use a cotton tip applicator moistened with water, to gently remove the pieces of debris trapped within the cartilage of the ear. Be very careful not to place the Q-tip down the ear canal. This will cause irritation and can lead to ear trauma.

It is safest to clean only the parts of the ear you can see.