Veterinary Medicine - November 2007 - (Page L9)

FLEA BITE FACTS Q&A frequent doggie day care, agility events, dog parks, you-bathe dog facilities, boarding establishments, groomers, and hotels allowing pets. All these facilities allow for pets to be exposed to fleas year-round, and we now see fleas in January in Portland on very well cared for pets! Pets with immune-mediated dermatoses, cutaneous neoplasia, and endocrine disease may also benefit from flea control to provide optimum management of the patient’s dermatologic disease. Ihrke: Threshold phenomenon and summation of effect are very important concepts in dermatology and allergy. The threshold phenomenon states that itching or pruritus caused by a skin disease is additive, and clinically apparent pruritus does not occur until the animal has reached its individual threshold for itch. Summation of effect indicates that the pruritus initiated by each separate individual skin disease is additive in bringing an animal above its own individual pruritic threshold. Stringent and regular flea control should be part of the regular regimen in managing any animal with skin disease. This is especially important if the dog is pruritic from other coexistent skin diseases. Allergic skin diseases, such as flea allergy dermatitis, do not exist in a vacuum. Dogs or cats with one allergic skin disease are more likely to have additional allergic skin diseases, all summating in increased pruritus. Many dogs with canine atopic dermatitis or an adverse reaction to food (food allergy) also have coexistent flea allergy skin disease. It makes sense to recommend vigorous flea control for any animal with other allergic or pruritic skin diseases. “Even when dogs are not allergic, flea bites can contribute to skin damage and secondary infections.” —Dr. Craig Griffin How do you balance the need for topical therapy, such as shampoos, and the need for aggressive treatment of flea infestation in dogs? 7 Ihrke: Unfortunately, this is a difficult balance to achieve. In my experience, all of the current topical products utilized are affected adversely by bathing. With the products currently available, I generally recommend using the newer veterinary-dispensed spot-on flea products every three weeks on other dogs and cats living in the household of the dog requiring frequent shampooing. In general, cats do not seem to see the humor in regular bathing, so I am addressing predominantly dogs with chronic skin disease. If vigorous and frequent shampooing and other topical therapy is necessary for managing other skin diseases in severely affected dogs, I use oral treatment with nitenpyram daily or every other day while frequent shampooing is required. This certainly adds expense to the therapeutic regimen but remains our current best therapeutic alternative. Griffin: Unfortunately, these two aspects of managing dermatologic cases conflict somewhat because the majority of long-lasting effective flea products are topical. Even Flea Trax I Many veterinary groups recommend the year-round use of flea and tick control products, including the: • Companion Animal Parasite Council • American Animal Hospital Association • American Association of Feline Practitioners. I Doggie day cares, agility events, dog parks, boarders, groomers, and pet-friendly hotels allow pets to be exposed to fleas year-round. I Dogs or cats with one allergic skin disease are more likely to have additional allergic skin diseases. 9

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Veterinary Medicine - November 2007

Veterinary Medicine - November 2007 Contents Leading Off The Veterinary Medicine Interview: Dr. Lila Miller Clinical Exposures Idea Exchange A Challenging Case: Uveitis and Secondary Glaucoma in a Cat Is it Immune-Mediated Neutropenia? Pimobendan Treatment in Dogs with Congestive Heart Failure CE Form Product Preview Advertiser Index Marketplace/Classifieds Mind Over Miller Special Supplement by Lilly: Flea Bite Facts Q&A

Veterinary Medicine - November 2007

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