Image used under Creative Commons from www.flickr.com/photos/fairfaxcounty/
I’m grateful to live in Southern California where our generally arid climate doesn't support the lifecycle of fleas, ticks, and other arthropods as well as parts of the country that are more humid and commensurately warm. As a result, fleas and ticks don’t thrive as well and infestations can be isolated to regional pockets where there is sufficient humidity, animals on which to attain blood meals (like our pets), and general lack of sanitary measures to keep their populations at a minimum.
Having lived and practiced in the Washington, DC area, I’ve seen my fair share of severe ailments affecting my canine and feline patients that otherwise could have been avoided via topical and oral preventatives and lifestyle modifications. Prevention is always the best medicine, as sometimes health problems caused by flea and tick-borne diseases can be irreversible, severely compromising to a pet’s quality of life (and an owner’s wallet), and potentially fatal.
I recently had the opportunity to contribute to an article about these pesky creatures for PetCoach author Paula Fitzsimmons. Learn more by clicking on 5 Things You Didn’t Know About Fleas and Ticks and please share it with your fellow pet aficionados. Feel free to contribute your perspective in the Comments section.
Dr. Patrick Mahaney
Please leave your constructive perspective in the below Comments section and communicate with me and follow my adventures in veterinary medicine and life via Instagram (@PatrickMahaney), Twitter (@PatrickMahaney), and Facebook (Patrick Mahaney: Veterinarian Acupuncture Pain Management for Your Pets).
Copyright of this article (2019) is owned by Dr. Patrick Mahaney, Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist and Certified Veterinary Journalist. Republishing any portion of this article must first be authorized by Dr. Patrick Mahaney. Requests for republishing must be approved by Dr. Patrick Mahaney and received in written format.
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