Monday, April 30, 2012

Fleas can cause serious human health problems

Fleas can be more that an annoyance they can cause serious disease in your family

Insects like fleas cause a wide variety of human health problems (remember the black death or bubonic plague which killed half the population of Europe in the 14th century?  This was caused by Yersinia Pestis, carried by fleas)

Recent studies have linked exposure to pets, fleas and flea-borne diseases such as the bacterial infection bartonella, which causes cat scratch fever.

Fleas linked to rheumatoid arthritis

Read article at onmedica

Fleas linked to rheumatoid arthritis Bartonella, a bacterium historically associated with cat scratch fever and transmitted predominately by fleas, may play a role in human rheumatoid illnesses such as arthritis, according to a report in Emerging Infectious Diseases.

Researchers from North Carolina State University tested blood samples from 296 patients for evidence of Bartonella infection. The patients had previously been diagnosed with conditions ranging from Lyme disease to arthritis to chronic fatigue. Since rheumatic symptoms have sometimes been reported following cat scratch disease, the researchers wanted to see if these patients tested positive for Bartonella henselae. B. henselae cause cat scratch disease and is a species of Bartonella that can be carried in a cat’s blood for months to years.

How to have pets and avoid flea borne disease

Having pets is a great part of life, but keeping them free of parasites and other diseases is critical both for their health and the health of your whole family.

The good news is fleas are reasonably easy to control nowadays.  There are some new fast, easy and effective flea and tick treatments for cats and dogs which means you just don't need to put up with itchy pets and the health risks of parasites like fleas in your home.

Read more about how effective flea control can keep your family healthy at Cairns Pet News.

Cat Friendly Vet Trip Tips

How to train your cat to love its cat cage

Cats often hate travelling to the vet.  Lets face it, cats hate anything which interrupts them spending the day lying around, eating and generally living the good life.


This Video from the Catalyst Council has some tips to make trips to the vet less stressful.

Cairns Vet does recommend all cats come to the vet in a cat carrier/cage.  A cat that is carried into a vet clinic can panic when it sees, hears or smells other animals, wheras they feel safe and protected in a cat cage. 

Cat_waiting_for_the_vet

This is made clear when we finish seeing a cat at a consult: clients always comment that the cat hides when they see the cage at home, but then they happily jump straight back into the cage when its time to go home: they know the cage is the "taxi" to get back to kitty heaven.

Read more Cairns Pet News and Cairns Vet Cat Tips