Animal Hospital | McQueen Animal Hospital

Fleas and Your Pet

Post published:November 17, 2020

Fleas are endemic to most of the places throughout the world, including here in Ontario. While thankfully fleas are not active in the outdoor environment during the winter months, your pet can easily become infested with fleas if they frequent the outdoors in spring, summer, and fall without and preventative medication protecting them.

If you suspect your pet has fleas, please feel free to give out clinic a call and book an appointment with us so our experienced veterinarians may effectively treat your pet and household environment.

Does Natural Flea Prevention/Treatment Work?

Unfortunately, there is no highly effective natural flea prevention product currently on the market.

For natural flea sprays to be effective, they need to be constantly applied, rendering them fairly useless. Methods like frequent monthly bathing can be somewhat effective in preventing flea infestations.

Something to always keep in mind is that “natural” does not necessarily mean “safe” and Non-toxic”. Many essential oils can be toxic to your pet, some create skin eruptions, dermatitis, or they can be toxic upon ingestion during grooming. Additionally, the strong odour of these products can irritate your pet’s sensitive respiratory system, all of this in addition to their poor efficacy.

Does Garlic Prevent Fleas?

This old wives tale has done more harm than good to many pets. Plants like onions, leeks, garlic, shallots, scallions, chives, all are part of the Alliaceae family and are actually toxic to cats and dogs. In addition to being toxic, garlic does not protect your pet from or kill fleas.

Flea Life Cycle

Fleas are notoriously difficult to get rid of, below are some facts which prove just how difficult a flea infestation can be to manage.

Fleas are very hardy and can survive a trip through the washing machine
Once adult fleas finish feeding on your pet, they hop off into your home (which is why its important to treat the environment as well as the pet!)
Only 5% of the flea population is adult fleas, the remaining 95% are eggs, larvae and pupae
The transformation from egg to adult can take just 12–22 days
A single adult flea can lay 50 eggs a day (2,000 in her lifetime)

The Best Way to Combat Fleas

The best way to avoid dealing with a flea infestation is to prevent it from ever happening in the first place! During the warm weather months here in Ontario (from March until November) it is advised that you have your pets on monthly flea and tick preventatives in order to prevent a flea infestation from occurring.

At McQueen Animal Hospital, we offer many veterinary grade preventative products in oral and topical forms which you can give to your pet in order to protect them from getting fleas (and many other internal and external parasites too).

Myths About Fleas

If only one pet has fleas in the house, or only one pet goes outside, you only need to treat and use preventatives on that pet
- This is FALSE! If you have a dog that goes outside and have cats inside, it’s a good idea to have ALL pets on flea preventative medication
“I’ve never had a flea problem before, so I shouldn’t worry about fleas”
- Fleas are present in most places in our world, and they are almost always present in the outside environment, all it takes is one of these fleas jumping on your pet and you could be dealing with an infestation

The best way to treat fleas is to treat every pet in the house and the household environment.

How to Find Fleas

Get a flea comb; you can purchase a flea comb at your local pet store and brush through your pet’s coat looking for fleas or flea dirt
Look for Flea Dirt; flea dirt is basically flea feces, it appears as black flecks, but once you place it on a damp paper towel it bleeds a red-orange colour (digested blood)

How to Treat Fleas

Do not waste your money on false, ineffective products. First consult with a veterinarian and purchase products accordingly.

Use an effective product which has studies to backup its effectiveness and is “licensed” to kill fleas
Understand hot to correctly apply or administer the product, this includes dosage intervals and routes of administration
Apply to ALL pets in the home
Treat the environment, at McQueen Animal Hospital we offer Siphotrol Premise Spray which is an environmental spray which kills fleas

Your pet needs protection from fleas and other internal and external parasites, and only you can provide them with that protection. Prevention is always the best medicine and ensures that your pet never deals with the discomfort of flea allergy dermatitis. Stay vigilant of your pet during flea season, and always consult your veterinarian if you suspect your pet has flea allergies or you would like to purchase some preventative medication.

McQueen Animal Hospital is proud to provide you with finest quality services in animal care in the Brampton region; we are located at 8975 McLaughlin Road, L6Y 0Z6 and are happy to answer any of your questions via phone at 905-455-7387.

Author: Jessica Wilkans, RVT at McQueen Animal Hospital

What Is Feline Leukemia Virus?

Post published:October 21, 2020

Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) is the second leading cause of death in cats, the viral disease unfortunately kills 85% of persistently infected felines within three years of diagnosis. The virus often causes anemia and lymphoma and since the disease suppresses the immune system, it also predisposes cats to deadly infections.

There is some good news however, about 70% of cats who encounter the virus are able to resist infection or eliminate the virus on their own.

Transmission

Feline leukemia only infects cats, FeLV is passed from one cat to another through saliva, blood, urine and feces. The virus thankfully only lives for a few hours outside the hosts body. Kittens can contract the disease in utero or by nursing an infected Queen’s milk. The disease is often spread by seemingly healthy cats, so even if a cat appears healthy, it may be infected and transmitting the virus.

Feline Risk Factors

Kittens and young adult cats are more likely to contract FeLV if they come into contact with the virus as compared to older cats, it is thought that resistance increases with age. For strictly indoor cats, the risk of contracting FeLV is low. Felines living in multi-cat households or in shelters and pet stores are more at risk, especially if they share common spaces and litterboxes and bowls.

Symptoms

FeLV positive cats may exhibit one or more of the following symptoms:
Pale gums or jaundice
Enlarged lymph nodes
Bladder/skin/respiratory infections
Weight loss and loss of appetite
Poor coat
Weakness and lethargy
Fever
Diarrhea
Breathing problems
Reproductive problems
Stomatitis (inflammation of the mouth)

Diagnosis

An ELISA blood test can identify if the FeLV proteins are present in your cats’ blood, this test can be performed at McQueen Animal Hospital at your request. The test is highly sensitive and identifies infections early. However, remember that some cats will clear the infection in a few months and will then test negative.

The IFA blood test detects the progressive infection phase, if a cat tests positive in the IFA blood test they will likely not clear the virus. This test can be performed at a laboratory and if a cat tests positive, they often have a poor long-term prognosis.

Treatment for Feline Leukemia Virus

As previously stated, a majority of cat’s die within 3 years after diagnosis. There is no cure, so treatment is supportive and aims to protect them from a secondary infection.

Protecting Your Cat From Feline Leukemia Virus

Keeping your cat indoors and away from infected cats will prevent your cat from contracting FeLV. At McQueen Animal Hospital, the FeLV vaccine is optional and costs $30 to receive.

New cats or kittens over eight weeks of age should ideally be tested before entering multi-cat households. If a cat is FeLV positive, ideally it should be housed alone as to not risk infection of any other felines. Additionally, the stress of adding another feline to the household could induce an infection in the FeLV positive cat.

Author: Jessica Wilkans, RVT at McQueen Animal Hospital

Common Houseplants That Are Toxic to Your Pets

Post published:September 30, 2020

A cozy home full of beautiful blooming plants is wonderful sight to many of us, but to our younger furry companions such a luscious indoor garden could be a risky scene.

Don’t worry, this article won’t make you chose between your four legged or four leaved friends as generally, mature cats and dogs will not munch on toxic house plants – so its safe to keep them around.

However, much younger puppies and kittens who can’t seem to keep their gnawing teeth off anything in the house might act otherwise. It is recommended that when you are puppy/kitten proofing your home, you educate yourself on the dangers some common household plants present and take precautionary actions as necessary. This is often as simple as moving the toxic plants in your home to rooms/heights which are out of your pets reach.

Below is a list illustrating some of the most common pet-toxic household plants:

Lilies

Many members of the Lily family are toxic to both dogs and cats. Common examples include the Mauna Loa (Peace Lily), Daylilies, Tiger lilies, and the Lily of The Valley which are all toxic to dogs and cats. Stargazer and Easter Lilies are extremely toxic to cats, but not dogs.

Dumb Cane

Dieffenbachia (more commonly known as Dumb Cane), is highly toxic to both dogs and cats. It is recommended that Dumb Cane is kept out reach of puppies and kittens as upon ingestion, severe irritation, breathing problems, and even death can occur.

Elephant Ear (Taro)

Elephant Ear causes a similar reaction to that of Dumb Cane (as they have the same chemical toxins). Ingestion results in oral problems such as drooling, vomiting, and difficulty swallowing.

Ivy

Common Ivy (including English and Devil’s Ivy) is harmful to both cats and dogs. It irritates their oral cavity, which results in vomiting and drooling.

Sago Palm

Every part of the Sago Palm plant is toxic to your pet, ingestion can lead to vomiting, diarrhea, and even liver failure.

Aloe

A beautiful leaf succulent often consumed by humans, but toxic to dogs upon ingestion.

Eucalyptus

While the strong sent of Eucalyptus and Eucalyptus oil (a favorite oil in household diffusers) is loved by many people, our pets don’t share the same feelings. The plant and its oils can be irritating to your pet, as it is toxic to both cats and dogs.

Author: Jessica Wilkans, RVT at McQueen Animal Hospital