If you live in Georgia you will almost inevitably have to deal with fleas and ticks at some point; especially if you have a pet. Fleas and ticks are blood sucking parasites that, once inside your home, can reproduce and proliferate.

Fleas can lay as many as 2000 eggs within a few weeks. A blood meal is required prior to egg laying. Eggs are most commonly laid on a pet, then they fall off into your carpet. The adult flea comprises only 5% of the entire flea life cycle. Since the adult is the only one we see, imagine how many immature stages (egg, larvae, and pupae) are in our house that comprise the other 95%. Eighty five per cent of the immature stages are eggs and larvae. In the house, flea larvae and pupae will be deep in your carpet or just under the edge of furniture, not more than a few inches out of the light. Concentrating on flea control in carpeted areas is the most productive for indoor control

Ticks are very common in south Georgia. The most common ticks found in our area are the Deer Tick, Brown Dog Tick, and American Dog Tick. Ticks can be found almost anywhere, but primarily in grass, woods, or bushy areas. You generally do not see the tick when they crawl onto you or your pet but soon the tick has embedded its mouth parts into your skin and becomes firmly attached until it is removed.

The skin is a “target” for the flea & tick. They have developed ways to get past the thin epidermal layer (especially that of the flanks and abdomen, which is why it typically is localized to these areas); they can easily pierce it with their blood-sucking apparatus to access the rich network of blood vessels in the dermis. Systemic exposure to allergens is pretty much inevitable as the fleas & ticks take a blood meal.

Diseases that may be spread by fleas and ticks include the following:

1. Parasitic Dermatitis: an allergic reaction that is caused by a pet’s hypersensitivity to substances in flea saliva. Itchy, inflamed skin and papules will appear on the skin.
2. Lyme Disease: caused by a bacteria that is transmitted by the bite of a tick. Lyme disease is considered the most common tick-borne disease in the United States. Symptoms include a sudden onset of lameness that is occasionally accompanied by fever, anorexia and lethargy.
3. Bartonella: bacterial parasites that are transmitted through flea or tick bites. Bartonella invades red blood cells and uses the cell’s membrane as protection while multiplying.
4. Erlichiosis: a bacterial infection transmitted through tick bites. Erlichiae infect and destroy the white blood cells in the body of the host. Infection results in lethargy, weight loss, anemia and enlarged lymph nodes and spleen
5. Rickettsiae: bacteria that can be transmitted by flea or tick bites. Rickettsiae ailments include typhus, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, flea-borne spotted fever and tick bite fever.
6. Meningoencephalitis: an inflammatory disease that can be caused by numerous tick-borne viruses. Meningoencephalitis infects the brain and spinal cord, and their surrounding membranes. The result of infection is a loss of nervous system function.
7. Tapeworms: parasitic flatworms that can be transmitted by fleas that are ingested during grooming.