Fleas can leave your pet itchy and miserable, but are they really that bad? As it turns out, itchy flea bites are just scratching the surface of the issues these pesky parasites can cause.
Protecting your pet against fleas not only helps stop the itch of flea bites, but also can keep your pets and human family members safe from disease.
Read on to learn about the most common flea-borne diseases, how to prevent them, and what to look out for if your household is fighting a flea infestation.
How Fleas Spread Tapeworms
If your pet has fleas, there’s a chance that they will also develop a tapeworm infection.
Tapeworms are parasites that attach to the wall of the intestines. They feed on the partially digested food in the digestive system, often causing gastric issues and nutritional deficiencies.
Segments of the tapeworm break off and pass through the host’s feces. Tapeworm segments look like grains of rice that may appear in the feces, around the anus, or in your pet’s bedding.
Fleas are an intermediate host of tapeworms, meaning the internal parasite cannot spread to dogs and cats without first infecting a flea.
Your dog or cat can get a tapeworm infection by swallowing an infected flea while licking or grooming their fur.
Humans can also contract tapeworms by inadvertently swallowing a flea. According to the CDC, this is relatively uncommon; most cases are seen in children.
Tapeworm infections are usually not serious but should be on your radar if your pet has fleas. It’s easily treated with praziquantel, a dewormer that’s also found in some heartworm preventatives, including Interceptor Plus or NexGard COMBO for Cats. Your veterinarian can prescribe a heartworm preventative that protects your pet against tapeworms.
Can Fleas Spread Typhus?
Yes, fleas from pets can cause typhus in people.
Flea-borne (murine) typhus is a bacterial infection spread through the feces of infected fleas. Fleas poop while they feed, which can easily allow bacteria to enter the freshly broken skin.
Murine typhus is most commonly reported in the hot, humid regions of southern California, Hawaii, and southern Texas. Fleas contract typhus from possums and rats and are likely to spread the disease to free-roaming cats.
According to the Merck Veterinary Manual, typhus typically does not cause symptoms in dogs and cats. Humans can contract typhus from infected fleas that their pets may carry inside. Typhus causes fever, rash, nausea, and body aches in humans. Fortunately, it’s usually not serious and easily treated with antibiotics.
Do Fleas on Pets Spread The Plague?
It’s possible, but highly unlikely to contract bubonic plague from fleas on your pet.
The Black Death or bubonic plague pandemic that killed millions across 14th-century Europe was, indeed, contracted through flea bites. While the Bubonic plague is still seen in some rural areas today, it’s now highly treatable with antibiotics.
Today, there are fewer than 10 cases of bubonic plague in the United States annually, usually in rural areas of Western states. Thankfully, cat fleas, the species of flea that affects domestic cats and dogs, do not carry the bubonic plague.
Fleas and Cat Scratch Fever
Cat scratch fever, also known as cat scratch disease (CSD), is a bacterial infection that can spread to humans through the scratch of an infected cat. Cats contract Bartonella henselae, the bacteria that causes CSD, from fleas.
Cats infected with CSD generally do not show symptoms, though some may have mild symptoms like a fever for two to three days. Symptomatic or not, cats can carry and spread the bacteria for a few weeks.
In humans, CSD can cause fever and enlarged lymph nodes within 1-3 weeks of a cat scratch that breaks the skin, or having an open wound licked by an infected cat. CSD is usually not serious but can cause complications in young children and those with a compromised immune system.
Prevent The Spread of Fleaborne Disease
Protect your pet and your human family members from fleaborne disease by treating your pet with a flea and tick preventative year-round.
Treat your home and yard, as needed, and check your pet for fleas after spending time in parks and wooded areas. Do not allow your dog or cat to roam.
Have questions about flea prevention, or looking for personalized recommendations for your pet? Schedule a same-day televet appointment with VetLive today.
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