Flea, Tick & Pest Center

You may love your dogs, but fleas don’t.

Besides being annoying and potentially embarrassing (no one wants dinner guests scratching their ankles), fleas can cause big problems. Flea bites can cause skin disorders, infections, and allergies. They also spread diseases such as Tapeworms, Tularemia, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Q fever.

Tapeworms. If a flea is infected with tapeworm larvae and is then eaten by the animal it calls home, the animal can easily contract tapeworms. Some pets eat 50-90% of the fleas on their bodies, making tapeworms a widespread problem.

Tularemia. This disease is caused by bacteria and spread by fleas and ticks. Symptoms include an open ulcer near the flea bite, swollen lymph nodes, fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, and fatigue.

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. This disease is spread by fleas and ticks. It is potentially fatal and infects both dogs and humans. Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, chills, nausea, vomiting, and a rash around wrists and ankles.

Q Fever. This is carried primarily by rat fleas and usually infects humans. It can also infect wild rodents, rabbits, and some domestic animals.