Fleas infecting more Green Country animals

Cats and dogs across Green Country are coming down with fleas.

Local veterinarian Dr. Rodney Robards told FOX23 his office has been dozens of flea cases over the last three months, many weeks earlier than usual. He says the mild winter we’ve had is the culprit.

“(The warm winter temperatures) didn't kill off the larva in the adults so we're getting a lot of them,” Dr. Robards told FOX23.

Robards said pet owners need to check the area near their dog’s tail for fleas.

“One thing we use is the flea comb which is a fine toothed comb and we'll just run it through and look for black powder (flea feces), if we see black powder, they've got fleas,” Dr. Robards said.

He said pet-owners needs to treat their animals immediately. There are several treatments that kill the fleas within 30 minutes and after that people should move toward preventative treatments given every 30 days.

He said fleas don’t just bite cats and dogs, but they will also bite humans. That is why Robards said the sooner your pet is treated the better the outcome will be.

Robards said heartworm is another pet ailment he is seeing more of recently. That disease is spread through mosquitoes and that insect population is very high because of the mild winter.

Robards said as long as temperatures and humidity remain high, so will the risk of these diseases and infestations for your animals.