VPG produces guidance leaflet on managing fleas and ticks in pets
A leaflet of guidance on the management of fleas and ticks in cats and dogs has been produced for community pharmacists by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's Veterinary
Pharmacists Group.
The guidance details the signs and symptoms of flea and tick infestation
and how to treat them. It discusses the main species of flea and tick
found on cats and dogs and summarises their life cycles. A table gives
details of flea and tick products currently available in Britain.
The leaflet also includes advice that pharmacists can pass on to pet
owners about preventing infestation or reinfestation. The flea section
of the leaflet says that, because more than 95 per cent of fleas live
in bedding and soft furnishings around the house, customers should be
advised about the
importance of washing bedding and vacuuming carpets as well as treating
their pet.
The tick section of the leaflet includes advice for pet owners on controlling
tick habitats in the garden, by keeping tall grass clipped and removing
leaf litter, and on avoiding tick breeding grounds when exercising dogs
in the countryside. It also warns about the risk of humans developing
Lyme disease, a potentially fatal bacterial infection, after being bitten
by an infected tick picked up by a pet.
The leaflet can be downloaded from the Veterinary Pharmacists Group page
within the “About
the Society” section of the Society’s
website. Copies of the leaflet can be picked
up from Stand 52 at the 2005 British Pharmaceutical
Conference, which
takes place in Manchester from 26 to 28 September. Copies will also be
available at a veterinary pharmacy meeting, “Tails you win”,
which is to be held at the Society’s London headquarters on 8 November
(see p324).
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The
Pharmaceutical Journal