It is everyone's dirty little secret. We have all had them at one time or another, so we all know how bothersome and in some cases, deadly they can be.

FLEAS.

If you have lived in Florida long enough, you know the drill. With high humidity, high temperatures, and large amounts of rainfall, Florida is the ideal place for a flea infestation. While spring and fall are the usual times of the year we see these pesky bugs, winter is now contributing to the cause as well. With our climate changing and not having as many cold winter days, we are now starting to see fleas almost year-round.

Fleas predominately live outside the home, but in extreme cases you can become infected inside the home as well. I do not recommend treating outside unless the Fleas are extremely dense. Most local pest control companies offer flea control services for both inside and outside the home. There are also several do-it-yourself products you can buy at your local retail store that work rather well as a preventative. In both cases, make sure your pets are not exposed to the treated areas. Be sure to read the instructions carefully and even ask your pest control service technician. (Don't wait until you have a problem to treat for fleas. Be proactive). Treating inside the home is the most important. Only treat outside if area is shady, small - severely infested. All fabricated areas, carpet, chairs, couches and beds need tp be treated. Very often a second treatment is needed.

Fleas are not picky critters. While they are most known to infect dogs and cats, other furry friends are also at risk: rabbits, guinea pigs, ferrets, skunks, gerbils, and hamsters, to name a few, are also subject to flea infestation. Keep in mind with fleas it is not just the bug living on your pet that is a problem. Fleas can be the cause of a variety of diseases from allergic dermatitis, tapeworms and occasionally life threatening diseases. These can not only be harmful to your pet but to your pocketbook. Severe repeated flea infestation can sometimes even require blood transfusions! So again being proactive is in you and your pets best interest.

There are many excellent products available that can be used to safely treat your pet. Trifexis, Comfortis and Advantage products are a few that we carry at PAAH. Trifexis is a chewable tablet that kills fleas and prevents infestations, protects against heartworms, and treats and controls adult hookworm, roundworm, and whipworm infections. Comfortis is the first FDA-approved, chewable beef-flavored tablet that kills fleas and prevents flea infestations on dogs and cats for a full month. Advantage II is a monthly flea preventative for dogs that offers comprehensive flea protection by killing adult fleas, larvae, and eggs. Advantage II also treats, prevents, and controls lice on dogs. Also offer Frontline Tritak that treats fleas & ticks. Assurity is a topical treatment for cats. Trifexis & Comfortis can not be sold over the counter. We need an exam within the last year to dispense, and for Trifexis we need an up to date heartworm test. Advantage, Assurity and Frontline can be sold over the counter. Be sure to talk to a PAAH staff member so they can help you decide which product will work best for your pet.

Fleas can be nasty, dirty little bugs, but they can be defeated. In some cases you may have to repeat your treatment plan several times before you win the battle, but rest assured it can be won. Just like in people care, being proactive in animal care is the least expensive and the most effective form of treatment. Happy Flea Hunting!

Yes folks it is that time again, the Christmas holiday season is here in full force, along with the stress and angst that seems to affect most people I come into contact with. There are folks who are shopping till they drop and others who are trying to experience ALL the activities the season has to offer. In either case the stress of having all this joy and fun can be a bit overwhelming.

But what about our pets? Do they feel our stress? Are they aware that all of this hustle and bustle comes at this time of year? Whether you believe in Santa or not, whether you embrace religion or not, and if you celebrate the Christmas holiday or not, I believe that any change in our lives, good or bad, does have an affect on our beloved pets.

Sometimes it comes in the form of your pets not receiving the kind of attention they normally get because you are gone from the house more, shopping, running around doing fun things, visiting with family and friends. Whatever the case the family pets are usually left at home. Other times it comes in the form of the tone of your voice when you speak to your pet because you are more stressed. Your voice may be higher and your patience shorter. So things like your dog barking to be let outside, which normally would have been joyously received by you is now an annoyance and an inconvenience.

It is your change in behavior that is perhaps the most influencing factor on your pets being affected this holiday season. Animals, like people, are creatures of habit. We draw comfort from habitual processes and I believe that our animal friends do too. I don't know about you, but in our house at exactly 5:00 pm every night my girls let me know that it is time for dinner and they will not stop until they get their kibbles placed in front of them. They know what time it is and they don't even have a watch!

So this holiday season as you are rushing around, think about your faithful companions left at home and how all of these changes may be affecting them. Maybe you can take a few extra minutes to take them for a walk or a car ride or whatever favorite thing your pet likes to do. (if it is sleeping then you have got it made!)

And if you are so inclined maybe you can do something nice for your pet this season by scheduling a Park Avenue Animal Hospital "pampering session" with Lanelle our resident groomer. Her services include: bathing, nail trimming, skin treatments and a whole lot of TLC! Sounds like a jolly ol' time to me!

May you and your family have a very safe and happy holiday season! See ya next year.

Following the trail of candy and costumes we are now approaching the Thanksgiving holiday. Traditionally in the United States this holiday is celebrated with a feast of food, usually consisting of turkey and stuffing and other de-likables. The celebration of Thanksgiving can be traced back to the old pilgrim days when the feast was a celebration of the plentiful harvest and the giving of thanks.

I grew up with the traditional celebration of Thanksgiving, where the women cooked for days it seemed and family came from all over the country to gather together to break bread. As I have gotten older and have my own immediate family the tradition has been slightly altered but we still enjoy good ol' Tom Turkey and the breaking of bread. But our giving thanks has become more of a reflection on the good things in our lives and those who we are thankful to have in our lives.

This year will be no different except I will give our thanks, publicly, in this blog.

Here is our List of Thanks:

• First and foremost we are thankful for our health. You young folk will probably not have this on your list since most often than not, the young are already blessed with great health. But as you age and the bones start creaking you start to have a better appreciation for the days of young.
• We are thankful for our family and friends who without them in our lives, life would be pretty lonely and probably not very interesting. We love you all!
• We are thankful for the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, courage to change the things we can, and wisdom to know the difference. ( yes, I borrowed this but it spells it out pretty clear how to deal with everyday life).
• We are thankful that the folks at Park Avenue Animal Hospital do what they do everyday so that all of our pets can benefit from their caring, loving and knowledgeable manner. We give thanks for Dr. Rick, Dr. John, Terry, Amber, Kathy, Barb, Em, Jen, Korina, Carol, Becky, Laana, Mary V., Janicka, Ines, Gina, Scott and Kage. Who are passionate about what they do and it shows. While you all may not be around our Thanksgiving table, please know that you are in our thoughts, prayers and hearts as we give our thanks this Thanksgiving holiday.

We hope you all have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving holiday however you celebrate!

It's that time of year again...the holidays! First up is Halloween.

Ever since I was a little kid I have loved Halloween. And not the horror and gore type that embodies the holiday these days. It was all about having the coolest costume and the most candy collected. My Halloween adventure started around the first of October when my Mom and I started to plan what my costume would be. My Mom made all of our costumes and in looking back at some of the old pictures it was amazing the craftsmanship and creativity that she poured into making them. They were truly made with love. We celebrated 2 days of trick or treating, the night before which we called Beggers Night and then the official night of Halloween. Then we would put out our bags of candy on old newspapers spread out on the kitchen table where my parents would throw out the unwrapped candy and the kids would start trading the pieces we hated for the ones we loved. Somehow it always worked out that none of us liked the same type of candy!

These days our celebration of Halloween consists of carving a pumpkin and if we are really ambitious we carve one for each of us, including the dogs. And then there are the doggie costumes. Since our dogs are our "kids" we are compelled to dress up our babies in Halloween costumes. The one that always makes me laugh is dressing our Pug as a cat. And of course we have to dress our dachshund as a hot dog which always gets laughs from everyone else. I don't know if you experience this or not but I swear when October 1st rolls around, unlike when I was a kid and I was excited and counting the days till it was here, I just know our girls are counting the days until it is over.

If you are like us and have a similar routine of spending your hard earned cash on store-bought costumes for your pets that they hate, maybe we should to include them in the process and let them pick out their own costumes. You know, load them in the car and take them to the nearest pet store and let them sniff at all of the cute little costumes until they find one they just have to have. Maybe that has been my mistake all these years. Maybe our Pug really wants to be a hot dog and our Dachsie wants to be a cat. Oh My Gosh!!!! Have we been bad parents not allowing them to be who they really are!!! Have we scarred them for life??? Arrrgggg....

Gotta go..."Honey load up the girls we're going to Petsmart"
Happy Halloween Everyone!