WIRRAL veterinary surgeon Alan Leyland, who is currently President of the Society of Practising Veterinary Surgeons, replies to questions about your pet.

Readers with queries about their pets should write to Mr Leyland via the Wirral Globe office, Catherine Street, Birkenhead, L41 6HW.

"MY cat's and dog's scratching is driving me crazy, as well as them. I've treated them in the past but the problem keeps recurring. What should I do?" writes Mrs C. Simpson, of Wallasey Village.

Alan Leyland replies:- Fortunately there is no longer a stigma attached to infestation with fleas.

Most clients accept that living in an area with a mild climate, a centrally heated home and pets, most, if not all cats and dogs will occasionally get fleas.

The problem has arisen as cat fleas (rather than dog, rabbit or human fleas) like the conditions of low humidity and warmth they find in modern housing. They have spread further and further northwards over several years.

Adult fleas live only three to four weeks. However, their numbers are constantly replenished from eggs dropping off the animal and developing into larvae, in all the nooks, crannies and carpets of the home.

Although we see the biggest problems in warm weather, conversely there are peaks of activity when it is cold outside and the heating is turned up!

Explosions in flea population numbers occur as one flea can produce hundreds more in its lifetime. Fleas are now a year-long problem.

To achieve good flea control, in the face of an outbreak, it is necessary to treat all animals in the household and the environment. Fortunately there are many good, safe products available from veterinary surgeons.

Although some vets will still recommend flea collars, my own experience is that they are only partially effective. For routine flea control it is sometimes sufficient to merely stop the development of fleas in the environment.

There are sprays for the animal and the home, spot-on preparations and tablets or injections to stop the development of any eggs produced from the treated animal.

The secret of success lies in being thorough and persistent.

Many cats and dogs are allergic to flea bites, and a variety of skin conditions can result.

The absence of evidence of fleas, or flea dirt does not rule out the presence of one or two which, if they bite their host, can spark off a reaction out of all proportion to their numbers.

What is best is a preparation which will destroy fleas on immediate contact. Most of these cases, in both dogs and cats, needs initial treatment for the reaction they are suffering. Subsequently good flea control is all that is needed.

The symptoms produced in cats and dogs can be very variable. The presence of fleas in most animals leads to scratching, in others skin disease occurs.

The classical signs are small scabs, and balding along the back of cats and more on the rump of dogs. Usually there is a lot of scratching or chewing.

However, some animals are heavily infested and appear to show little discomfort. Other cases show signs of infection sometimes in rings on the abdomen (pyoderma), dandruff (seborrhoea), or baldness.

The best advice is to treat for fleas before the worst season occurs, purely as a routine before scratching, infestation or disease is obvious.

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