1 Sept 2019
Esme Hawkes
Job Title
Image © rohappy / Adobe Stock
With animals an important part of many people’s lives, ticks and fleas can cause an unwanted block to the animal-owner bond. Additionally, some parasites are vectors for disease that may cause ill health to animals and humans. By administering appropriate preventive parasite treatment at regular intervals, owners can avoid infestations.
RVNs are in a great position to educate owners on the importance of preventive treatment and, with further qualifications, are entitled to prescribe some parasite treatments. An RVN’s job satisfaction can be heightened by taking an active role in promoting parasite treatment, with the potential to gain further qualifications and take ownership of tailored nurse clinics.
This article intends to highlight problems parasites can cause, what nurses can do to help owners prevent parasite infestations, and the opportunity for RVNs to gain further qualifications.
With 53% of households owning an animal, parasites can become an irritation for people and pets alike (Murphy, 2014).
Although pets are important to many, this does not always relate to understanding the proper care required to maintain their health and welfare. While flea infestations can cause an array of health concerns for an animal (Wright, 2016), ticks are vectors for many diseases, causing health concerns for animals and humans (Elsheikha, 2013).
This highlights the importance of owner education and parasite control strategies combined to ensure the regular treatment of animals, therefore eradicating the opportunity for disease transmission.
More than 2,500 species of flea exist worldwide (Wright, 2016), with the most commonly seen flea in the UK affecting both cats and dogs being Ctenocephalides felis – most commonly known as the cat flea. Fleas are very fast reproducers – completing their life cycle in only three to eight weeks – and can lay eggs within 24 hours of mating.
It can be difficult to remove a flea problem once reproduction starts, due to larvae avoiding the light by burrowing into carpets and other furniture in houses. When fleas emerge from the pupal stage, they immediately begin searching for a host for the first blood meal, before reproducing themselves. Unfortunately, if a flea cannot find a host, it can survive for up to several days; 95% of flea problems exist as eggs, larvae and pupae (Wright and Elsheikha, 2014).
Fleas can cause anaemia, irritation and flea allergy dermatitis on affected animals. To break the reproductive cycle (Figure 1), it is most effective to kill fleas that are on the animal before they can lay eggs – this is because insecticides and house treatment will have little effect on the pupal stage and, therefore, fleas will still emerge (Wright, 2016). Also, central heating produces a warm environment, which can cause year-round issues with fleas.
Ticks can be found worldwide, with more than 900 species having been identified. They are a vector for diseases in both humans and animals – and, therefore, can be deemed a public health risk (Elsheikha, 2013). Ticks most commonly found in the UK affecting dogs and cats are Ixodes ricinus, Ixodes hexagonus and Ixodes canisuga.
Ticks in the UK have a three-stage life cycle. An egg hatches into a six-legged larva, which then awaits a host before attaching and taking a blood meal. This will then fall off the host and moult, developing into an eight-legged nymph.
The nymph will await a host to attach to for another blood meal, dropping off post-feed and developing into an adult. The adult female then uses the last host to take a blood meal before dropping off to lay her eggs and the cycle repeating (Lloyd and Blunt, 2011; Figure 2).
Lyme disease is the primary tick-borne disease affecting both dogs and humans in the UK, with the incidence of reported diseases in the human population increasing. Dogs have an increased opportunity to pick up ticks carrying Borrelia species, with a seasonal peak in the spring and autumn months (Wright, 2015) – highlighting the importance of owner education in the prevention of ticks to lower the risk to both animal and human health.
A lack of owner understanding plays a big role in the failure of preventive treatment in UK pets (Murphy, 2014).
RVNs play a vital part in ensuring owners are aware of the implications of bad preventive practice and educating owners on how to care for their animal adequately, to prevent any unnecessary suffering (Wiggins, 2016).
The main goal of a nurse clinic is to nurture the relationship between the client and the practice (Wiggins, 2016).
RVNs are in a good position to educate owners due to potentially having longer consultation times. It may also be perceived that RVNs are deemed more approachable and owners feel they can ask questions they may otherwise feel they can’t ask a vet (Richmond, 2017).
It is an RVN’s duty of care to ensure an owner is educated adequately on caring for his or her animal, be a source of information and generally support the client-animal bond.
With an increase in knowledge and understanding comes better client compliance with health plans and preventive treatment for their pets – subsequently aiding the animal’s health and welfare.
RVNs can advise owners of schemes, such as preventive health plans, the practice may offer – for example, monthly parasite treatment and vaccination plans. This is something that will not only bond the client to the practice throughout the year, but also bond the RVN to the animal (Richmond, 2017).
Parasite control plans are becoming much sought-after, with a higher understanding of the risks of parasite diseases to both animals and humans (Wright, 2017). It is also important these are advertised by the practice, allowing owners to grasp a better understanding of what an RVN can do.
With an RVN’s duty of care to educate owners on parasite control, it would be beneficial for RVNs to also be able to prescribe parasite treatment – therefore meaning the client does not have to see a vet. RVNs can ask a variety of questions to ascertain an appropriate parasite control plan for an animal – in turn increasing client compliance and a good rapport (Richmond, 2017).
With the ability to self-regulate their consultations and outcome with appropriate parasite treatment and plan, RVNs are likely to feel more empowered and stimulated within their field. This will give RVNs a sense of pride, and further strengthen their bond with clients and animals alike.
RVNs can undertake a course enabling them to qualify as an SQP – for small animal practice, it is more beneficial for an RVN to study companion animals, therefore earning the postnominal companion animal SQP (C-SQP). This is regulated by the Animal Medicines Training Regulatory Authority. CPD must be undertaken each year to re-register – this is based on a points system to ensure C-SQPs are fully up to date with the most recent information and, therefore, providing the highest standard of care.
This qualification allows RVNs to be better equipped with current knowledge to run a successful parasite clinic, with the skills to educate clients and prescribe certain medications. SQPs can prescribe medication within the following categories:
The SQP qualification can be argued to be an important part of an RVN’s role, allowing him or her to run fully tailored clinics – therefore increasing job satisfaction and motivation to carry on his or her studies as an RVN.
Ticks and fleas can cause a barrier between a pet and its owner. With a good level of knowledge, an owner can become compliant in preventive treatment – therefore improving the health and welfare of his or her animal.
RVNs play a vital role in this, as they have the ability to spend time with owners and their animal to devise a tailored plan, and can answer questions and educate owners, increasing the likelihood of client compliance with such preventive health plans. With the ability to gain further qualifications, RVNs can also increase their job satisfaction while doing so – creating a “win-win” situation for RVNs, clients and their animals.
