Chickens Share Backyards and Pests With Dogs, Cats
LOS ANGELES — Jul 30, 2014, 9:51 AM ET
By SUE MANNING Associated Press
Associated Press
The popular push for locally produced food has spawned flocks of backyard chickens in urban neighborhoods nationwide, but people may not realize that feasting on fresh eggs can mean subjecting their more typical household pets to pain from a new pest that hitches a ride on hens.
The poultry flea has been added to a list of parasites, venomous insects and other bothersome pests that take a bite out of dogs and cats every summer, veterinarians said. These bloodsucking pests are different from the most common fleas in the U.S. because they embed their tiny bodies into an animal’s flesh. Poultry fleas aren’t known to transmit disease but can cause infection when they sink into skin.
“You see them on pets that are around environments with chickens, which are becoming more common now that so many people have backyard flocks,” said Dr. Julie Meadows from the Community Practice Service at University of California, Davis, Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital.
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