Fleas and ticks can be picked up anytime your animal goes outside, if an infested animal comes to visit, or if they are carried into your house on you or on your clothes. These pests are not only a nuisance, they can also cause medical problems for your animal.
Fleas can cause several issues. These include, but are not limited to:
Skin irritation
Secondary bacterial infections
Tapeworms
Anemia
Allergic reactions
Ticks can carry several diseases, and this year we have seen ticks and their diseases in abundance! These include Lyme Disease, Anaplasmosis, and Ehrlichiosis. We can run an in-house blood test at the clinic that checks for all three, as well as heartworms. These conditions are usually treatable once they are diagnosed.
Prevention of fleas and ticks are crucial for your pet. Flea and tick baths will kill adult pests that are present on the animal during the bath, but they do not have any residual effect and do not help to clean up the animal’s environment or your house.
Prevention Options Chewable medications are typically the easiest way to treat dogs and cats. We have three chewable options. Comfortis tablets are for dogs and cats; they only kill fleas. NexGard is a beef-flavored chew for dogs that kills both fleas and ticks. Both of these products last 30 days. Bravecto kills fleas and ticks and lasts up to three months.
Most over-the-counter flea collars are not very effective, but recently, some of the more reputable animal health companies have developed collars that work very well when used correctly. We carry Seresto collars, which kill fleas and ticks. They are different from other collars because rather than having the active ingredient in a powdery form on the outside of the collar, the active ingredient is inside the collar and slowly releases out. Seresto collars are effective for up to eight months. In addition, these collars do not have the bad odor that other collars have. It is important that the collar has good contact with the skin.
Topical treatments are applied to the animal’s skin, typically near the shoulder blades where the animal cannot lick the product off. Most topicals work by spreading across the animal’s body via the oils on its skin. It is important to not bathe your animal or allow it to swim for 2-3 days before or after applying a topical so that the product has a chance to get established.