Flea and Tick 101: Your Complete Guide to Year-Round Pet Protection
There are very few, if any, drawbacks to being a pet owner. They give us so much, it almost feels like we are forever in their debt. There is one thing we can do to repay them, though: keep them safe from harm. Among the many ways to establish and uphold all manner of safety tactics, year-round flea and tick prevention ranks at the top of the list.
Pet Care 101
In addition to routine vaccinations for disease prevention, spaying and neutering, excellent nutrition, and dental care (to name a few), we advocate for 365 protection against the likes of fleas, ticks, and other parasites, such as heartworm-carrying mosquitos.
The reason for this is simple. Our climate is warm enough during the winter that fleas and ticks rarely ever die off. In fact, even when temperatures dip below freezing, these bugs are hardy enough to enter a dormant stage only to wake up as soon as a warm day arrives. If a pet’s year-round parasite prevention medication has lapsed during this time, they are incredibly vulnerable.
The Trouble With Fleas
Expensive, frustrating, and time-consuming, a flea infestation is nothing to laugh at. All it takes is for a single female flea to find her way inside your home. Every day thereafter she can drop 30-50 eggs a day. Before you know it, your whole house, and more importantly, your sweet, innocent pet, is in a full-fledged flea battle.
What’s worse than having little bugs pouncing on you all the time, replicating at light speed? Flea allergy dermatitis. Many pets are allergic to flea saliva left behind on the skin during parasitic feeding. The flea bites start to itch and the subsequent scratching becomes excessive to the point of breaking the skin, causing secondary bacterial skin infections. Flea allergy dermatitis must be treated and soothed, fleas have to be fully eradicated, and then a pivot towards future episodes must be prioritized.
The Worst Imaginable
The sight of an embedded tick on a pet’s skin is truly horrifying to pet owners. Not only is it critical to properly remove the entire tick (harder than it sounds), but you have to figure out how long the tick has been there. If a tick is carrying a disease like Lyme disease, Anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, or Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, they can transmit it within a 36-48 hour time window.
A Continuous Defense Against Parasites
There are several topical and oral medications designed to protect pets from fleas, ticks, and mosquitos. We can help you find the right product for your pet’s age, size, weight, medical history, and lifestyle. These are typically administered once a month, but depending on your choice of product there could be a longer period of protection.
Amazingly, the year-round parasite prevention that kills fleas, ticks, and heartworm-carrying mosquitos either on the spot or shortly after contact also kills other internal parasites like tapeworms, roundworms, whipworms, and hookworms.
Flea and Tick Prevention for the Win
If you have further questions about the best ways to protect your pet from the diseases and worries spread by parasites, please give us a call at (916) 726-2334. Our veterinarians are always here to help your pet at Sunrise Boulevard Animal Hospital.