Protecting Your Pet From Fleas and Ticks

Fleas and ticks can be a terrible bother for your dog and cause skin irritation and itching.

However, fleas and ticks pose a serious health threat to both your dog, you and your family.

Fleas carry the bacteria that cause Bartonellosis, and heavy infestations can lead to life-threatening anemia.

Fleas also spread tapeworms.

Ticks are responsible for transmitting many serious diseases such as Lyme, Ehrlichia, and Anaplasmosis.

Therefore, protecting your pet from these parasites is one of the most important things you can do as a pet parent.

It is essential to choose a preventative that is both effective and safe for your dog.

Things to consider when selecting a product are your pet's lifestyle, hair coat, age, and health.

It is also prudent to ask your veterinarian what species of ticks are present in your area as not all tick preventatives are effective against all species of ticks.

Inexpensive over-the-counter flea and tick collars are available but are not very effective as protection against fleas and ticks.

The reason for their poor efficacy is that they only release the active ingredients in the collar onto the dog's neck.

This dosing method does nothing to repel the parasite from the rest of the dog's body.

An additional issue with these collars is that the active ingredients in them have been used for flea and tick prevention so long that the parasites have built a resistance to them and are no longer killed or repelled.
Newer generation flea and tick collars have been developed with more effective active ingredients and state-of-the-art technology.

This technology allows the collar to slowly release the flea and tick repellant onto the dog's skin, where it will spread over their body.

These collars can maintain their effectiveness for up to eight months.

All flea and tick collars have the major drawback of exposing the dog's human family to pesticides in the collar.
Collars may also cause local skin reactions in the area of the collar on the neck and can pose a choking danger to the dog if the collar gets caught on something.

Pet parents with long haired dogs should also be wary of flea and tick collars because these collars require close contact with the skin to be effective.

This dosing method may be better suited for dogs who live outside and do not come into close contact with children frequently.

Topical flea and tick preventatives are long-acting liquid pesticides applied to the dog's skin every one to three months.

The site of application varies but is commonly an area of parted hair between the shoulder blades.
There are older generation medications in this dosing method that most often contain pyrethrin as an active ingredient.

Caution should be used when using pyrethrins and their derivatives as they carry a higher risk for side effects such as skin reactions and seizures than the newer generation medications.

Pyrethrins should never be applied to cats as they are highly toxic to cats. Care should be taken to separate cats from dogs that have been treated with these medications.
As is the case with collars, there are also newer generation topical flea and tick preventatives.

This classification of products includes fipronil, fluralaner, imidacloprid, and selamectin as active ingredients.

These products are applied in one area to the skin between the shoulder blades.

The medications use the dog's oil glands to spread all over the skin and provide complete, whole-body protection from fleas and ticks.

Because this dosing method comes in a liquid form that has to be applied to the dog, pesticide exposure is possible to the person applying the preventative to the pet.

However, unlike collars, once the product has dried, the risk of exposure has ceased.

Pet parents should be aware that they will need to plan ahead as dogs cannot be bathed for two days before or after applying these flea and tick preventatives.

Not bathing the dog is necessary to allow the product to spread through the dog's coat and skin adequately.

For pet parents looking for the utmost effectiveness, safety, and convenience, an oral flea and tick preventative is likely to be the top choice.
Oral flea and tick preventatives are made in flavored chewable tablets that are fed to dogs as treats.

This is an easy and safe dosing method for the pet and pet parent.
For convenience, oral flea and tick preventatives are available for monthly and every three-month dosing intervals.
All the oral flea and tick preventatives on the market are the newest generation medications available.

The use of these new medications makes them highly effective as the parasites have not yet built a resistance to the pesticides in them.
Another advantage of oral flea and tick preventatives is that they eliminate the risk of exposure of humans to pesticides.

Side effects that may occur with the oral flea and tick preventatives are rare and usually limited to mild gastrointestinal upset.

This side effect can often be avoided by administering the medication on a full stomach.

Dogs are man's best friends and are part of our families.

As pet parents, it is our job to protect our dogs from parasites like fleas and ticks that can not only make them miserable but also cause severe illness.

While protecting our furry friends, we are also protecting our human loved ones.

The best way to keep everyone healthy is to consistently use a safe and effective flea and tick preventative medication.

If you are unsure about any medical conditions your dog may have or have any questions, please consult the advice of a licensed veterinarian.