April showers brought May flowers - and fleas and ticks

Photo credit: Donnie Ray Jones www.flickr.com

Did you know that a single adult flea will lay over 500 eggs in her lifetime? Each of those eggs can develop into new adult fleas within 3 weeks, and start laying eggs of their own. That's a lot of fleas in the house. But thankfully, you can prevent that entire cycle and never have to worry about treating your furniture. Here's what you need to know about fleas and ticks.

Fact 1:  Those pesky bugs are out there right now. Ticks are active year-round in Cincinnati. Fleas survive outdoors once temperatures reach 50F, so they're back for the season. Flea numbers will increase from now until we get a couple hard frosts in the fall, usually in November. 

An adult flea lives on its host (that's your dog or cat), and lays eggs that drop off the animal and stay in bedding, carpet, upholstery, and cracks in the floor. Those eggs hatch into larvae and then pupae, then finally morph into adult fleas. The black specks that can sometimes be seen on your pet's fur is the flea poop - digested blood. You rarely see flea eggs, which are white, because they roll right off your pet.

Photo credit: kitty.green66 www.flickr.com

Fact 2:  Fleas and ticks can carry serious diseases. Fleas can transmit tapeworms and bartonella, and they make our pets itchy and uncomfortable. Ticks are even more dangerous. Deer ticks carry Lyme disease, and they can also carry ehrlichia and anaplasmosis. Lone star ticks and American dog ticks also carry ehrlichia. Since the nymph and larval stages of the ticks are difficult to see (think the size of a poppyseed underneath the fur), the safest way to handle the threat is to prevent them from attaching in the first place.

Fact 3: It's easy to protect your dog and cat against fleas and ticks.
Oral and topical medications and collars are readily available through your veterinarian and at pet stores. The Bravecto products work for 12 weeks and all the others will protect for 1 month. Here's a short list of the most reliable and safe options. We'll be happy to discuss the differences between them to pick the best for your particular pet - give us a call 513-791-7912!

Dog Oral:

• Nexgard
• Simparica
• Bravecto

Dog Topical:

• Bravecto
• Frontline
• Advantix
• Vectra 3D

Cat Topical:

• Revolution
• Bravecto
• Frontline
• Advantage
• Vectra

Collar (for both cats and dogs):

• Seresto - lasts 8 months, must be applied tightly

Fleas already in the house?
Vacuuming and laundering bedding can remove 30-50% of the immature fleas in the environment, so it's best repeated frequently. Insecticide of some sort is usually required to eliminate them completely. But if you protect all the pets in the house with one of the products listed above for 4 months straight you can break the cycle: each time a new flea emerges and jumps on your pet, it will die without laying any new eggs.
So act now - protect all your pets with an effective, safe flea and tick control year-round and never worry about fleas and ticks!