FLEAS AND TICKS FIND THEM AND KILL THEM

A parasite-free pet has become a myth nowadays because fleas, ticks, and worms have become quotidian parasites. And, as a vigilant pet parent, you should be very diligent in saving your pet from such parasites.

Fleas and ticks are one of the most troublesome parasites that bug your pet and take away his/her peace and good health. Hence, just read on, to get the answer to the question arising in your brain, how to save your pet from these bugs?

How to spot fleas and ticks on my pet?

If you observe your dog or cat properly, you will automatically get to know from his behavior that something is troubling him/her. The signals or symptoms of flea infestation include-

• Itching
• Redness of the skin areas like groin, neck, inside legs base of the tail
• Irritation
• Hair loss due to excessive scratching

To catch fleas you can also use flea combs to comb out the flea dirt. Place that flea dirt on a white surface and put some water on it, it will turn red. Fleas-dirt looks like black pepper specks.

Fleas, if ingested, can also transmit tapeworms to your pets and in dogs, that are allergic to flea bites, they can trigger flea allergy dermatitis causing unstoppable itching leading to skin rashes and chances of other skin infections.

Ticks don’t cause itching because they secrete a numbing fluid when then stab the skin with their jagged mouthparts to suck blood. And that’s the reason why they have to be caught by feeling the skin of your pet and searching the insides of the fur coat. They are normally 3-4 mm long tiny creeps but can grow up to 1 cm after they feed on the blood.

Moreover, ticks are also responsible for transmitting some dangerous diseases like

• Lyme Disease
• Rocky Mountain spotted fever
• American Canine Hepatozoonosis
• Anaplasmosis
• Babesiosis
• Tularemia
• Haemobartonellosis
• Tick Paralysis
• Ehrlichiosis

So, it is important to make sure that you protect your pooch from fleas and ticks.

How to get rid of fleas and ticks?

Put Your Pet On A Year Round Monthly/ 3 Monthly Flea And Tick Prevention

To save your pet from the troublesome repercussions of the flea and tick infestations, it is important to opt for safe and suitable flea and tick treatments. There are many oral and topical treatments like Bravecto, Nexgard, Ultrum, and Frontline Plus available in the market that not only treat the fleas and ticks but also keeps your pet safe from other troublesome bugs.

Flea and tick collars are also one type of preventive measure that you can opt for to save your pet from flea & tick bites, whenever you go out for a long stroll with your dog. Just put flea and tick collar and that’s it. Your dog is safe from these bloodsuckers.

Treat Your House And Yard:

A) YARD

A healthy pet is a result of healthy and parasite-free surroundings. Applying/Feeding a monthly/3 monthly flea and tick treatment to your pet is not the only thing you should do. The yard is the place where your pets play hence there is a huge risk of your pet getting infested by ticks and fleas because these parasites like bushy, damp, and shady areas to thrive.

Therefore, treating your yard with sprays containing pyrethrins and insect growth regulators, such as pyriproxyfen and fenoxycarb should be on the priority list.

Also,

• Trim the grass of the lawn often and cut the tall bushes in your yard and surroundings
• Isolate the playing area from the wooded areas
• Playground equipment should be kept away from yard edges and trees
• Avoid piling up of leaf litter and remove them (ticks like those places)
• Restrict wild animals to enter in the yard because they can bring ticks and fleas with them
• Keep wood stacks in a dry area

B) House

To eliminate the flea eggs, larvae and pupae the best option is to vacuum clean the whole house especially the surrounding that is frequently visited by your pet. Flea larvae and pupae like to live in warm and damp places like in carpet, under the beddings and cushions. So, vacuum-clean the whole house to break the flea life cycle.

Wash the beddings, curtains, carpets and your pet’s beddings with hot water. There are flea sprays that can be used to kill fleas in the house but it lasts for a very small time and doesn’t cover every corner.

Hence, vacuum cleaning is always recommended after and before getting the house treated by the flea sprays.

As far as ticks are concerned, brown dog ticks being cryptobiotic, along with some soft shelled ticks are the only tick species that are able to survive in the household conditions. So, treat your dog immediately after you diagnose the tick infestations.

The process of eliminating the ticks from the house is quite similar to flea treatment-

• Vacuum clean the house thoroughly
• Spray Diatomaceous Earth on the floor and carpet. It dehydrates the ticks and kills them
• You have to treat the places your dog has been in the house
• Hot wash yours and your pet’s clothes, beddings, carpets, and curtains
• You can use flea and tick killers as well
• Seal your house to avoid soft ticks that crawl into your house in search of the host

Make sure that you consult your vet before starting any sort of flea and tick treatments on your pet. Fleas and ticks can be a reason for putting your pet’s health in risk so please be extra careful as far as these tiny creeps are concerned.