Flea/Tick Life Cycle
We recommend that your pets (both indoor and outdoor) remain on veterinary approved flea/tick prevention ALL year round.
Health Complications from Flea/Tick Infestation
Flea bites may be more than an itchy annoyance to some dogs and cats. They can cause flea allergy dermatitis — an allergic reaction to proteins in flea saliva. And a pet’s constant scratching can cause permanent hair loss or other skin problems. In severe infestations, fleas feasting on your pet’s blood can lead to anemia and, in rare cases, even death.
Ticks can also harm your pet, transmitting tick-borne infections such as Lyme disease, Ehrlichiosis, Anaplasmosis, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Babesiosis, and Bartonellosis. And pets can bring ticks into the home, exposing you and your family to illness from a tick bite.
Hundreds of pesticides, repellents, and growth inhibitors are available to protect your pet from flea and tick bites.
Although flea and tick products on the market have been used in millions of pets safety, side effects or adverse events may and sometimes do occur. It’s strongly recommended that you involve your veterinarian when choosing a flea and tick product, especially if your pet has any health conditions. You should also carefully read the label, the package insert, and any accompanying literature to make sure you’re using the product correctly.
Tips for using Topical Flea and Tick Products
There are many different types of flea and tick products that can be applied to your pet, and different chemicals work in different ways. That’s why it’s always important to:
Choose the right product for your pet
Choose the right product for your pet
- Work with your veterinarian to select the right product for your pet and your needs.
- Make sure the product matches your pet’s species, life stage and weight class. If the product is for use on dogs, NEVER use it cats. If using the product on a puppy or kitten, make sure it is labeled for that life stage and that your pet is at least the minimum weight specified on the label.
- Don’t apply a product to kittens or puppies unless the label specifically allows this treatment. Use flea combs to remove fleas and flea eggs, and a tick remover to take off ticks from puppies and kittens that are too young for flea and tick products.
- Talk to your veterinarian before using a product on weak, old, medicated, sick, pregnant, or nursing pets, even if they have been fine with previous uses of the product. The same goes for pets that have previously shown signs of sensitivity to flea or tick products. Tell your veterinarian about any other products you might be using or giving to your pet, because it could make a difference in their recommendations.
- Read the label carefully before use. Even if you’ve used the product many times before, read the label because the directions or warnings may have changed. If you don't understand the wording, ask your veterinarian or call the manufacturer.
- Follow the directions exactly. If the label says use weekly, don't use it daily. If the product is for use in the house or yard, don't put it directly on your pet.
- If you have multiple pets and are using spray or “spot-on,” products, apply to one pet at a time and keep the treated animal separated from the other(s) until the product dries. This is to prevent one animal from grooming another and potentially ingesting the drug or pesticide. This is especially important if the product is only for use in dogs and you have a cat in your household.
- Wash your hands immediately with soap and water after applying a product or use protective gloves while applying.
- Store products away from food or things that could come into contact with a person’s mouth, like baby pacifiers, inhalers, and cigarettes.
- Keep products out of the reach of children and pets.
- Monitor your pet for side effects or adverse events after applying the product, particularly when using the product on your pet for the first time. Side effects might occur immediately or could happen sometime later. Call you veterinarian if you have any concerns.
- If your pet experiences a bad reaction from a flea and tick collar, remove the collar immediately.
- If your pet experiences a bad reaction from any flea or tick product (spot-on, shampoo, dip, or collar), call your veterinarian right away. Depending on the product used, your veterinarian may recommend that you immediately bathe the pet, if it’s safe to do so, using mild dish soap and rinsing with large amounts of water.
The internet is a great resource for consumers to conveniently obtain their flea and tick prevention products and solutions for many of the health and well-being needs of themselves, their families and pets. Unfortunately, the internet also proliferates the sale of illicit goods and services by cultivating an anonymous and global marketplace for illegal trade, further perpetrating counterfeit products and fraudulent retailers. The best way to protect yourself from counterfeit pet pest prevention is to purchase directly from your veterinarian.
Lyme Disease
Learn more about Lyme Disease here:
www.avma.org/resources-tools/pet-owners/petcare/lyme-disease-pet-owners-guide
Preventing Lyme Disease
Lyme Disease Symptoms & Treatment
Pets infected with Lyme disease may not show any signs for 2-5 months. After that time, typical symptoms may include:
Antibiotics usually provide effective treatment for Lyme disease. However, it’s important to follow your veterinarian’s advice regarding follow-up care after your pet has been diagnosed with and treated for the disease.
www.avma.org/resources-tools/pet-owners/petcare/lyme-disease-pet-owners-guide
Preventing Lyme Disease
- Use reliable tick-preventive products. Speak with your veterinarian about what tick preventive product is right for your pet.
- Work with your veterinarian to decide whether to vaccinate your dog against Lyme disease.
- When possible, avoid areas where ticks might be found. These include tall grasses, marshes and wooded areas.
- Check for ticks on both yourself and your animals once indoors.
- Clear shrubbery next to homes.
- Keep lawns well maintained.
Lyme Disease Symptoms & Treatment
Pets infected with Lyme disease may not show any signs for 2-5 months. After that time, typical symptoms may include:
- Fever
- Loss of appetite
- Lameness
- Joint swelling
- Decreased activity
- Recurrent lameness also is possible, and the involved extremity may be tender. Inflammation of the joint can last from days to weeks, and may migrate from one extremity to another.
Antibiotics usually provide effective treatment for Lyme disease. However, it’s important to follow your veterinarian’s advice regarding follow-up care after your pet has been diagnosed with and treated for the disease.
Heartworm Prevention
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What is Heartworm ?
According to the American Heartworm Society, they are foot-long worms that live in the heart, lungs and associated blood vessels of affected pets, causing severe lung disease, heart failure and damage to other organs in the body. They are transmitted by mosquitos who have bitten an infected host.
How do I prevent Heartworm infestation?
The best way to prevent heartworms is through a regular heartworm preventative such as Interceptor Plus, Heartgard Plus, or Trifexis given strictly according to directions on the box and given regularly. It is also imperative to have your pet tested yearly for heartworms while on preventative. Heartworm preventatives are highly effective, but dogs can still become infected. If you miss just one dose of your monthly medication – or give it late – it can leave your dog unprotected.
What are the clinical signs of heartworm disease?
In the early stages of disease, dogs often have no clinical signs, especially if they are carrying only a small number of worms. As the disease progresses, clinical signs become more noticeable and include reluctance to exercise, rapid fatigue with exercise, coughing, and sometimes collapse. In advanced disease, dogs develop congestive heart failure. Dogs in congestive heart failure lose weight, have a poor body condition, breathe rapidly or with difficulty, and develop a build-up of fluid in the abdomen.
How is heartworm disease diagnosed in the dog?
Heartworm disease is usually diagnosed with a simple blood test. There are two main tests for detecting heartworm infection; one test detects adult worms and the other detects microfilariae.
Testing for Adult Worms: The American Heartworm Society recommends using the Heartworm Antigen Test as the primary method of testing for adult heartworm infection. This test is specific for adult female heartworms. Antigen is detectable by 6½ to 7 months after infection and positive results may be obtained with as few as 1 to 3 adult females in the heart.
Heartworm tretment:
Treatment involves several steps. This includes close observation and guidance from your veterinarian, rest and restriction, multiple treatments and medications and follow up testing. Once a dog is successfully free from heartworms prevention is cruical to avoid re-infection.
According to the American Heartworm Society, they are foot-long worms that live in the heart, lungs and associated blood vessels of affected pets, causing severe lung disease, heart failure and damage to other organs in the body. They are transmitted by mosquitos who have bitten an infected host.
How do I prevent Heartworm infestation?
The best way to prevent heartworms is through a regular heartworm preventative such as Interceptor Plus, Heartgard Plus, or Trifexis given strictly according to directions on the box and given regularly. It is also imperative to have your pet tested yearly for heartworms while on preventative. Heartworm preventatives are highly effective, but dogs can still become infected. If you miss just one dose of your monthly medication – or give it late – it can leave your dog unprotected.
What are the clinical signs of heartworm disease?
In the early stages of disease, dogs often have no clinical signs, especially if they are carrying only a small number of worms. As the disease progresses, clinical signs become more noticeable and include reluctance to exercise, rapid fatigue with exercise, coughing, and sometimes collapse. In advanced disease, dogs develop congestive heart failure. Dogs in congestive heart failure lose weight, have a poor body condition, breathe rapidly or with difficulty, and develop a build-up of fluid in the abdomen.
How is heartworm disease diagnosed in the dog?
Heartworm disease is usually diagnosed with a simple blood test. There are two main tests for detecting heartworm infection; one test detects adult worms and the other detects microfilariae.
Testing for Adult Worms: The American Heartworm Society recommends using the Heartworm Antigen Test as the primary method of testing for adult heartworm infection. This test is specific for adult female heartworms. Antigen is detectable by 6½ to 7 months after infection and positive results may be obtained with as few as 1 to 3 adult females in the heart.
Heartworm tretment:
Treatment involves several steps. This includes close observation and guidance from your veterinarian, rest and restriction, multiple treatments and medications and follow up testing. Once a dog is successfully free from heartworms prevention is cruical to avoid re-infection.
