Flea (& tick) Prevention for Dogs

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.  Don’t wait until your home and pet become infested with fleas to try to get them under control.  This is Florida so fleas are out there, and they become even more active than usual in the spring.  Fleas can cause serious problems, such as dermatitis, anemia, tapeworms, and cat scratch fever, so be proactive and prevent problems.

Fleas are prolific creatures.  A female flea can lay up to 50 eggs a day, and this can go on for up to 100 days, which means a single flea can produce thousands of eggs.  For every flea you see on your dog, there are 100 in your house, mostly in the egg-larvae-pupa stages.

Many fleas have become resistant to the older chemicals, but there are some new products on the market that are safe and effective.  Don’t forget to treat all of the pets in the house, and if you already have an infestation, you will have to treat the house and yard too.  With so many products on the market, it can be a bit overwhelming to pick a good, effective flea prevention for or pets. Here are our recommendations:

What do I do for fleas (and ticks)?  Consider the following questions:

  1. Does your have fleas now, or do you just want to prevent a problem?
  2. Is your pet exposed to environments (apartments, condos, neighborhood walks, trails, dog parks, boarding kennels, etc.) where it at risk to pick up new fleas?
  3. Do you think you pet is at risk for ticks also?
  4. Are you treating every pet in the house?

Preventing fleas (only)

  • Sentinel or Trifexis are the best choice for most dogs.  These products prevent fleas, heartworms and intestinal parasites.
  • Trifexis may be more appropriate for dogs in high risk environments

Preventing fleas and ticks

  • Simparica Trio prevents fleas, ticks, heartworms and intestinal parasites

 Treating Dogs with fleas

  • Trifexis or Simparica Trio alone may control the problem
  • Sentinel plus Simparica or Bravecto hits the life cycle in two places
  • Treat the environment too- that’s where 95% of the fleas are
    • Indoors- Siphotrol spray
    • Outdoors- Vet-Kem yard Spray.  You only need to treat the shady, dry areas.

Treating ticks in dogs

  • Best for most situations- Simparica Trio
  • Other options- Bravecto or Vectra 3D
  • Treat the environment, same as for fleas

If you need any further advice, information or one of these products, please give us a call or come see us.  We are happy to help you rid your pets of these pests!