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. Be proactive and prevent problems. In general, oral products are more effective for dogs than topicals, because they are spread uniformly throughout the body and they don’t wash off. Also many fleas have become resistant to the older chemicals. 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.
What do I do for fleas (and ticks)? Consider the following questions:
- Do you have fleas now, or do you just want to prevent a problem?
- 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?
- Do you think you pet is at risk for ticks also?
Preventing fleas (only)
- Dogs- Sentinel or Trifexis (prevents fleas, heartworms and intestinal parasites)
- Trifexis may be more appropriate for dogs in high risk environments
- Cats- Revolution (prevents fleas, heartworms, intestinal parasites and ear mites)
Preventing fleas and ticks
- Dogs- Sentinel and Simparica
- Cats- Bravecto (Plus Sentinel or Revolution for heartworm prevention)
Treating Dogs with fleas
- Trifexis 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
- Other options- Bravecto or Vectra 3D
- Treat the environment, same as for fleas
Treating Cats with fleas and/or ticks
- Revolution alone may control the problem
- If not, add one or more of the following:
- Cheristin
- Bravecto
- Program injection
- Capstar
- Treat the environment same as for dogs
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!