Our fur friends are often subject to invasion from creepy crawlies in the form of fleas and ticks. This onslaught of pericytes can lead to other health problems if not treated early. Luckily, there is a very wide range of treatment options for flea and tick prevention for dogs. We break down a bit about fleas and ticks so you know what you are up against while also giving you information on some of our favorite flea and tick prevention products.
The Difference Between Fleas And Ticks
Fleas are extremely small, less than an 1/8th of an inch, but can multiply extremely quickly. These little pests can lay over 30 eggs a day and thrive in the fur maze that makes them almost invisable to the naked eye. While their lifespan is only 100 days, they can wreak havoc on your dogs skin an cause seemingly endless itching and scratching.
While a flea cannot fly, they are excellent jumpers and love hoping from one dog to another. So, just because your dog is flea free today, it dosent mean that he will stay that way tomorrow. This is why choosing the proper flea preventative is so important.
Ticks on the other hand are slightly larger and easier to spot. They have massive bellies that fill with blood which is sucked from their victims. Because they burrow their heads into the animals skin there is much more risk of disease transfer. Ticks also live much longer than fleas, up to 3 years.
Either one, they are both bad and are better to be prevented than cured.
Prevention Options For Fleas And Ticks On Dogs
The most common prevention options are gels that are applied directly onto your dogs skin, usually behind their neck where they cannot lick it off. Other options include oral medication that kills flea, ticks and prevents other illnesses like heartworm.
A popular alternative to oral or topical preventatives are collars. These flea and tick collars are considered to be the most natural and free from harmful chemicals or additives. They can be taken off when your pet comes inside the house as well.
Collars are a great way to product your dog if you live in a more rural area where they run free. Having a flea and tick collar is the first line of defense against pests – you just have to remember to put it on!
Other Prevention Options
Lets face it, we are going to forget to put the flea collar on every time they go out or miss a month or two of flea and tick medication. Some other ways to prevent the invasion of pests is regular baths and brushing. The more your groom your fur baby the less the chance that fleas will want to settle down. Make it hard on them with treatments and regular spa days and your dog won’t be pestered by fleas.
If you are unsure about if your dog has fleas, and don’t want to go to the vet, you can purchase a flea comb for pretty cheap and slowly brush your dogs fur with it. As you go, you will pick up any fleas in the comb – this will let you know that you have a problem.
While brushing, if you see a tick you can remove it one of a few ways. A new method that is circulating the internet is using dish soap and a cotton ball. Place a large drop of dish soap on the cotton ball. Gently press the soap side of the cotton ball onto the tick and hold. The tick will back out due and get trapped in the cotton ball. From here, you can put the tick in a bag and bring to the vet for lab tests to ensure your dog isn’t subject to any disease. The other method is using a specialized tweezer called Tick-Tongs. These let you grab and hold the tick while pulling out. You want to do this slowly so that you don’t loose the ticks head in the dogs skin.
We hope this article helps you prevent ticks and fleas on your dog. Feel free to comment below.