Tick and Flea Prevention

It is that time of year again, fleas and ticks have arrived.  It is particularly important to be aware of the dangers these parasites pose to your pets. Not only can they cause itching, blood loss, and in severe cases anemia, but they can carry diseases which can be transmitted to your pet and also […] The post Tick and Flea Prevention appeared first on Talent Hounds.

Tick and Flea Prevention

It is that time of year again, fleas and ticks have arrived.  It is particularly important to be aware of the dangers these parasites pose to your pets. Not only can they cause itching, blood loss, and in severe cases anemia, but they can carry diseases which can be transmitted to your pet and also to you and your family.

Find out more about Ticks (and Fleas) in this Talent Hounds article How-to-protect-your-dog-against-ticks/

Kilo the Pug got a bad case of fleas 2 years ago, when I was late with prevention. His belly was covered in bites so fast, it was scary. He barely goes anywhere except around our block so we were surprised. I got a few bites on my ankles before we cleaned everything- arghh- quite the ordeal. Our friend Crusoe the Celebrity Dachshund got quite sick from a tick bite I discovered when we both worked on a prevention campaign “No Bite Is Right”.

Flea and tick products come in a variety of forms, oral like pills, food toppers and chews, to topicals like sprays and liquids, to collars, tags and shampoos. It can be overwhelming with the many products out there to choose from. It can also be polemic as all treatments have risks and consequences. You need to protect your dog but limit adverse reactions or side-effects. Informed use is very important so read the warnings and ingredients and do your research.

Before starting your dog or puppy on any flea treatment or prevention, consult your veterinarian.

We have compiled a list of some of the best products that we found based on our own experience, reviews and friends’ recommendations (including some natural products from dog expert Carol Bryant below). I did not include collars or oral medication (which are often prescription) as we do not use them.

We also checked the product reference guide published by the independent, nonprofit Companion Animal Parasite Council and videos and posts by Dr Karen Becker – see link below.

Tick Prevention and Treatment

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Topicals