Are You Prepared for Flea Season?
The single-most common complaint people have about their pets was concerning flea infestations. Where do they come from, and more importantly, how do we get rid of them? Hopefully, I can shed some light on this subject.
Most pets become infested by fleas by just one of a few sources: from another cat or dog, from a change in environment, or from exposure to rodents. Moving from one home to another that is infested can easily case the fleas to hop on to your pets. If your Aunt Sally’s dog comes to visit, he can surely share his fleas with your precious little Fluffy. Just as easily, your precious little Fluffy can obtain fleas from that cute mouse that you’re having trouble trapping in your home.
Regardless of how your pets obtained fleas, the most important thing is to rid them of these pesky critters. Aside from causing excessive itching, fleas can also trigger allergies. Some animals have flea allergy dermatitis, caused by the saliva fleas introduce onto your pets’ skin. Just one flea can trigger uncontrollable over-grooming, leading to patterned hair loss around their legs, paw, ears, neck and most commonly, above the base of their tail.
So, what do you do if you have a flea problem? We recommend a three step approach to flea control. First, treat your pet with Capstar, a pill that you purchase at your veterinarian’s office. Once administered, this pill starts working within 30 minutes and kills nearly all of the fleas on your pet. It lasts for just one day, but it is a great tool to give your pet immediate relief from fleas. You can use this product in conjunction with any of the topical flea products listed below.
Second, you need to treat your pet with a topical flea/tick preventive that you purchase a t a veterinarian’s office. There are numerous products on the market that promise flea control, but only those purchased at a vet’s office are guaranteed b the company to work to 98% effectiveness. These products are applied between your pet’s shoulder blades, start working in 12-18 hours, and last for about one month.
Lastly, we recommend treating our house. It may seem like overkill, but your home is a cozy incubator for fleas. The life cycle of a flea is about one month, so using the right product to kill all life stages key to your success. We recommend products that contain growth regulators or growth inhibitors, as they will sit in the environment and help to treat your house over period of months. Using just prodders or trigger sprays only kills the adult fleas, but are often not effective on developing ones.
Prevention is the best advice we can give regarding flea issues. It can often take months to rid your home and pet of fleas once they become infested. Starting and keeping your pet on a once-monthly flea preventative now can truly help make your pets’ lives much more comfortable while also saving your sanity.