(photo credit: Clock Is Ticking / shutterstock.com)If your furry entourage includes dogs (or cats who might venture outdoors), you already know the importance of keeping them vaccinated against diseases such as rabies, canine distemper, parvovirus, adenovirus (hepatitis), and parainfluenza, as well as up-to-date on their flea and tick meds. Now, these last ones not only protect your pet from picking up parasites and subsequently the diseases they spread, but also prevent them from passing such illnesses on to you. The term one would use for fleas and ticks is “zoonotic,” and it refers to any parasite that can be passed from animal to human.If you live in the northern US states or south-end of the Canadian provinces, it used to be that your pet’s flea and tick treatment started in late Spring - usually around early May - with the last dose given mid-September. That’s typically when I would kickstart my dogs’ programs. However, a few years back, my veterinarian suggested beginning a bit earlier. In fact, he was suggesting mid-March, given how warming trends had begun to activate fleas and ticks earlier than normal.Now, vets are recommending protecting your pet from fleas and ticks year-round. And it has less to do with the warmer weather and more to do with the evolving resilience of parasites to colder temperatures. Dubbed an “all-weather” threat to our fur kids, they no longer disappear after the first frost. In fact, they’ve been found to survive under Fall leaves and even snow. And try this for an “ick” factor: fleas don’t just survive in warmth, they thrive. Meaning that if your dog happens to bring one into the house during Fall, that little house guest will lay 40 to 50 eggs each day… hatching to become hundreds of blood-sucking adults.Options for Keeping Fleas and Ticks at BayHappily, staying on top of these parasites is not only easy but affordable. And… you have a number of methods to choose from. Now, before you decide on the best approach, speak with your vet. All treatment options include chemicals with a pesticide component, so including your veterinarian in the discussion is a wise move. You can also narrow the selection by selecting only brands and products that show FDA approval or are vet-recommended.Flea CollarsLet’s go old-school on this one. Once upon a time, the flea collar was the only way to help prevent this type of parasite. It was minimally effective because it essentially protected just the neck area rather than the full body, where fleas typically gravitate once the neck is out of bounds. So, these collars were more of a “gesture” at eliminating parasites, not an actual solution.Fast forward, and today’s options offer full body protection, they tackle both fleas and ticks, and they last much longer than their simpler predecessors.
