If you’re like most pet owners, you love your furry friends enough to go to great lengths to keep them happy and healthy. You may not be aware of the dangers in your yard that threaten the well-being of your pets, though. Keeping ticks and fleas off your dog or cat is essential if you want to avoid the potential dangers they pose.
It’s important to take precautions against these biting pests. Most commercial pet supply stores just like Pet City have a variety of products that can prevent ticks and flea infestations. Whether you need to rid your pet of pests or keep them from being reinfested. This guide from Pet City will give you ten ways to keep your pets safe from ticks and fleas so you can get back to enjoying their company in safety and comfort.
Table of Contents
Do Not Use Poison
The three most important ways to avoid the dangers of tick and flea infestations are as follows:
- Do not leave your pets outside unattended.
- Check your dog or cat frequently for ticks.
- Apply an effective flea prevention product to the back of your pet’s neck once a month.
The Center for Disease Control warns that applying a chemical insecticide on a pet is only the right way if you know it will stay put, such as if the animal has been sprayed with water for a few minutes before application or has just been washed.
Protect The House
All it takes is one stray flea or tick, making its way into your home and potentially leading you to a serious problem that could be avoided with a few simple steps. The best way to do this is through prevention, If you take your pet outside, the animal must wear a topical product like Frontline Plus or Advantix.
This will provide them with not only protection against parasites but also control for other things such as mosquitoes. Remember that these products work on any size of the animal! Not just cats and dogs, many owners overlook their small pets in the backyard. Even though there are fewer cases of parasites found in hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, rabbits, and rats than there are in cats and dogs-it is still possible for them to become infected.
Flea collars, shampoos, and oil have their place
Indeed, the absolute best prevention for ticks, fleas, and their associated diseases is a monthly topical application. But if you are committed to keeping your pets safe from ticks or flea bites, flea collars can be very helpful. Flea collars work by emitting an odorless neurotoxin that irritates the flea’s skin so much it can no longer reproduce.
As long as you keep the collar on your pet to maintain this shield against insect attackers, you should have little to worry about in terms of insects laying eggs on your pet’s fur. The real challenge with this method is that they don’t last as long as other prevention methods, typically six months before needing replacement.
A natural diet can help
Keeping your pets safe from ticks and fleas can be difficult, but luckily there are a few ways you can go about it. One of the most important things you can do is to use combs and brushes on your pets frequently. This will help keep the fur trimmed back which will reduce their risk of having ticks crawl into their fur unnoticed.
Additionally, this will make it easier for them to shake out excess hair that may have found its way onto their coat during the day. In addition, using combs or brushes will also help keep tangles at bay as well as make sure your pet always has an even trim along its body with no long hairs left behind that could potentially harbor parasites.
Supplements can help too
If you don’t want to use chemicals on your dog, there are several alternative solutions. For example, garlic oil is a natural product that can repel ticks and fleas. Even applying it weekly to a pet’s skin will make them less likely to be bitten.
Alternatively, some pets have an allergy or sensitivity that makes chemicals too harsh, in which case, fish oil supplements can provide all the Omega-3s they need without exposing them to harsh chemicals.
Treat all animals in the household at the same time
You’ll want to treat your animals at the same time. Otherwise, they may re-infest each other. Cats are fastidious groomers so you can safely bathe them even if they’re quite dirty. Dogs with long hair should be combed first because flea dirt will come off the comb during the grooming process.
Make sure you put a towel down or under the dog or cat’s rear end when bathing to make cleaning up easier on yourself. Place pets in high-traffic areas so flea larvae get run over by people, thus ending the infestation cycle before it starts again!
Use Combs And Brushes On Pets Frequently
For some, avoiding ticks can be as simple as regularly combing or brushing their pets. Check for the telltale signs of a tick bite, small red bumps that may have pus-filled areas inside them while petting your furry friend. If you suspect ticks, take your dog or cat to the vet for diagnosis and treatment. It’s not just our pets that we need to worry about.
Ticks also carry a serious risk of passing on Lyme disease and other diseases they come in contact with while feeding on a host. Use combs and brushes on pets frequently to help minimize the risk of exposure.
Prevent contact with other infected animals. Don’t let dogs sleep together.
Ticks and fleas can be a huge problem for your pets. And, these parasites may also transmit some serious diseases like Lyme disease, Ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and others. To prevent contact with other infected animals, make sure that dogs don’t sleep together.
Further, there are other precautions you can take such as using good sanitation practices, wearing long sleeves while in high-risk areas such as grassy meadows or heavily wooded areas, tucking pants into socks or boots, and not letting your pet wander through brushy vegetation or overgrown weeds.
Know what to do if you suspect an animal has been bitten.
If you suspect your pet has been bitten by a tick or flea, it is best to take them in for a veterinary exam. A vet will check for any type of skin infection or infestation, determine the severity of the bite and help you figure out what kind of treatment might be needed.
Some methods of getting rid of ticks and fleas are topical sprays, powders, or liquids that are applied directly to the animal’s fur. There are also many preventative treatments available including monthly topical medications administered via an applicator designed just for pets.
Conclusion
Use an insect repellent that contains DEET or permethrin on your pet’s skin. These products are available at Pet City and approved for human use, so they’re safe to put on your dog. Avoid using OTC drugs like Benadryl, which can be toxic if the animal has itchy skin and licks its fur. Combining insecticides with topical flea treatments is a much more effective approach than just spraying insecticide alone in the yard, as long as you read the label carefully.