Flea & Tick Prevention for Dogs and Cats

Flea & Tick Enemy #1: Oral Preventative Treatments

Give fleas and ticks an unpleasant surprise when they bite your dog or cat. Oral preventatives contain medication that gets absorbed into a dog or cat’s body and bloodstream. The ingredients are safe for mammals but poisonous to parasitic pests. Consequently, when a flea or tick bites your furry friend, the parasite gets poisoned and dies.

Know that many oral treatments are prescription only. While most kill fleas and ticks, some only kill their larvae or prevent them from laying eggs. Some treatments are monthly preventatives, while others are meant to kill parasites quickly and safely (the medication only stays in your pet’s system for a few days). Your veterinarian can recommend what to choose.

Flea & Tick Enemy #2: Topical Preventative Treatments

Besides maybe a big billboard, nothing says “stay away fleas and ticks” like topical treatments. They’re a safe, effective repellent that also kills pests and parasites. Many don’t require a prescription and are a good choice for pets with digestive issues or special diets. Since fleas and ticks are repulsed by topical treatments, they’re less likely to hang out on your dog or cat and end up in your home.

Topical treatments are usually applied on one spot of a pet’s skin (e.g., the back of the neck). As the treatment dries, it spreads across the body without leaving a residue. Treatments also come in spray form. However, if your dog or cat has sensitive skin, an oral preventative might be a better option (talk with your veterinarian first).

Flea & Tick Enemy #3: Prevention Collars

If someone says prevention collars are smelly and greasy, they’d be right—if this was the 1980s.Collars have come a long way and are a solution for pets who don’t do well with other treatments. Since collars can last up to 8 months, they’re also good for people who are afraid they’ll forget when their pet had its monthly oral or topical treatment.

Even if your dog or cat uses something oral or topical, you still might want to consider a collar. A prevention collar doubles the protection for those who live in areas known to be ripe with ticks and fleas. But play it safe. Talk with your veterinarian before combining any treatments.

When Home is Where the Fleas and Ticks Are

Before fleas and ticks make themselves at home, regularly vacuum areas in your house where your dog and/or cat likes to hang out. Wash their beds, too. If you’ve been hit with a flea or tick infestation, there are safe indoor foggers and carpet/upholstery sprays you can use to kill these unwelcomed nuisances. Yelling at fleas and ticks won’t get them to stay off your lawn.

Take care of your yard by cutting the grass short and/or apply a preventative lawn treatment. Fleas and ticks hang out in overgrown grass and vegetation, piles of leaves and on the ends of branches. Bad news for pets because fleas are good at leaping onto dogs and cats. While not as jumpy, ticks also like to grab onto animals that pass by them.

Fleas and ticks aren’t cuddly or cute. They don’t deserve your affection. Keep them away from your pets by choosing a preventative treatment that you feel comfortable using. If you have any questions, talk with your veterinarian.