What You Need to Know About Protecting Your Pets From Fleas and Ticks

Fleas and ticks can be troublesome for you and your furry friends. Lyme disease, coat infestation, and an invasion of your home by tiny parasites is not fun. As the weather begins to warm up and the bugs start to hang on to your pets and venture from the outside world into your home, it is best to equip yourself with all the necessary tools to find, get rid of, and prevent fleas and ticks from terrorizing your family. Here are all the answers to your questions about flea and tick prevention, protection, and removal.

How do I protect my pet?

The best way to protect your pet is to ask your vet questions. When fleas and ticks start to rear their ugly heads, it is best to be equipped with as much information as possible. During some seasons, certain outbreaks are worse than others. Knowing what you are up against is the first step. Then once you know what is common or especially bad in your area for the year, you and your vet can decide how you want to defend your pet.

My pet has a tick. What do I do?

First and foremost, don’t panic. Panicking or trying to rip the tick out too quickly could result in the head still being attached to your pet. This is bad because the head of the tick can still feed without the body and spread disease. It is also much harder to remove the tick if there is only a very small piece left.

What you should do is stay calm and calm your pet down. Hold your pet and part their fur where the tick is embedded. If you notice that the tick is completely underneath a layer of skin, take your pet to the vet where’re they can extract the tick properly. If the tick is that far embedded into the skin, it is best to get your pet checked out anyhow. But if the tick is still on the surface, take the tweezers and grab the tick as close to the head as possible. Pulling straight up, use just enough pressure to release the tick from the skin.

Do not try to burn the tick out. Some old wife’s tales say that you can burn a tick out of your or your pet’s skin. That is not true. Neither is it true that your can put nail polish or Vaseline on a tick to make detach itself. The trick is to remove the tick entirely with tweezers or have your vet do it for you.

My pet has fleas. How do I get rid of them?

This is a question that has many answers. One is to try flea medications that are recommended by your vet. Another option, or an option to supplement the medication, is to use a flea comb. I find this to be most effective with kittens who you cannot use medications on. Buying a flea comb in addition to your regular, everyday brush is useful just in case your pet happens to meet fleas. A mild case can be wiped out by using a flea comb regularly.

For severe cases, a flea bath and medication may be used. A flea bath an help eliminate the build up of flea eggs and poop as well as kill a large portion of the fleas that have set up shop in your pets coat.

What are the symptoms of Lyme disease in pets?

On the AKC’s website about ticks and Lyme disease, it lists “fever, loss of appetite, reduced energy, lameness, generalized stiffness, and swelling of joints” as the symptoms of Lyme disease in dogs. These are similar for cats and humans. Also, a bulls-eye shaped rash may form where the tick was attached.

Can fleas cause disease?

Absolutely. Fleas can harbor and spread diseases such as; Typhus, bubonic plague, and Feline Viral Infections, just to name a few. These guys are nothing to mess with. Get rid of them ASAP.

What if there are fleas in my house?

There are many over the counter products that you can use if you notice that fleas have started to homestead in yours. Fleas love to live in carpets, fabrics, and jump around from host to host. Flea powders, sprays, and debugging by professionals are all options. Just make sure to read the directions and use far away from your pets. These types of remedies are to never be used on pets, but on the areas in your home that are infested with fleas.

How do you protect your pets from fleas and ticks? Leave a comment and let us know!