Protect Pets this Fall with Flea & Tick Prevention Products
This time of year, most of us look forward to the peak weeks of leaves changing colors. For pet owners, it’s also peak flea season. The drop in temperatures doesn’t mean you can let your guard down. Protecting pets during these fall months can help prevent flea infestations from invading your pet and your home as the weather turns. Learn how you can minimize fleas both outside and in the home through good housekeeping practices, animal care, and more.
Are Fleas & Ticks Dangerous for Pets?
Ticks are blood-sucking parasites that can transmit diseases to pets and humans and can create cuts/wounds that lead to bacterial infections. The American Kennel Club says there are more than 200 species of fleas affecting dogs which can also cause tapeworm infections and anemia. Some dogs experience allergic reactions to flea bites, too, resulting in itchy skin, scabs, and possible hair loss. Cats may also contract tapeworms and anemia from fleas, as well as severe skin irritation and possible infections from flea allergy dermatitis.All it takes is one bite to start this mess, but we all know there’s no such thing as “just one flea.” Still, if there were just one female, it can lay up to 50 eggs per day starting the day after it consumes blood from a host. Though fleas don’t fly, they can jump and lay eggs elsewhere on your pet or around your home (carpets, upholstery, baseboards and elsewhere!). These eggs evolve into flea pupae that can remain in a cocoon until they find a host or until temps rise again. That’s when they emerge as adult fleas and start the process all over again. Simply put: infestation is not a difficult task to achieve.
Fall is Peak Flea & Tick Season
Why is fall the peak season for fleas and ticks? Ticks are entering adulthood and look for larger hosts than the outdoor critters they’ve become accustomed to. They hide in leaf piles and tall grass until they find your furbaby, where they’re more difficult to spot than normal thanks to your pet’s thickening winter coat. Fleas hitch a ride inside for shelter and/or warmth, then start the reproduction and infestation cycle that you never asked for.Getting Rid of Fleas
Flea and tick prevention across all seasons will help keep the rough fall months less problematic. By getting ahead of the problem, you can stop these pests before they start reproducing. Once that starts, it’s far more work and farther reaching than you can probably imagine. Luckily, PBS Animal Health has you covered with a wide stock of reputable prevention products that can protect your dogs or cats. We also carry important items to treat the home itself including room foggers, flea sprays, flea and tick shampoo, and flea traps, just to name a few.Flea Prevention in Dogs
Depending on the age of your dog, the level of infestation and your application preference, we’ve got dozens of pest control products to choose from.- Hang the Spectra SHIELD Flea and Tick Medallion from your dog’s collar for 4 months of pest control. This product is geared toward dogs 6 months and older and provides a continuous release of very small amounts of active ingredients to the dog's skin and hair coat. These mix with natural oils on the skin and hair and migrate all over the body.
- Seresto’s easy-to-use Flea & Tick Collar kills and repels fleas, ticks, and lice on dogs and puppies 7 weeks of age and older. Some prefer the convenience of a collar because it eliminates the need for messy creams and it’s effective for 8 months.
- Frontline Plus Flea and Tick Spot-On treatment works for dogs and puppies 8 weeks and older by preventing the development of all flea stages for up to 3 months and killing ticks and lice for at least 1 month. Simply part the dog’s hair on its back and apply to the skin between the shoulder blades.
- Advantage II Flea Treatment kills all flea life stages (adults, larvae and eggs) within 12 hours of application. The waterproof formula remains effective following shampoo treatment, swimming and exposure to rain or sun. Advantage II also treats, prevents and controls chewing lice.
- K9 Advantix II kills fleas within 12 hours. For dogs and puppies 7 weeks of age and older, this product also kills lice, repels biting flies, and kills and repels ticks and mosquitoes. Apply to the dog’s back from shoulder to the base of its tail and retreat monthly.
Flea Prevention in Cats
Much like dogs, our flea and tick product line for cats is just as wide-ranging and effective. Be sure to pay close attention to cat age and weight for proper dosing with the various products.- CapAction kills fleas fast (within 30 minutes!). These oral tablets for cats and kittens 4 weeks of age or older (weighing at least 2 lbs), can be given up to once daily. They’re even safe for dogs, too.
- The convenient, once-a-month topical Advantage II kills all flea life stages – adults, larvae and eggs – within 12 hours. Application prevents reinfestation for at least 4 weeks and is approved for use on cats 8 weeks of age and older.
- Frontline Plus for Cats wipes out the next generation of fleas by eliminating flea eggs and larvae. This spot treatment works non-stop for 30 days. Monthly treatments are recommended where tick control is needed.
- Waterproof topical Adventure Plus is another once-a-month treatment available for cats. This product starts working through contact, stopping fleas before they bite and preventing fleas on treated cats from re-infesting homes.
