If you have ever kept pets, then you must certainly have an idea about how vitally important parasite prevention and control is for the health of your pets.
Ticks and fleas, the most common parasites, are both external parasites and live on your pet’s body. Blood-feeding parasites, these bad guys suck blood from their host’s body to survive.
Bizarre Flea & Tick Facts
They are extremely dangerous and can pose a serious threat to the animal’s health. There are several reasons due to which little Bruno needs the best tick and flea prevention for dogs against these two monsters.
Fleas
One of the really annoying parts about these wingless, tiny creatures is that majority of the flea population cannot be easily seen with naked eyes. Most adult fleas are large enough to be seen by human eyes. However, adult fleas account only for about 5% of the total flea population, whereas the remaining is found in the shape of flea eggs, larvae, and pupae.
And before maturing as adults, fleas can survive in other forms for up to a year. This makes them a tough proposition to deal with, as most pet owners will not worry about treating these parasites till they actually see (adult) fleas on their pets. However, this duration enables fleas on your pets to become a long-term problem with no easy solutions. When adult fleas infest your pet’s body, the symptoms can be painful and a nuisance.
Fleas cause severe itching on your pet’s body. Persistent scratching is one of the most common symptoms that your flea-infested pets might exhibit. It itches so much that pets cannot help themselves but scratch too aggressively, damaging their skin which may cause further infections.
On top of that, flea saliva is toxic. It has some proteins which can be allergic to pets. Animals, that are already allergic, can get severe reactions after a single bite. Flea allergy dermatitis (FAD) can cause lesions all over the body, along with persistent, excessive itching.
Not all fleas are vectors for diseases. The types of Fleas that carry diseases include tapeworms and typhoid. These diseases can spread from pets to pets, and even to humans.
The reproduction capacities of female fleas are remarkable. A single female can lay up to 20-50 eggs, every day! Their eggs take only about 21 days to fully mature. All of this means that only a few fleas can turn into a big mess i.e. massive harmful infestation in a span of less than a month. They can pose serious danger to their host in the form of blood loss and other hazardous symptoms.
Ticks
A few basics about ticks – Ticks can be in grey, black, and brown color. Ticks vary in size because they get larger as they consume more blood. Saliva, of some ticks, contains a neurotoxin which can cause tick paralyses. These toxins are deadly, sometimes even affecting the respiratory system of pets. This disease is, however, quite rare.
Ticks are also notoriously famous for their disease-carrying capabilities. They can spread Lyme Disease, Babesiosis, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Ehrlichiosis, and several other diseases. These diseases can damage your pet’s health gravely.
Prevention
There are many ways to prevent your pet from getting seriously ill due to ticks and fleas. However, you need to choose preventives very carefully because they have dissimilar purposes. Some can kill both parasites, some can even prevent them from coming back in the future, while others can target one of the two. Thus, to make sure that your little kitty is scratch and disease-free, use premium and specialized flea and tick prevention for cats.
Oral Medicines
These come in the form of tablets and are administered every month. You can make your pet swallow the whole tablet as it is. Or, break it up to mix in their food.
Tropical Treatments
These are also known as spot-on treatments. They require a spot of medicine to be placed on the skin. Usually, it is placed on the backside of their neck since they cannot lick it off. Most of the time, even tropical treatments are effective for a month or so. After a month, they need to be reapplied.