As warmer weather brings more time outdoors for pets and their owners, consistent flea and tick prevention remains one of the best ways to protect animals from parasites and the diseases they can carry, according to Pet Health Center of Solon Office Manager Vicki See.

See said prevention is important even for pets that spend most of their time indoors.

“There are diseases that ticks carry and can transfer to dogs, such as Lyme disease, anaplasmosis and ehrlichiosis,” she said.

She added that flea infestations can also become difficult and expensive once they get inside a home.

“I usually tell people it’s less expensive to prevent them than it is to try to treat and get rid of them,” she said.

While flea populations typically become more noticeable later in the summer, See said tick activity has remained fairly consistent this year, although ticks may be slightly more active than usual.

“My opinion is consistent,” she said. “The ticks might be a little worse, but flea-wise we usually don’t start having a lot of problems until more like August or September.”

Over the years, the clinic has shifted away from topical flea and tick medications in favor of oral preventatives because they provide more reliable protection.

“In the past we used topical things,” See said. “However, frequent bathing, dogs that swim a lot, those types of products we were finding were not lasting the complete 30 days.”

Instead, Solon Pet Health Center commonly recommends oral medications such as NexGard®, a flavored chewable flea and tick preventative, and Simparica TRIO®, which combines flea, tick and heartworm prevention into a single monthly chewable tablet.

See said most flea and tick preventatives carried by the clinic are safe for pets beginning at about eight weeks of age, though some products require animals to be older. She encourages owners to read product labels carefully and follow the recommended age guidelines.

If owners discover a tick attached to their pet, See recommends removing the entire tick, including the mouthparts. She said it is common for a small red bump to develop at the bite site and that it often causes unnecessary concern.

Although some owners worry the bump indicates an infection, See said it typically subsides on its own within a few days. Owners who have concerns can contact their veterinarian for guidance or continue monitoring the area at home.

While the clinic does not provide recommendations for yard treatments, See said homeowners can reduce tick habitat by keeping grass, weeds and other vegetation trimmed around their homes.

“If you keep the excess weeds and things trimmed around the house to not offer so many places for the tick to hide, it’s probably best,” she said.

For pets that spend time hiking, camping or exploring wooded areas, See recommends consistent flea and tick prevention and encourages dog owners to consider vaccinating against Lyme disease.

“We highly recommend that they go ahead and consider vaccinating their dog for Lyme disease,” she said. “Anything you can do for prevention, like vaccinating, will also help protect their pet.”

See said one of the biggest changes she has seen during her 37 years in veterinary medicine is the recommendation to keep pets on flea and tick prevention year round rather than stopping treatment after the first hard frost. That recommendation has changed because ticks can survive and become active even during Iowa winters.

“Ticks can come back to life at a pretty low temperature,” she said. “It is very common for us the last few years to start finding ticks even as early as January. It’s best just to stay in the habit of giving your monthly prevention.”

She also noted that dogs that regularly visit groomers, daycare facilities and puppy play groups may face additional exposure to fleas because of the number of animals gathered in one place.

“If your pet does something like that, you should definitely consider doing year round preventative as well,” she said.

For more information contact Pet Health Center of Solon

Address – 200 Prairie Rose Ln., Solon

Phone – 319-624-2921 Website – https://phcsolon.com

Email – [email protected]