09/05/2024
Flea season is upon us! As the weather cools, fleas start looking for a nice, warm body to get them through the winter. We've seen quite a few dogs in the last 2 weeks with fleas so just wanted to remind everyone to please keep your pups on preventatives!
Aside from causing itchiness and discomfort, fleas can transmit other parasites like tapeworms and cause severe allergic reactions in some dogs.
Signs of fleas are dogs biting at themselves and itching excessively and tiny flecks of dark colored "flea dirt" which are actually flea poop. If your dog has had fleas for a while, they'll have a lot of flea dirt on them. You can tell if it's flea dirt when it gets wet, it will be dark red/brown tinged because fleas eat blood, and excrete blood as a result.
The flea life cycle is three months which means if your dog has fleas, you should treat them for at least that 3 month time period. That gives time for any eggs in their environment to hatch and then die when they come in contact with a dog on preventative. If you only treat for the first month, eggs can still hatch beyond that time period and re-infest your pet. Eggs can live inside the home in your carpet and any bedding the dog comes in contact with. They can also be outside in their yard or wherever your dog might venture on a walk.
Flea collars can help if they're a good brand, but sometimes the cheaper ones will only protect the immediate area that the flea collar touches. We like to recommend the chewable treat style ones as those usually last the whole 3 month window and don't leave behind greasy medication like a topical treatment does.
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