Prevention

• Excessive itching or scratching
• Biting at the skin
• Dark specs on the skin or fur
• Red bumps on the skin
• Hair loss
• Scabs

If pets in your home do become infested with fleas, then action needs to be taken as soon as possible to rid the fleas from your pets and home. Here are some good steps to take if there is an active flea infection in your home.

• First treat all pets in the household with a veterinary approved flea and tick preventative.
  • Pets in the home should also be bathed to remove as many fleas as possible.
• Then you will want to treat your home.
  • Use over the counter products such as flea foggers, sprays, or powders in areas your pets are commonly in, along with areas in your home that are dark and secluded such as under furniture, on / under pet beds, carpeting/rugs. **please use caution of using some products around you, your family and your pets, always read the label prior to using any of these harsh chemicals**
• Deep clean your home.
  • Vacuum every single day and dump any contents from the vacuum into an outside garbage can.
    • Pull up seat cushions and get under furniture as well! The goal is to disrupt the areas where the fleas are living and reproducing.
  • Wash Pet bedding, blankets, throw rugs, curtains, and anything that could be tainted by flea eggs and larvae.
    • Use hot water and detergent.
  • Hiring pest control for infestations that won’t seem to go away is also a viable option.

Ticks are another nuisance that can affect your pet’s health. They are commonly found around the head, ears, and legs. However, they are difficult to see because they are tiny and hide in the fur. Ticks love to hide in many places outside, such as tall grass or wooded areas, but they can also be in a variety of outdoor areas. Ticks can also be out and about in any temperatures above freezing! So occasionally on warm days in the winter you can still find a tick on your dog. It is always a great idea to do a petting or brushing session after your dog has been outside. Using flea and tick prevention year-round is a great way to stop ticks from being able to latch on long enough to expose your pets to their infectious diseases, such as Lyme.

If your yard has an abundance of tall grass, or is near wooded or swampy areas, then it’s best to double check for ticks. Here are some tips to help reduce potential tick population in your back yard:

• Remove leaf litter.
• Clear tall grasses and brush around homes and at the edge of lawns.
• Place a 3-ft wide barrier of wood chips or gravel between lawns and wooded areas to restrict tick migration into recreational areas.
• Mow the lawn frequently.
• Stack wood neatly and in a dry area (discourages rodents).
• Keep playground equipment, decks, and patios away from yard edges and trees.
• Discourage unwelcome animals (such as deer, raccoons, and stray dogs) from entering your yard by constructing fences.
• Remove old furniture, mattresses, or trash from the yard that may give ticks a place to hide.

Treating your yard with pesticides is another potential tactic you can use but be sure to check local guidelines on what is safe to use, and make sure your pet isn’t exposed to any of the chemicals. Ultimately, if you are in an area that attracts wildlife such as deer, mice, raccoons, opossums, etc. or if you have water sources nearby, pesticides may be a good way to reduce these potential pests, fleas, ticks, and mosquitoes!

If you suspect that your pet has fleas or ticks, you can act right away and contact expert help in Champlin. Our excellent care team can offer recommendations such as what pest control to use and outline what to do with cats and dogs during pest control. Whether you need a refill of prevention, or your pet needs an annual exam so we can prescribe an appropriate preventative contact us today! Contact an animal hospital near you for more information.