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Protect Your Pet From Fleas and Ticks All Year
Since Portland is a temperate region, it is important to protect your pet and home year-round from fleas and ticks. Fleas live outdoors and hitchhike their way inside on pets or people. Fleas live in moist, shady areas, including lawn thatch, mulch, leaf litter, woodpiles, crawl spaces, and under porches or decks. Fleas also thrive on common wildlife such as squirrels, rabbits, groundhogs, and opossums that can spread fleas to your pet.
How can I prevent fleas?
The easiest and most effective way to prevent fleas and ticks is by using a monthly flea and tick preventative. Fleas thrive in warm environments, and they may lay dormant in your house; fleas and their eggs can be commonly found in carpeting, bedding, and furniture. If a flea infestation has already occurred in your house, preventives would be needed year-round.
To avoid a flea infestation, your pet must be on flea preventatives and be given the preventative consistently. Many medications are in a combined form with the monthly heartworm medication. Not only is this convenient, but it reduces the cost of two medications! Although fleas are more prevalent in summer months, they can survive year round in a home.
How can I prevent ticks?
Ticks can transmit serious diseases such as Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Ehrlichiosis, and Anaplasmosis. Many of these diseases have symptoms that are vague and/or mild until the disease has progressed. Many flea and tick preventatives start killing ticks upon contact and will kill all four North American species of ticks (Deer tick, Brown dog tick, American dog tick and the Lone Star tick).
Call us today to learn more about monthly preventatives, and how to protect your pet from fleas and ticks.
