Pet Parents, It’s Flea Season!
The time has come and yes flea season is here. Many of us pet parents have gone through a difficult time to help our dogs and cats get rid of fleas and ticks. No matter where you live this critters reproduce very easy and can harm your pet and family’s health.
That is why I thought it would be appropriate to chat with you all about flea season and share what I have learned to prevent our pets and home get infested with annoying fleas.
Fleas cause tapeworm!
Preventing fleas reliefs our dogs and cats from the itch and scratch and avoid tapeworm. Promoting a healthy lifestyle for your pets is the way to go during flea season and always.
If you have a house with a yard, make sure to keep the lawn trimmed and apply an appropriate product to treat the grass, as there is where the fleas live.
The biggest carriers of fleas are opossums, raccoons, and feral cats. Then when the dog walks to the lawn and plays in the backyard, the fleas hop onto them, and that is when the cycle starts.
Keep your home clean. Make sure to vacuum your rugs regularly.
Fleas avoid high-traffic areas, so be sure to hit baseboards, under furniture, under cushions, and anywhere your pets sleep or spend time. If your pet rides in your car with you, vacuum your car, too.
Visit your veterinarian this flea season!
Before, during and after flea season, practice prevention by using topical spot-on flea and tick treatments for your dog or cat. On your next vet’s visit, ask for information about other alternatives to treat fleas, such as an insect growth regulator.
The flea season products make adult fleas sterile, kill larvae, and cause eggs not to hatch. It is available as a pill from your veterinarian and requires a prescription as a dog or cat needs a physical exam and testing before taking the medication.
There are other natural ailments for flea prevention; however, some work and others not. There are pet parents that prefer not to use topical medications or pills to kill fleas. I guess it is a personal decision and what works best for those that have pets at home.
If your dog or cat is a victim of flea season, make an appointment with your veterinarian and opt for a treatment. Those could include sprays, dips, and prescription medications. And even a shave or proper grooming.
Are you ready to tackle flea season?
- Bone Broth Beef Picadillo for Dogs Recipe - February 4, 2021
- Dog Walks and why adding them to the daily routine - February 24, 2020
- LIFE magazine – Dogs Love and dependence - February 20, 2019
I don’t have any pets, but my brother owns a cat, so I will relay these great tips to him. I can tell that he does keep his abode fairly clean, as you suggest to prevent fleas in dogs and cats, because when I am around his cat, I am not as allergic as when I am around other people’s cats. One day, when my brother becomes a homeowner, I will relay your advice about the lawn too.
Always ready to tacke flea season, but than happy to hear reminders! We don’t have a garden but we take our dog regularly to the field where he picks up everything (and brings it home!). I have to be extra cautious haha! 💚
Fleas are the BANE of our existence here in Texas. You have to continue to be vigilant, and these are great tips to keep in mind.
You actually cannot get tapeworm from your pet! So no worries about that. They get the tapeworm from swallowing fleas. They cannot even transmit tapeworm to other pets. The other pets would also need to swallow a flea to get it. It is unlikely that you would get it if you were to swallow a flea, but there have been cases in children of this happening. Humans get tapeworm typically from eating under cooked or raw meat.
This is great advice about preventing a flea infestation though! I use an all natural flea and tick repellent on my dogs. I got 2 months worth of Frontline Plus at BlogPaws that I am going to try out during the height of flea and tick season. Ideally, you want to use a product that not only kills the fleas and ticks, but does not even let them bite your pet. That way they are protected from tick-born diseases from bites and do not risk swallowing a flea.
We can agree to disagree, tapeworms are not a good thing and while you cannot get them from your own pets it is a wise idea to do prevention and avoid them. Specially if there is kids in the household. While it is rare there have been cases of children reported with tapeworm. I am not a veterinarian but that is what my veterinarian recommends and have been a pet owner for more than 20 years. Thanks for engaging.
In Texas, flea season is year round! It’s such a hassle. A lot of pawrents, especially new pawrents, will definitely benefit from reading this!
Yes! We have had a pet get fleas and it was a total nightmare. Prevention is so worth it!
Even though I have indoor only cats, I admit I need to research flea prevention more. I’ve been learning a lot lately about the importance of it.
Oy Vey the nightmare begins – I clean the house and spray Layla’s beds with Apple Cider Vinegar all the time, I vacuum daily and she wears a disk that protects her from fleas which works really well. But am always looking for more ideas, so thanks
I hate fleas. I found some on Kilo the Pug last year and had to do a massive clean and treat him. I think he picked them up in a garden area next to a ravine that has lots of wildlife. Really nasty. We will use prevention from our vet just to be on the safe side now spring is finally here. Thanks for the other prevention tips.
Yup, it HAS arrived, I’m afraid. The calendar might have four seasons – spring, summer, fall, and winter; but we ALL KNOW there are really only two. Flea and freezin’ your tail off cold where no fleas can survive. MOUSES!
Some really good tips! Interesting to know the fleas don’t like high traffic areas (makes sense) so good to know the importance of vacuuming under furniture etc.. Thanks for the great post!
Fleas and ticks are just bad news! We do our best to keep our pets protected from them.
Yuck – fleas! Do those disc protect from tics too or just fleas? We don’t seem to have a lot of fleas around here but a lot of ticks in the woods…
There are certain flea products that also take care of ticks best bet is to ask your veterinarian.
Gusto is an American Eskimo. Like most white dogs, he is super sensitive to medicines so we are very careful and use muscle testing to determine which products will be safe for him. There is a new product out that contains no chemicals and makes the ticks slide right off of his fur so we are trying that along with his flea and heartworm treatments.
Thanks for alerting all pet parents about cleaning and treating their environments too.
All pet needs are different we are not recommending any product in particular just providing awareness and then visit the vet for best treatment options.
I need to get ready for flea season. We’ve been lucky so far with our dogs, but the more adventures I take them on, the more aware I become of how many different critters I’m exposing them to. Thank you for the tips!
Such good advice! I always make sure Bonnie has her flea and tick prevention, especially since we have been traveling a lot more!
Oh Springtime! That’s the only negative. The allergens and the bugs come out. Yuck! Great preventative tips for pet parents! Thanks for these useful tips.
This is a very helpful post. Are they more active in humid climates? I know that I personally was bitten by a few at a dog-friendly hotel once – not bed bugs, but actual fleas.
I am so sorry to hear, fleas are more active on humid and warmer climates but they thrive on colder areas too unless it is freezing temperatures. I live in Florida and here both fleas and ticks are an issue. Thanks for stopping by.
Aren’t we just all fed up with all them bloodsuckers? I know I am and we don’t even have a flea problem here *knock on wood. But between biting flies, mosquitoes, and ticks and things it’s just nasty. We were lucky with ticks last year but this year we know of at least one severely infected moose hanging around here 🙁