photo: BobMacInnes
When your puppy or dog gets infested with fleas or you can see lots of ticks on its coat, you’ll need an effective treatment to get rid of these parasites immediately. Keeping your dog away from stray dogs or other dogs that have a flea or tick problem can be difficult, especially if you live in a neighborhood with lots of dogs or take your dog to a dog park frequently. While there are some preventative measures you can take to keep fleas and ticks at bay, it’s not always possible to stop all of those parasites from latching on to your dog and coming in to your home!
Here are six ways to manage fleas and ticks:
- Make sure your dog gets baths regularly. Keep your dog’s fur and skin as clean as possible by using a flea shampoo when you’re giving your dog a bath, or requesting this treatment when you take the dog to the grooming salon. Use a flea comb during and after the bath to get rid of any dead fleas and eggs that may be stuck in the fur. You’ll need to clean and disinfect this comb regularly.
- Take care of your yard. Repair any holes in your fence that might make it easy for stray dogs to enter through, and use a parasite repellant around the lawn to ward off any extra fleas and ticks. Keep the grass as short as possible and free of any debris and foliage that might attract parasites.
- Feed your dog high-quality food. Malnourished dogs are at risk for developing diseases from parasites and will probably experience more health and skin problems when exposed to fleas and ticks. Check with your vet about the appropriate diet for your dog and make sure your dog is eating on schedule. Healthier dogs will be able to ward off flea and tick-related problems more easily and will be much happier overall!
- Get regular checkups. Keep your appointments with the vet to make sure your dog is in good health and flea or tick problems don’t go undetected. Your vet can set you up on a schedule for regular check-ups so your dog doesn’t go too long without seeing them. Regular checkups can make you aware of any potential problems, and your vet can recommend appropriate flea treatments or preventive treatments to keep your dog in good health.
- Keep your house clean. Vacuum your carpets regularly and scrub your floors with disinfecting solutions to prevent fleas and ticks in your living space. Keep your house free of extra dust and debris, and clean closets, under the bed, all bedding, and other linens regularly.
Here is a great video by Dr. Becker about the dangers of flea and tick spot treatments, which highlights why my family switched to a non-toxic flea & tick treatment:
Author Bio: Krisca Te works with Open Colleges, Australia’s leading provider of TAFE courses equivalent. When not working, you can find her engaged in dog training actively participating in local dog show events.
January 21, 2013 at 8:29 am
We have used ShooTags for about a year now (before that I used baths, sprays, and dichotomous earth). After losing a dog to AIHA/IMHA very suddenly, possibly due to chemical preventatives or vaccines, my skepticism to electromagnetic remedies weakened (despite being very pro holistic… I was still skeptical of this one!). But we sometimes lost the battle to fleas despite using the above protocols, and ticks still milled about the dogs after walks in our open areas with long grass. ShooTags seems to have resolved the problem.
All I can say is anecdotal evidence says it works for us, very well, in a household of 3 furred creatures and carpets. We have had to manually flick off a good number of ticks post open-area romp, and comb off a number fleas in the past using my minimal chemical protocol (natural remedies, then Advantage or Comfortis only when we were losing the battle). I haven’t seen a single tick since using ShooTags, despite going out for hikes in the same infested areas. This year: no fleas on the dogs, and a few on my cat who wasn’t wearing tags (then I got ShooTags for her, and no more fleas after that). In prior years she (cat) was very very tasty to fleas, so this is a huge relief. I occasionally spray a natural essential oil spray on the fur (there is one safe for cats too), but I’m not too religious about it. No dichotomous earth, no extra vaccuming, no extra baths needed – still get the high-quality raw food obviously. I’ve made little “ShooTag holders” for their collars so they don’t dangle, which is how they are supposed to be worn as per directions. Not sure if this makes a difference or not.
Coincidence possibly, but no pests this year regardless. Crossing fingers it continues.
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