Don’t slow down now on keeping your puppy safe from fleas and ticks! As your puppy continues to grow and explore the outdoors, these parasites will be looking for their next blood meal. A dog without flea and tick prevention is an easy target.
Flea and tick preventives control infestations on your puppy and potentially inside your home. Both fleas and ticks bite your pet and feed on their blood, potentially transmitting disease. Even if your puppy is the only pet at home, they can easily get these parasites when they go outside for a potty break or walk.
Fleas are renowned for causing itchy skin and allergic reactions, but they can also transmit tapeworms and murine typhus (a bacterial infection). Once they establish themselves in your home, they are very difficult to get rid of. They can live for months in your carpet, and with a host (your puppy) providing them with meals, the infestation can continue indefinitely.
Ticks transmit quite a few diseases that can cause serious illness in dogs, such as ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Lyme disease, anaplasmosis and more. They can also cause a condition called tick paralysis, which is a progressive paralysis that occurs in response to a toxin in the tick’s saliva. This paralysis can become severe enough that your puppy’s ability to breathe is affected.
This all sounds frightening, but your VCA care team can help you protect your puppy with flea and tick preventives. These come in several forms, including topical solutions, oral medications and collars. Most are monthly treatments, but there are options that are given every 3 months, as well as collars that last up to 8 months. Your VCA care team will be happy to review options with you to find the best preventive for your puppy.
We also recommend setting a reminder on your phone or calendar for when your puppy’s preventive is due to avoid missing a dose, or download the myVCA app to get personalized automatic reminders.
