The 4th of July is the perfect time to spend in the great outdoors, stretching out your legs on a new and exciting hike or throwing down a picnic blanket in a field for some open-air dining. While you and your dog are out enjoying the fresh air and sunshine, make sure that unwelcome guests like fleas and ticks don’t crash the party!
It’s easy to forget about these little buggers while we’re cooped up indoors, but these parasites certainly haven’t forgotten about us or our pets! These pests are still in their usual haunts—like woods, tall grasses and leaf litter—waiting for an opportune host to pass by and make their home.
Not only are they a nuisance, many fleas and ticks carry diseases that they can pass on to our pets (or us!). Fleas, for example, can pass tapeworms to pets, and ticks can transmit Lyme disease to both dogs and people. Mosquitoes are not much better, spreading heartworm disease to our pets with their bothersome bites.
And if you have cats at home, they could be exposed, too, either from the fleas, ticks or mosquitoes that ride in on you or your dog.
Luckily, there is a very simple, convenient solution to this problem: flea and tick preventives. These preventives are not only highly effective, but they are also quite easy to administer, with most needing only once-a-month dosing (sometimes even less!).
So give yourself some peace of mind that your dog is not picking up hitchhikers every time they go charging off into the underbrush. Start a parasite preventive today to keep your pet flea- and tick- free this 4th of July.
Speak to your veterinarian to get a recommendation for the best flea and tick preventive for your pet, or log in to myVCA to refill your pet’s current preventive and get it delivered to your door.
