As a pet owner, you probably do your best to avoid your pet
getting fleas or ticks. If you don't know the basics of flea
prevention for dogs and cats,
here are some tips on how to treat pets for fleas and ticks, as
well as ridding your home of pesky
insects.
Tick Treatment:
If you have a tick on your skin, or on your petโs skin, the
first task is to remove the tick
using tweezers. Use a steady outward motion with the tweezers,
and make sure that you have completely removed the tick --
sometimes its mouthparts can remain in the skin. Wash the area
with soapy water, and sterilize the tweezers.
Since the tick may or may not have carried a disease, the next step is to be
watchful of symptoms. For people, symptoms of a tick bite that carry a
disease include fevers, aches, and a rash developing in the
area of the bite. For pets, the symptoms can include a loss of appetite,
stiff legs, or fever-like symptoms. If your pet experiences any
of these symptoms, visit the vet immediately.
Get Rid of the Fleas:
Fleas, like ticks, can carry diseases and cause irritation to
your pet. To get rid of fleas, youโll need to attack at two
stages of the life cycle: the
adult and the not-yet-born egg. Fleas lay an extraordinary
amount of eggs, so itโs possible that you could kill all the
living fleas on your pet and in your home, only to have a few
weeks pass and the eggs hatch, starting the cycle all over
again. To attack the eggs, youโll want to use a treatment method that has an
insect growth regulator, or IGR, which prevents the fleas from
being able to reproduce. This will halt fleas from creating
endless eggs. Then, youโll just need to eliminate the already
existing adults. Treatment options include oral medications, shampoos for your pet,
and topical ointments such as
Vectra 3D spot-on treatment.
Remove the Eggs:
In order to get rid of the flea eggs, youโll want to thoroughly
wash and vacuum everywhere you can. All fabric surfaces --
particularly in areas where your pet likes to spend time --
should be cleaned. Also, use the vacuum to get in the
baseboards of your home and any cracks and crevices where eggs
may be. Pay the most attention to your petโs bedding; fleas
often lay eggs close to where they live, which is very often on
your cat or dog. If necessary, you can also use a flea bomb or
IGR spray on your home to remove the presence of fleas from
your home.
While fleas and ticks are a real challenge, with some thorough
cleaning, and smart use of treatments, you can eradicate the
problem. Consult your vet if you see symptoms of diseases that
ticks carry, and for advice on the
best flea and tick treatment method if your pet has fleas.
How Do Broad Spectrum Pesticides Like Flea and Tick Meds
Work?
Broad-spectrum pesticides have become an everyday part of most
petsโ lives -- the flea and tick medications we use to keep
them safe from infestation are usually considered
โbroad-spectrum.โ So what does this term mean?
What Does โBroad Spectrumโ Mean?
The term broad-spectrum indicates that a medication addresses
more than one issue at the same time. A broad-spectrum
pesticide will target more than one pest.
What Are โBroad Spectrum Flea and Tickโ Medications?
In the case of flea and tick medications, the term is
self-evident: broad spectrum flea and tick medications deal
with both fleas and ticks. Not just one or the other.
Some broad-spectrum pest treatments will deal
with mites, mange, and other
parasites. Some flea and tick drugs may also deal with worms,
and/or the larval and pupae stages of a parasiteโs life
cycle. Check with your
veterinarian to be sure youโre using a medication that
addresses the correct issues your pet may face.
How Do Broad Spectrum Pesticides Work?
The most common broad-spectrum flea and tick drugs
are topical. Theyโre a thick
liquid, dispensed from individual-use tubes. The liquid is
applied monthly to a petโs skin. The medication will, over a
period of 2 to 48 hours, be absorbed into the subcutaneous
layer of fat on your petโs skin. There, it makes your petโs
body an inhospitable environment for parasites.
Some flea and tick medications work as soon as a parasite bites
your pet. Theyโll be infected with the drugโs poisons and then theyโll bring the
toxins back to their nesting site, where others will become
infected and die. With other types of medications, bites are
not necessary, and the poison is absorbed directly through the
pestโs feet.
Most broad-spectrum flea and tick spot-on
treatments interrupt the pest
life cycle in some way -- either killing eggs or
rendering larvae sterile to prevent them from reproducing so
that they die off.
What Are the Pros of Using Broad Spectrum Flea and Tick?
Using a broad-spectrum spot-on treatment saves time and effort.
Rather than remembering to apply or dispense several
medications over the course of one month, you can apply just
the one, and move on. Using broad-spectrum meds can also save
money, as opposed to purchasing treatments for each parasite
individually.
What Are the Cons of Using Broad Spectrum Meds?
Broad-spectrum flea and tick medications are formulations of
strong chemicals. Insects everywhere are becoming ever more
resistant to these chemicals as we use them more and more,
forcing pharmaceutical companies to make their drugs stronger
to combat those resistances.
Some people argue that we donโt know what the long-term effects
will be of saturating our environments, our homes, and our
pets. Some pet parents believe it makes sense to err on the
side of fewer chemicals. If you live in an area where one
parasite is of more concern than another, you may want to treat
just the one issue, rather than going for a broad spectrum
approach.
What Are Some Types of Broad Spectrum Flea and Tick
Medications?
The most common types of broad-spectrum flea and tick
medications are Advantix
II, Frontline Plus,
and Revolution. Most of
them treat not just fleas and ticks, but other parasites as
well:
Advantix II
|
Fleas, ticks, biting flies, and chewing lice.
|
Frontline Plus
|
Fleas, ticks, chewing lice, sarcoptic mites, at
every stage of the life cycle.
|
Revolution
|
Fleas and their eggs, ticks, ear mites, scabies.
|
Fleas and ticks are not only gross and uncomfortable for your
pet, but they can result in more than a couple of seriously
debilitating diseases. Keep them away with the best option for
your pet. Compare more flea and
tick meds.
More on Fleas and Ticks
How Do Flea and Tick Treatments
Work?
Flea and Tick Season: When to Use What
Treatment
Flea and Tick
Medication Comparison Chart
Get Rid of Fleas in 8 Steps
Infographic
K9 Advantix vs. Frontline Plus for
Dogs