How to Select a Flea and Tick Control Treatment Plan For Your Pets
(By Joe Cinova)
With over 200 species of Fleas and a similar number of Ticks found in the U.S. is no wonder they are your pets worst enemies. Further still, since they are so easy to attract and move from animal to animal so easily a strong program of Flea and Tick Control is imperative.
Wading thru all the products and determining which one to use can be a daunting task. In order to do so successfully you need to start by asking yourself a few simple questions. You should write the answers down so you can compare the results when reading the manufacturers suggestions.
Here’s what you need to know.
- Are you treating a dog, cat or both? There are different medications for each pet.
- How old are they? Puppies and Kittens are usually treated differently and not with common products. They need to be over a certain age or you can’t treat them at all.
- Are you treating for Fleas or Ticks? Sometimes the products will kill both; some however do not.
- Are you treating the surroundings? If so the products you use are available but require other application properties.
- Is this a program of Flea and Tick Control Prevention?
- Does your pet have any known allergies to specific medications?
Don’t let all this information scare you. These are the questions necessary to ask yourself so it makes the selection easy and understandable. No matter what manufacturer it is they all post the ingredients, benefits, dosage, precautions, comments, weight and age requirements specifically for use on a cat, dog, puppy or kitten.
Generally there are 8 different forms of Flea and Tick Control. This does not include all of the natural treatments and remedies that people use. Although not as widely tested, some pets cannot tolerate the chemicals in the normal courses of treatment. A natural treatment plan may be required for your animal and their surroundings.
This is a list of the different treatments available.
- Flea and Tick Collars. They are available for dogs or cats. Depending on the manufacturer can kill all stages of fleas as well as adult ticks. There are specific collars for dogs or for cats.
- Flea and Tick Spray. There are different sprays for each purpose. There are sprays used to treat the pets living and sleeping areas. There are also sprays for the yard and sprays are available to use directly on the pet as a once a month preventative treatment as well.
- Flea and Tick Dips are used especially useful when your pet has serious infestations of fleas or ticks. Some also contain aloe to help with skin conditions, irritations and protect them from the sun.
- Flea and Tick Shampoos are to wash the pets and provide good skin and fur protection from fleas and ticks. Use shampoo during a normal course of other treatments for added protection.
- Oral doses of Flea medications are available for your pets. These kill fleas and infestations of fleas on dogs or cats within 4 – 6 hours.
- Topical treatments are a quick one month protection application for your pets you apply to the skin directly behind their head on their back. This prevents them from licking the medications off the skin.
- Area foggers for the inside of the home are available when you need to take more drastic action. They will treat up to 10,000 square feet and kill most pests including adult and pre-adult fleas, including flea eggs for 7 months, ticks, cockroaches, spiders, and ants. The downside is getting out of the house and the fact they are generally highly flammable aerosols. But if you need this massive approach they are definitely worth looking into.
- Flea and Tick Powders kill them on contact. Use directly on the pets according to the directions or to cover areas of carpet to control the spread or lifecycles of the pests.
Responsible pet care is the most important aspect of preventing pet diseases. Flea and Tick Control is a major part of a good program of prevention. Making sure you have a proper Flea and Tick Control program in place to check your pets on a regular basis and the correct meds for prevention of infestation will keep them and their surroundings clear of these parasites.
Joe is an on-line author and internet affiliate marketer. As an individual that’s been involved with sports for years including martial arts (2nd Degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do), lacrosse, baseball, football, coaching and being a referee health and wellness are an important part of his life.
He has also spent years raising cats, dogs and birds. As an engineer he spends a great deal of time working on his house, designing and fixing things and developing his new business platforms.
With his experience he has written articles to share the information and experiences developed over the years.
Copyright Cinova LLC – 2009
