With spring on the way, it is time to start thinking more about fleas and ticks, especially if your pet is not on a preventative during the colder months.
Missouri’s wacky weather means it does not always get cold enough for long enough to really kill off any fleas and ticks that could be lurking in our yards. It is a good idea to keep your pet on some sort of preventative year round for this reason.
Even if your pet is on a preventative, the spring pest boom can mean that they still have a few problems. The very best way to prevent a full on infestation is to check your pet and your home constantly for unwanted visitors.
The fastest way to check your pet for fleas is to use a fine toothed flea comb. The teeth on these combs are spaced so closely that fleas and flea dirt cannot slip through them. The downfall is that if your pet has a very long or dense coat, you may not be able to get down to their skin but we will cover that in just a minute. Using the flea comb, make a single swipe from the base of your pet’s neck all the way down to the base of their tail. Upon looking at the comb, you will hopefully see nothing more than a few stray hairs. You may, however, see a live flea or two or just small, black specks. If you see a flea, talk to your vet immediately about the best ways to get rid of them. If you only see specks, you will have to do a little more detective work. Tap the specks onto a white paper towel. Add a few drops of water directly over the specks and wait. If nothing happens, these are probably just little flakes of dirt your pet has picked up by rolling around. I know mine love to roll in the dirt and often have me questioning! If the specks start to dissolve and turn a rusty reddish color, it is flea poop AKA flea dirt. This means there are fleas on your pet, even if you can’t find any with the comb.
For your longer and thicker haired pets, if you cannot get a comb down to their skin or through their coat, part the hair at the base of their tail. This is the most common place to find flea dirt. If you see those tell tale black specks, try to pick a few off and do the paper towel experiment. The belly is another common place to see live fleas. If you flip your pet on their back, you may catch a glimpse of a flea or two scuttling away to safety. You may also notice small red bumps where fleas have been biting them. These can be present anywhere on the pet but are easiest to see on the belly.
Sometimes, despite your best efforts to find something, you won’t and your pet will still be scratching at their necks or chewing on their legs and hind quarters. This might be a sign of fleas but it could also be a sign of a skin or joint problem. If you have any doubts at all, talk to your vet.
Should your pet have fleas on them, it is almost guaranteed that you have fleas in your home. The life cycle of a flea goes through four stages: eggs, larva, pupa, and adult. While most products will kill larval and adult fleas, the eggs and pupae can be harder to eliminate. This can cause a vicious cycle where you have treated your pets and your home, you don’t see any more live fleas, the itching has stopped so you breath a sigh of relief and relax. Six weeks later, your pet is once again chewing on their hind quarters and there are more adult fleas! The infestation is not back. It has simply continued because the recent crop of eggs and pupae survived. When treating your home, approach it as though the home is infected for at least three months, even if you are not seeing any live fleas. Keep your pets up to date on their preventatives. Wash their bedding constantly in the hottest water possible. Use sprays, bombs, and powders on a regular basis. Or, call an exterminator. The benefit of spending all the money on an exterminator is that they will likely guarantee their work. If the fleas come back in six to eight weeks, the exterminator will return to fix the problem. Even if your pet has never had fleas and shows no sign of fleas, make a habit of checking their bed regularly. You may spot some flea dirt or even dead adult fleas. Dead adults can mean that their preventative is working but there may be a bigger flea problem in your home or yard than you think!
To further combat the issues, you may want to have your yard treated as well. However, keep in mind that while you will be killing the fleas and ticks, you may also be killing beneficial insects as well. In the case of an extreme infestation, there may be no other choice of course.
Ticks can be harder to track down and eliminate since they are not as mobile on your pets as fleas are. Ticks prefer areas with easy access and/or high blood flow. Common places to find ticks are the groin, feet, lower legs, armpits, chest, and around the face and ears. Many times, you can find ticks on your pet simply by patting them. If you feel a lump, part the fur and check it out. If you find ticks, you can remove them carefully with tweezers or with various tick “key” type products available at most store. After removing ticks, keep an eye on the bites. Watch for changes in bite size, skin color, skin temperature, and to be sure any raised lumps are not getting larger. If you have any doubt as to whether or not something is normal, have your pet checked out by a veterinarian. If you have found a large number of ticks on your pet, it is a good idea to have a vet check them out anyway since ticks can carry some gnarly diseases!
To help keep ticks at bay, keep all tall grasses and brush mowed down in areas your pet frequents. Be sure their preventative covers ticks as well, especially if they run in the woods and fields. Did you know that Virginia Opossums eat ticks in your yard? If you have a friendly neighborhood possum, don’t chase it off! Allow it to hunt through your yard at night! You’ll have fewer bugs in the long run!
As the weather yo-yos toward warmer temperatures, keep your eyes open and be proactive! Help your pet, your family, and your groomers have a comfortable spring by preventing any infestations before they start!
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